Gorbals Los Angeles 90013 | 87 FoodDigger Rating

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NomsNotBombs | Blogger Favorite Cuisine: Japanese,Italian 69 Reviews

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User Restaurant Rating 89

6/17/2010 I have long wanted to visit The Gorbals. Named after the immigrant neighborhood in Glasgow, Scotland in which chef and owner Ilan Hall's father grew up, The Gorbals boasts an eclectic, oddball menu with Scottish, Jewish, Spanish and American influences that arouses one's curiosity.

After visiting the Manila Machine at last week's Art Walk, J and I decided to finally cross The Gorbals off our "to-eat" list and pay the Top Chef's restaurant a visit. Read more from their blog Recommended Dishes Bacon-wrapped matzoh balls

kevinEats Favorite Cuisine: Japanese,French 86 Reviews

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User Restaurant Rating 89

The Gorbals (Los Angeles, CA) 4/28/2010 The Gorbals is, of course, the recent palate-child of Top Chef Season 2 winner Ilan Hall. Born April 6, 1982 to a Scottish father and Israeli mother (both Jewish), Hall was exposed to food from an early age. Growing up, the Chef's mother provided most of the culinary inspiration, instilling Hall with a deep appreciation of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. During his teenage years, this translated to a stint at Marine Fisheries, a seafood shop in his hometown of Great Neck, NY. At age 17, Hall moved to Florence and enrolled in the Apicius Cooking School at the Scuola Lorenzo de' Medici, all the while staging at local Tuscan eatery Al Lume di Candela. He then went on to study at the Culinary Institute of America, where he earned his degree while externing at Charlie Palmer's Aureole in New York.

The next year, Hall relocated to California to receive his certification in Baking and Pastry Arts at the CIA's Napa campus, where he cooked at the school's Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant. Following his completion of the program, Hall moved back to New York, first working for Tom Colicchio at Craft, then for Mario Batali and Andy Nusser at Spanish eatery Casa Mono. It was during his tenure here that Hall participated in Top Chef, winning the competition in January 2007 at age 24. After the win, Hall traveled the world to conduct "research" for his upcoming restaurant before settling down in Los Angeles in March 2008. Teaming with longtime friend Natan Zion, Hall debuted The Gorbals on August 28, 2009. However, less than a week after opening, the restaurant was shuttered by the health department due to a faulty water heater. The Gorbals finally reopened on October 23.

Bacon-wrapped matzoh balls, horseradish mayonnaise [$5.00]
Of course, we began with Hall's signature item, the one that inspired the now-notorious phrase "old Jewish food, date-raped by bacon." The dish was thought up as a sort of joke, something Hall created for a Jewish friend's birthday party, but it turned out shockingly well. The fatty, salty sapor of the bacon did wonders in balancing the relative creamy levity of the matzah, and the paired horseradish mayo was an excellent accompaniment to boot. To quite Homer Simpson: sacrilicious.

Icicle radishes, brown butter, bonito flakes [$8.00]
The radishes presented next, juicy and delightfully crunchy in texture, had a great, refreshing, vegetal bitterness that provided my palate a piquant prick. This, however, was quickly tempered by the weight of the brown butter and the rich umami-imbued flavor of the katsuobushi. Quite nice.

Octopus, gizzards & lemon [$13.00]
I'm a sucker for octopus, so I was rather looking forward to this course. It did not disappoint. I enjoyed the octopod's soft, supple consistency and wonderfully savory, almost Asian-inspired flavor, offset by the greens and citrus. The gizzards, surprisingly, acted as more of a textural element for me.

Brussels sprouts, hollandaise [$10.00]
I "heart" Brussels sprouts. I think it's the astringency of the vegetable that gets me, and here the sprouts' tang was showcased beautifully, augmented even further by the bitterness imparted by the copious amounts of char. I also appreciated the use of Hollandaise and how its butteriness balanced the power of the sprouts.

Temecula beet & carrot salad, fried peas [$10.00]
Here, the key was how the dense sweetness of the beets was countervailed by the light, bright greens. However, the best part of this clearly was the incorporation of fried peas.

Braised cabbage, walnuts, caraway [$7.00]
The cabbage was braised to a rich, soft, heavy consistency, and its flavor was markedly piquant, with some of the zest cut by the application of walnut. This actually reminded me a bit of sauerkraut, but with a nutty finish.

Highland steak, white beans, arugula [$15.00]
One of the highlights of the meal was this steak, which, taken alone, wouldn't seem out of place at a steakhouse. I loved its unabashedly salty savor, succulent consistency, and how it worked beautifully with its accoutrements of bitter arugula and earthy beans. Delish.

Kalimotxo braised lamb neck, coca cola glaze [$14.00]
Braised in kalimotxo (a mix of red wine and cola), the lamb was rendered suitably tender, and had a nicely savory, yet slightly sweet flavor that paired well with the greens. I, however, didn't care for the almonds, which were far too overwhelming, effectively masking the flavor of the meat.

Beef marrow, king oyster mushrooms, walnuts [$11.00]
This was actually one of the better preparations of bone marrow I've had. The employment of mushroom formed a surprisingly effective counter to the sheer oleaginousness of the marrow, and I enjoyed the tinge of nuttiness imparted by the walnuts. Great bread, too.

Chicken liver mousse, apple & smoked cashews [$12.00]
The chicken liver tasted, well, liver-y, exactly as it should. What set this apart, thus, was the usage of cashew, which lent a sort of smokiness that did help in balancing the monolithicity of the mousse. The apple, however, wasn't nearly apparent enough for me.

Sweetbreads, green bean chutney [$12.00]
Unlike many preparations of sweetbreads I've had, which are normally quite salty, Hall's version here was surprisingly subtle, possessing of an almost "nutty" sweetness. It paired well with the included chutney, which provided a bit of much needed piquancy. Nice.

Sautéed kale, broccoli leaf, garlic & chili [$8.00]
This may not look like much, but it was one of the stars of the dinner. The wonderful, green astringency of the kale and broccoli was superbly preserved and highlighted, augmented by the spicy tang of chili. Deceptively simple, but utterly fantastic.

Crispy pig head, onion, lime & vinegar [$13.00]
In our final savory course, crispy bits of pig's head were tossed in a tartish commixture of onion, lime, and vinegar. The pork, fatty and salty alone, was countered tremendously by its bracingly acerbic accoutrements. Quite good--it was almost like eating a porcine ceviche!

Sticky toffee pudding, ice cream, maldon salt [$7.00]
The sole dessert was like a rich, raisin-y, really sticky cake, with a great bit of saltiness on the close. The pairing of ice cream (Nutella-buttermilk, if I recall correctly) was a classic one, but worked well enough here.

The Gorbals seems to draw more than its fair share of ire from food circles, but most of that seems undeserved. The place was designed, from the beginning, to be somewhat cryptic in its cuisine. Taking its name from a gritty immigrant neighborhood in Glasgow (where Hall's father grew up), the food is meant to be a seemingly disparate amalgamation of various gastronomic influences. The restaurant is not really Jewish, or Scottish, or Spanish, or "New American;" it's just The Gorbals, and it was pretty damn good.

Full review with photos: http://www.kevineats.com/20 10/04/gorbals-los-angeles-c a.html Recommended Dishes Bacon-wrapped matzoh balls, horseradish mayonnaise, Octopus, gizzards & lemon, Highland steak, white beans, arugula, Sautéed kale, broccoli leaf, garlic & chili, Crispy pig head, onion, lime & vinegar

thirstypig | Blogger Favorite Cuisine: Chinese,Japanese 75 Reviews

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User Restaurant Rating 89

1/20/2010 I was looking for a new place to try in Downtown, but I had certain criteria that I need to follow. I didn't want a uber trendy place. Nor, did I want a super expensive restaurant. I was in the mood for anything non-Asian. And The Gorbals fit the bill after reading newsletters, blogs, and other sites.

The first thing I took note was the Octopus with Gizzards. A bit of a strange combination. I like the Octopus, but the gizzards was not what I was looking forward to. But as it turns out, the gizzard was tastier than the octopus. I don't usually touch the strange parts of an animal, like gizzard, intestine, heart, etc. But in this case, it was pretty good. The gizzard has a unique consistency, a bit grainy. I thought it would be more chewy. I would recommend ordering this.

Another item that I was looking forward to was the Bacon Wrap Matzoh Balls. Yes, I know, Bacon is like my krytonite. Anything with bacon, pork, pig will be my epic downfall. Unfortunately, my hastiness caused me to almost burn my tongue. The matzoh ball is hot! I should have left it to cool down. I understand the combination. But perhaps it could be improved. I would try it again - the combination sounds too good to pass up.

I also ordered the Manischewitz-braised pork belly, clapshot and apples. I have no idea what it said - except for the "PORK BELLY". Hence my weakness. This was actually really good. It is comparable to the pork belly that I had at Animal. Though Animal's was better - with a crispy and melty mouth feel. The mouth feel at The Gorbals was melty all around. Read more from their blog Recommended Dishes bacon wrapped matzo ball

foodshethought | Blogger Favorite Cuisine: Japanese,French 60 Reviews

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User Restaurant Rating 93

11/27/2009 Dinner at The Gorbals, for a palate that loves adventurous comfort food, is a must do. Read more from their blog Recommended Dishes bacon wrapped matzo, oxtails and oats, pumpkin & coffee nitro ice cream

gastronomnom | Blogger Favorite Cuisine: French,American 22 Reviews

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User Restaurant Rating 77

9/19/2009 Tonight on Top Chef. Restaurant Wars. The challenge? Open a restaurant in a halfway house. Read more from their blog Recommended Dishes Bacon-wrapped matzoh balls, Sweetbreads and corn

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