BLUDSO'S BBQ: TEXAN STYLE 'Q. STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

Regular readers of the blog will be only too aware that I do like a bit of ‘Q action. The American Royal Competition in Kansas City is now the third date I put in the calendar after my anniversary and Sybil’s birthday and, on a recent road trip from Chicago down to New Orleans via twelve Mid-West and Southern States, my friend Neal and I managed to eat enough ribs, links and fatty brisket to keep the towns we visited out of recession.

Los Angeles has not really cut the vinegar based mustard sauce when it comes to BBQ, and I had assumed that I would just have to learn to live with my disappointment until I was back on the road in the New Year. A couple of weeks ago, the jonesing for ‘Q got so bad that I posted a plaintive request on Twitter asking if anybody knew where I might get even a semi decent slab of something smoked here on the West Coast.

Fortunately for me, my good chum Aaron Tell, the author of the excellent new (ish) blog The Savory Hunter dropped me an e-mail asking me if I wanted to join him on a journey to Bludso’s A BBQ joint in the city of Compton, about thirty minutes drive of downtown Los Angeles.

I had never heard of the place, but a bit of internet research told me that Kevin Bludso, the owner, came from a family of Texan BBQ aficionados and brought his talents to Southern California, opening his small joint on South Long Beach Boulevard some three years ago.

As we pulled into the small parking lot, Mr. Bludso was sitting outside with a friend next to the two large smokers he uses for outside catering. It was Aaron’s second visit, but when Mr.B found out that it was my first, he called over “Y’all head on inside, we’ll take good care of you”. To be honest, there really wasn’t much of an “inside” just a glass covered ordering window and a handful of stools alongside a small counter if you want to eat your order there and then.

Bludso’s serves traditional Texan Style BBQ and, at Aaron’s suggestion we ordered the $28 Texas Sampler. It came with two sides and, after choosing Mac & Cheese and Collard greens, we made our way back out to the parking lot to join Kevin Bludso and his friend.

Our meal arrived shortly after we had taken our seats and started chatting. It was a ludicrous amount of food our order comprising chicken, beef and pork links, pulled pork, pork ribs, smoked chicken and slices of beef brisket. Alongside the meat were big tubs of our side dishes, hot corn bread and two slices of Wonderbread, just in case we were in the mood to fashion a fatty brisket sandwich.

The amount of food would not matter, of course, if it was not up to snuff, but I am delighted to say that the ‘Q at Bludso’s is really rather good. The meat was moist and had just enough smoke to add flavour but not overpower. Aaron was particularly taken with the chicken, while I tore into the ribs as if I had not had one for at least ten weeks. Which is, in fact, when I last did. Mac & Cheese is never my idea of a good time, so I concentrated on the collard greens, which were still slightly crunchy and came plumped out with big meaty chunks of ham hock. Lovely stuff.

After decanting our leftovers into take out containers to be enjoyed over the next couple of days, we snapped some photographs and chatted more to Pitmaster Bludso about his cooking techniques. His reply was as typically unassuming as I have come to expect from the lovely people I meet in the wonderful world of ‘Q.

 “Make it anyway you want, just don’t make bad ‘Q”

Well, for the record, Mr. Kevin Bludso makes excellent BBQ and it comes to you straight outta Compton.

LE CAFÉ ANGLAIS: A WALK IN THE PARK

Right. So what can I have a whinge about today eh? Nothing really. I just wanted to reiterate why I think lunch, particularly the Saturday variety, is my favourite time to eat food. And get slowly sozzled. The atmosphere is more relaxed and you can usually spin it out for a good few hours (unless you’re at The River Café, that is, which tries to cram ‘em in). Which is what I did the other day at Le Café Anglais.

Specifically, my visit was to check out LCA’s new Oyster Bar. They’ve taken out a big wodge of seating and put in an oval bar and some small tables, presumably to encourage people to come in for breakfast, a snack, whatever. To be honest the Oyster bar lacks the impact of, say, a Bentley’s or a J Sheekey’s. There’s a chef behind the counter prepping the cold dishes and opening the Oysters but it could do with a display of the shellfishy treats and a dedicated Oyster opener.

The restaurant itself seems a bit adrift in a mall that has seen better days and was never more than half full during the time I was there. Still, that’s not something to bother moi and the atmosphere was pleasantly relaxed – which pretty much suits a Saturday lunch.

(Incidentally, there were plenty of families when I was there but in every case the children were sitting down and sharing a meal with their parents, NOT left to wander off and amuse themselves whilst Mummy and Daddy had a drink. Tellingly, I don’t think these families were English).

Once the Native Oyster season has arrived I always think of it as my duty as a good Brit to eat as many of these great bivalves as I can. A dozen Maldon Natives hit the spot although I never seem to get as much liquor with this variety as with others. Kumamotos were very briny with a long lasting taste but maybe not as subtle as the natives. Maldon Rocks were a little disappointing and very watery. No matter, there was more to come.

Dill Herrings, a brief Madeleine moment of my Summer trip to Stockholm, had a sympathetic cure for the fish although seeing the rye bread taken from packets of the same brand that I buy from Waitrose was a bit of a let down (decent though it is).

The food monster within me had been now aroused and it had to be fed. Skirt Steak (Bavette) came as four bloody chunks and was full of good beefy flavour. A Béarnaise was textbook as were a bowl of hot, crisp frites.

Three scoops of Ice Cream were excellent and what a nice change it was to have real Ice Cream instead of gelato which seems to be so ubiquitous and popular in London these days. I also got a wafer which is always a bonus (such is the paucity of excitement in my life these days).

As a coda chatting to the friendly staff whilst working my way through a half bottle of Jura was pretty good as codas go. As was a stroll through Kensington Gardens in the light of the fading Winter sun. Not to get too maudlin on your collective asses but if this was my last day on Earth it wouldn’t be a bad one as last days go. As a Saturday it would be difficult to better.

SOUTH KOREA: BUSAN

I loved my time in Seoul. However, if a gun was placed against my head, I would have to admit that I enjoyed my time in the country’s second city, Busan (Pusan?) even more.

It is not a small place, with a population of nearly four million people. But, it has a small town, almost provincial feel that offered a welcome respite from the megatropolis that was the nation’s capital. It also exudes a more earthy air, hardly surprising as it is a port city and for centuries one of the first places that foreign visitors to the Joseon kingdom would come to ply their trade, which made for what was regarded as an edgy and dangerous place.

Those days are all but gone, but some legacies remain. Across the city, you find signs indicating that the shop owners speak many languages. Not for the foreign tourists, of which there are relatively few but for sailors from the many ships, which find berth in the still bustling harbour. There is also one more legacy, far more interesting for the food enthusiast. Busan is home to the Jalgachi (literally village by the shore) fish market, which is second in size only to Tsukiji in Tokyo and the wafts of fishy scent from the mongers and restaurants lay heavily over the lower reaches of the city.

We arrived from Seoul after an short two hour journey on the excellent K-Rail connection between the two cities and, after dropping our bags off at the rather eccentric hotel we had chosen, went out to visit the area around the port. The main fish market, of course, only comes to life in the early hours of the morning. However, surrounding the main building are alleyways filled with restaurants, in front of which are tanks from which you can select your live fish or seafood to be prepared to your liking.

Next to the Jalgachi, is a six-storey building called Shindonga, which houses vast numbers of fishmongers who offer the same service. Cases of live fish are situated next to bright yellow tables. While elderly women bark out to attract customers, the apron clad owners scoop the fish from their water baths and dispatch them with a efficiency that can only come from years of practice.

It’s not cheap, but then great seafood never is and, after treating ourselves to a simply grilled snapper, we headed back towards the main town in search of something more substantial. We found it in the form of Samgyetang, a small chicken, stuffed with rice and fresh ginseng and poached in a close fitting container to form a light broth. While Syb found it a little bland, for me it was one of the eating highlights during our whole time in Korea and definitely a dish that I intend to make at home in the near future.

After a slightly fitful night’s sleep, we awake at 5am and went straight out to the fish market. It was certainly impressive, compared to some I had seen, but paled in comparison to Tsukiji (as I suspect any market I ever visit always will) and we were soon headed back to our hotel to catch up on some much needed rest.

As in Seoul, our time in Busan was limited and we wanted to fit in as much as was humanly possible. Close to Busan and very accessible by use of its limited but efficient subway system, are a number of beach resorts where locals and Korean tourists spend their vacation time. One of the largest is Haeundae, a few miles to the East of the city.

Unsurprisingly, in November, few locals had chosen to spend their day on the windswept beach, which left us pretty much to our own devices as we strolled along the promenade. Towards the end of our walk and just when our stomachs were reminding us that we had not yet had lunch, we came upon a smart restaurant called HaeunMaru, which later research revealed to be one of the best fish restaurants in the region.

Even if we had not done the research, it would have been very clear that this was no ordinary fish restaurant. Prices were not for the faint hearted, at over $100 for two. But, the quality of the food on offer made this one of the best meals of the whole vacation. We began with a tray of assorted raw seafood, including abalone, conch, oysters, shrimps and clams. All were breathtakingly fresh and all (apart from the oysters which I avoided for fear of death) as good as any I have ever tried. These came alongside dishes of excellent banchan and a bowl of steaming Chawanmushi, the savoury egg custard I had become such a fan of during my time in Japan.

Next up, a plate of fresh local fish which had been simply grilled and given a dousing in lemon juice before being served to us at the table. While we ate the flesh, the bones were taken away and used to make a thin, spicy fish soup bulked out with noodles and sliced spring onions. A fantastic end to a meal, which confirmed everything I already love about Korean food.

By the time we returned to the city, it was already dark and we spent our last evening in Korea walking through the streets thronged with kids as we decided on where to have our last meal or snack of this part of the trip. We noticed that one particular street stall appeared to be much busier than all the rest and joined the queue to find out what all the fuss was about.

At the head of the line, a short, plump woman was wrapping dough around a filling of brown sugar, honey and cinnamon before frying them on a hot plate until golden brown on both sides. When they were ready to be served, she placed them in a paper cup, split the top and then filled the cavity with roasted peanuts and sesame seeds. These were Ho-tteok and were certainly a sweet treat. Perhaps too sweet for me, but Sybil loved them and talks about them still.

Fitting enough that our last day in the energetic city of Busan, indeed our last day (for now) in Korea would offer up two of the best tastes of a week’s worth of incredible eating. Enough for certain to ensure that we both are certain we would like to return and discover more of what Korea has to offer.

In the meantime, however, the vacation was only just beginning and we were off to Singapore and Malaysia.

More anon.

SOUTH KOREA: A LITTLE BIT OF SEOUL

 

As you may have noticed, there have been precious few blog posts from the West coast recently. There are lots of good reasons I could offer up, but the main one is, if I am truthful, a continuing state of wretched indolence.

Hopefully, this lethargy will pass and I shall soon be regaling you again with oh so amusing stories of my eating adventures around the globe. I have my doubts, though. I am swamped with real ‘writing for money” work right now, which must come first and am additionally hampered by the fact eating in L.A. continues to leave me less than whelmed in a way that London, however infuriating, never did.

However, I have found solace in the fact that, if the mid level and fine dining scene here in The City of Angels fails to inspire, the plethora of ethnic restaurants do their level best to make up for it. I am never happier than when Sybil suggests we head out to one of the joints she and her friends frequent and find myself fighting over a plate of noodles, slurping up a bowl of ramen or seeing if I can eat a tamale in one bite.

As I have mentioned before, more than once, nowhere have I been as content as when we have found ourselves at one of L.A’s exceptional Korea restaurants, arguing over the last crisp piece of BBQ belly pork or playing “duelling chopsticks” over the Panchan. Both the quality and variety of Korean food in L.A. is astounding and our regular outings confirmed my view that I had made a major mistake leaving Korea out of my itinerary when I travelled around the globe.

Sybil agreed and, when it came time for us to organise our vacation time for the end of 2010, it did not take long before we both plumped to spend a little time in the Southern end of the Korean peninsular. Further discussion brought up the possibility of adding a return visit (for me at least) to Malaysia and Singapore and, before you could say “bibimbap” we were on our way.

First stop, naturally, Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Our thirteen hour flight had us arriving early and, after depositing our bags at our traditional Hanok, we headed out to explore and find something fantastic to eat. We found it in the form of some nourishing North Korean style Mandoo (dumplings) served in broth and Panjeon in the nearby neighbourhood of Insa-dong. It was just what we needed and enough to send us back to our guesthouse to sleep the sleep of the self-righteous and prepare for a hideously early start the next day.

When Syb had turned her considerable skills at organising towards our holiday, the first thing on her list were the letters “D.M.Z” and she had scoured the internet to find the perfect tour to take us to the border between North & South Korea. It’s quite an experience and begins with a two-hour journey to the buffer zone between the two countries before being taken to the Joint Security Area to actually cross momentarily into North Korean territory, while being watched every step of the way by rifle toting members of the North Korean Army.

We only had a short time to spend in Seoul. However, thanks to its efficient subway system, we made a very good stab at visiting as many districts as possible to sample the food. Itewon, the “Foreigner’s District” left us both a bit cold, but the chaotic university area of Hongdae, with nightlife going on until the early hours, and the business district of Gangnam made up for it with great BBQ restaurants and even better street food.

God, how the Koreans love their street food and just about every corner of the city seems to be taken up by stalls selling boiled, fried or stir fried snacks. There are skewers of pork doused in soy and grilled over charcoal, eomuk skewers, made from fish paste and served with a light fish broth. Tteokbokki, which are stir-fried rice cakes tossed in a bright red, fiery sauce and best of all, for both of us, small pancakes stuffed with noodles that we found on sale near Gyeongdong Market (any help with the name, anyone?)

After only three days in the capital, we were due to move on to Busan. We had barely had time to scratch the surface of this amazing city, but I am certain I shall be back.

P.S. Just in case anyone is wondering, I resisted the temptation to buy a suit at Wank Custom Tailoring