Bibigo Century City. Photo by Karin E. Baker
Craving Korean food but K-Town’s too far away? Bibigo Kitchen, a new Bibigo concept billed as “fine-casual modern Korean,” recently opened inside Westfield Century City.
Don’t get this mixed up with Bibigo, whose to-go locations include one in this mall’s food court. Bibigo Kitchen is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of shoppers, making dining here a different, much more relaxing experience.
Though you order at the counter, this is otherwise a sit-down restaurant. To begin with, there’s a welcoming bar serving beer, wine, and Korean infused spirits, in addition to five types of kombucha, in flavors such as lavender & hibiscus, mango & ginger, and peach & passionfruit.
Bibigo Kitchen goes beyond the customizable takeaway bowls and boxes of Bibigo with a menu that’s more upscale. Dishes here include pork belly, vegan dduk galbi, and grilled octopus with sweet pea paste, along with sides like seaweed rice, corn cheese, cucumber kimchi, and grilled broccolini.
I enjoyed both the Bulgogi Hot Stone and the Galbi Hot Stone, heaving with marinated bulgogi beef or short rib atop seaweed rice and a variety of vegetables. Make it even tastier with the addition of a sous vide egg. Pork belly, appropriately crispy and fatty, is served with pungent, spicy gochujang aioli. This same aioli enhances the succulent roasted chicken. Try an assortment of meats with the BBQ Platter, which includes short ribs, pork belly, honey soy fried chicken and ssam.
Balance out all that meat with the root vegetable medley, fruit kimchi, a salad or the veggie platter, which offers lotus, Korean pepper, cucumbers, radishes and gochujang hummus.
There’s an interesting, well-edited assortment of beverages here — in addition to the aforementioned drink choices, you can also sip on sangria, cocktails like the Boozy Aloe Soju (honey, aloe vera & green grape-infused soju with bursting, Day-Glo boba), ginseng wine, California and Chilean wines, butterfly pea coconut boba, turmeric mango tea, and more.
The ambiance is casually elegant, with wooden furniture, a wall bestrewn with succulents, a glass privacy barrier, and modern light fixtures.
Located at 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Bibigo Kitchen is open from 11 am to 9 pm Sundays through Thursdays and from 11 am to 10 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
