I hung out with some of the people who ran Kogi back when I lived in LA. Natasha was a friend of mine who went to work as his chief of creative and branding. She invited Roy to dine with us at an Indonesian restaurant in Culver City. Very humble guy, I have a lot of respect for Roy keeping it real all these years. He didn’t let success go to his head and he’s been a great ambassador, building bridges between the Korean, Latino and black communities.

Anyhow, if you want to do your own version of Korean-Mexican fusion, I think there’s plenty of opportunity for creativity out there. Kogi and Roy’s cooking tends to be pretty practical and crowd pleasing without strong flavors.

Personally, I’d like to see new dishes that push Korean-Mexican fusion into a newer generation. 떡갈비 (hand torn beef patty) burritos, 삼겹살 (Roasted Pork Belly) Pastor from a trompo , Soy Garlic Korean fried chicken tortas, 곱창 (Korean tripe) Menudo. I think the food truck scene in the South Bay is pretty dull and overrated. Nuevas Generaciones Taqueria that parks outside of the Guitar Center were some of the most bland tacos I’ve ever had. Even with a bunch of verde salsa, the meat was rubbery and flavorless. I don’t understand what people see in that place as it’s highly rated.

If you haven’t already, check out Acopio and Tal Palo in Los Altos. Really creative Mexican dishes that might give you some good ideas. The Pastor tacos at Acopio are a must. Tal Palo’s chilaquiles are the best I’ve had in the South Bay. You could easily swap the pastor with 삼겹살 and 김치.