Nabi Experimental Korean Food By A James Beard Nominee

Tucked in the back of East Hollywood's Union Discount Swampmeet between "designer" bag stores and ladies selling discount clothing is where you'll find this fast-casual Korean restaurant.

Helmed by none other than Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee, a James Beard award nominee and cookbook author of two of the seminal Korean cookbooks, you can expect a seasonal menu of Korean traditional dishes as well as some unique experimental dishes. Hae-Jin Lee, a LA Times Contributor, restaurant reviewer, and writer of both Korean and Mexican cookbooks, wanted to bring her love and passion for Korean food to the public by opening her first restaurant.

Nabi, which means butterfly in Korean, offers customizable bibimpap bowls, kimchi fried rice, and ddeokbokgi, spicy rice cakes. For the more adventurous, experimental dishes like kimchi grilled cheese sandwiches and Korean tortas that combine the best of both Korean and Mexican flavors are a real treat.

Traditions Bowl

Classic Bibimpap- base of white rice, seasoned beef, carrots, spinach, green onion, sprouts, eggplant, mountain vegetable, zucchini. Topped off with a fried egg and served with spicy gochujang sauce on the side.

Kimchi Grilled Cheese

Thick slices of butter-toasted Texas bread stuffed with melted cheddar cheese and chopped kimchi.

Korean Torta- Pork

Korean BBQ chicken on a butter toasted bolillo with slices of cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, and gochujang mayo.

Each month at Nabi, there will be a food fight where diners can vote between two dishes they'd like to see on the menu permanently. This month's battle took place between Kimchi Fried Rice and Kimchi Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. The kimchi grilled cheese sandwiches won, but Cecilia kindly still offers the kimchi fried rice on her "secret menu".

Bold flavors and experimental cuisine all at an affordable price, Nabi's doors are open everyday of the week except for Tuesday.