Feng Mao :: All Things Andy Gavin

Los Angeles is blessed with America’s largest Korea-town, and as such we have so many fabulous Korean dining options.

Feng Mao has a tremendous menu of Korean and Korean/Chinese items, including a vast array of things available for grilling.

Notice the built in ducts! (Olympic location).

And the pop up wood charcoal grills.

The private (side?) room at the Western location.

The vast menu.

2010 Kistler Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard. VM 93. Ash, game, tar licorice, incense and dark cherries are some of the notes that emerge from the 2010 Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard. A pretty soft, understated wine, the 2010 also has a hint of wildness running through it. Today, the 2010 is a bit compact, but I very much like the sense of grace here. Sweet floral notes reappear on the finish, adding a burst of freshness and vivacity to a finish underpinned by lovely streaks of saline minerality. In 2010 yields were too low for Kistler to bottle the Cuvee Elizabeth Pinot. The little fruit that came in was blended into the Kistler Vineyard Pinot.

agavin: not bad for a “fake” pinot

Some flavored salt for dipping and a little mini salad.

And various other banchan. Broccoli and garlic.

Bean sprouts.

Shredded pickled spicy radish.

Peanuts.

More banchan.

Garlic cucumber. Marinated and with a nice texture.

Beef and cucumber.

Numbing stew. Very good with mala.

And looking close, pig’s blood!

Spicy beef tendon, but we wondered if tripe, too chewy.

From my cellar: 2000 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage. VM 94+. Saturated ruby. Superripe aromas of blackberry, blueberry, clove, minerals and black licorice. Very ripe but precise and penetrating. At once lush and powerful; seamless but with terrific thrust. Black fruit, flint, spice and dark chocolate flavors offer considerable density and verve. Finishes with substantial noble tannins that arrive very late. Has all the elements for longevity. Give this 10 to 12 years before pulling the cork. This comes across as a bit denser than the young 2001 but not finer. The Chaves clearly did a superb job of harvesting in 2000.

agavin: WOTN for most of us, although the competition wasn’t fierce.

Plate of raw stuff ready for grilling.

And more skewers.

Beef on the left, lamb on the right. The beef was a bit sweet and fabulous. The lamb full of flavor.

2012 Alain Voge Cornas Les Chailles. VM 91. Deep ruby. Smoky, oak-spiced blackberry, licorice pastille and olive paste on the nose, with subtle floral and mineral nuances adding complexity. Velvety, sweet and nicely concentrated, offering dark berry liqueur and fruitcake flavors that slowly tighten up with air. Supple tannins come on late, giving shape to a long smoke- and spice-tinged finish. As approachable as this wine is today, I think that it has the material for cellaring.

They do most of the grilling here, which makes it easy.

Pork belly. Eventually this chars down to carbonized bacon.

Pork belly and lamb spareribs. Both good.

Squab or some other small bird.

Getting there.

Pork belly wrapped around enoki mushroom.

More meat and sausages.

Sausages were great. Squid was icky.

Sardines!

Condiments for the skewers.

Steamed egg. I love this kind of simple dish.

2009 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Toscana IGT. VM 91. Deep red with ruby highlights. Reticent aromas of raspberry, red cherry and chocolate. Then large-scaled, fat and chunky on the palate, with highly concentrated red fruit and herbal flavors showing creamy depth and noteworthy persistence. This rather powerful wine stains the palate on the long, ripely tannic finish. I would have liked a bit more finesse, but many drinkers will love this.

Jellyfish salad with meat, veggies etc.

The mustard sauce is mixed in. Great stuff.

2004 Torbreck Descendant. Parker 98. The 2004 Descendant, an old oak-aged blend of 92% Shiraz and 8% Viognier from a 12-year old vineyard, offers up notes of blackberries, ink, sweet truffles, and acacia flowers. There are 1,000 cases of this full-bodied, intense, rich blockbuster. It will drink well for 10-15 years.

Bean curd “pasta” with chili. Delicious.

Stir fried mushrooms.

Steamed pork dumplings. Good, although I’ve certainly had better.

Sauce for the dumplings.

2005 Favia Cerro Sur. 93 points. Cherry, bell pepper, cedar, and licorice on the nose. Lot’s of strawberry and cherry jam on the palate which heat/spice from the alcohol. Beware, this is a fruit bomb.

Fried sweet and sour pork. Almost certainly the best sweet and sour pork I’ve had. We got 2-3 orders. Super scalding and delicious.

Purple rice.

Eggs and zucchini. Light and mild.

2004 Sean Thackrey Petite Sirah Sirius Eaglepoint Ranch. 92 points. Color is very dark. Medium legs with a silky mouthfeel. This is the oldest Sirius in my cellar and is drinking really well right now. A classic Thackrey version of petite sirah. Always one of my favorites.

agavin: more balanced and not as overwhelming, good.

Spicy fried eggplant. Yum!

Pan fried pork dumplings. Doughy, but I liked them even better than the steamed.

2010 Saxum Terry Hoage Vineyard. Parker 95+. The 2010 Terry Hoage Vineyard is a blend of 46% Syrah, 33% Grenache, and 21% Mourvedre that comes from Jennifer and Terry Hoage’s west side Paso vineyard. Less gamey than when tasted from barrel, it offers up a pure, beautifully fresh bouquet of red and black fruits, spring flowers, ground pepper, leather, and wet stone-like minerality that flows to a rich, fabulously concentrated, and textured palate. Showing the savory, mineral characteristics of the vintage, as well as noticeable underlying tannin, this gorgeous effort needs short-term cellaring, and will thrill for over a decade.

agavin: needed about a decade more time!

Fish filets boiled in chili oil. Feng Mao’s take on this classic Szechuan dish was awesome.

Lots of numbing chili oil heat! Great with rice.

Glass noodles. Mild and good.

Crispy potato pancake. Like a Korean latke.

Seafood pancake. Yummy!

Egg with chives. Awesome. Seems so simple, but tons of flavor.

Cumin chicken bones. Just ok.

Shredded pork with cilantro. pretty good.

Clams with brown sauce.

Spicy noodle soup. Very nice, with a pleasant, medium spicy broth and nice thin egg noodles.

Fried chicken. This was actually from next door at Da Jeong. Many in our party claim this is the best fried chicken ever.

Overall, this was a great meal. Really tasty and nearly every dish was good. The price was right too, as it was $30 each all in (including tax and tip). Service was great and they have a big menu, so I’ll have to return to sample even more goodies.