I’d only been in LA two days by the time I took this food tour, and was already feeling significantly overwhelmed by the sheer number of people, the size of the city, and the crazy driving. I was keen, therefore, to join a knowledgeable tour guide and head off the beaten track to experience the less touristy side of Los Angeles - and taste some great local cuisine.
| Gaylord Apartments
The tour began outside the Gaylord Apartments on Wilshire Boulevard, a historic Italian Renaissance building named for real estate giant Henry Gaylord Wilshire. Our tour guide, Kelley, was clearly very passionate about this architecturally beautiful building in the middle of the not-so pretty neighbourhood, and showed us through to the HMS Bounty Pub that adjoined the lobby to admire the nautical decor. At this time there was only me and a couple from Australia on the tour, but we’d be joined by a bachelorette party later on once they caught up with us.
| Ham Ji Park
Outside again, we wandered through Koreatown whilst Kelley told us about the interesting history of the district, and how it came to have the most densely populated number of Koreans outside of Korea. Kelley regaled us with stories of her time living in South Korea as we walked through Chapman Market, one of the first drive-in markets in America built in 1929. This brought us to our first food stop along the tour; Ham Ji Park.
The table was already laid for us when we arrived, so we wasted no time digging into dwaeji galbi (Korean pork ribs), served with Korean salad and banchan, the collective name for Korean side dishes. These included a couple of kimchi variations, a delicious potato dish, beansprouts, spinach and jugs of barley water. This was my first time trying Korean BBQ, but hopefully not the last!
| Zion Market
This brought us out on West 6th St and into Zion Market, a Korean grocery store. Here we had the opportunity to wander around and taste samples from various vendors, and check out the live fish tanks full of halibut - pretty creepy. Our official tastings, however, were a couple of Korean confectionaries; hodo gwaja (walnut cookies), and bungeo-ppang (fish-shaped sweet bread filled with custard cream). Watching the vendor cook these little fish-breads in iron molds was truly fascinating - the bachelorette party arrived just in time!
| The LINE Hotel
The next part of the tour would be a first for me… public transport! (On a food tour, not ever…). There was a twenty minute wait for the bus so we killed some time exploring The LINE Hotel across the street, which had an incredible greenhouse bar and swimming pool on the rooftop. Once on the bus (the fare is included in the tour price, which was a relief because I’m still not confident with US coins), we made our way to Little Armenia into Sasoun Bakery, where we tried their fresh and delicious cheese borek.
| Spicy BBQ
That’s four food stops down already, but we weren’t finished eating yet. A short walk down the street was the aptly named ‘Spicy BBQ’, a tiny Thai restaurant that you probably wouldn’t notice walking by, but can be found 7 days a week serving authentic northern Thai cuisine. I’d already discovered a love of Thai soup in Scottsdale, so I was excited to try their Khao Soi - a fragrant and spicy noodle broth. We also had Thai tea which is SO GOOD particularly on a hot day (which is most days in Los Angeles).
| Carousel
If we were going to eat any more food we needed to do a bit of walking, so we set off down Normandie Avenue past the many fruit trees and palms, taking in great views of Griffith Park Observatory and the famous Sunset Boulevard. A curious circus-themed Middle Eastern restaurant was our destination; Carousel (a favorite of Kim Kardashian). The staff were incredibly friendly, and swiftly served us a whole plate of Lebanese meza; lulu kebab with yogurt sauce, pita chips, hummus, and a red pepper and walnut spread called muhammara. A meal fit for anyone worthy of breaking the internet.
| Bhan Kanom Thai
The final stop on the tour was Bhan Kanom Thai, a specialist dessert store that sells traditional and tricky-to-find confectionaries. Here we tried a historic sweet treat; Khanom Bueang. Dating back to some time between the 14th and 18th centuries, Khanom Bueang (or Thai crepes) are crispy pancakes topped with coconut cream and shredded egg yolks. It’s easy to see how these street food snacks have stood the test of time! That brought the food part of the tour to an end, but we continued down Hollywood Boulevard to pause at a Thai Spirit House, then finished at Silom Market where we could browse and purchase more Thai specialities.
| Thanks for reading!
If you’re after a food tour that’s a little different, I can’t recommend this tour enough - especially with Kelley leading the way! Never have I tried so many foods from different cultures all in one day, and learnt about the history of Los Angeles whilst doing so. Whether you’re visiting LA or have lived here your whole life, you’re sure to discover some hidden gems and learn something new about this wonderful city during the Ethnic Food and Culture Tour. Thank you Kelley!
