This week on K-Town, Eater LA editor and host Matthew Kang observes the three stages of a successful Korean night out: il cha, drinking at a bar; ee cha, a good meal; and sam cha, when things really get celebratory. Insa, in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn, offers all three stages under one roof, from large-format cocktails and soju to disco-lit karaoke rooms, with steamy, sizzling Korean barbecue in between.
Chef and partner Sohui Kim (also of The Good Fork and the eponymous cookbook) marries her professional training and childhood food memories together in Insa's kitchen, offering classic dishes such as soondubu (silken tofu stew) and soondae (Korean blood sausage) alongside various cuts of meat for DIY Korean barbecue-style grilling. But the flavorful and evocative food is only the start of what makes Insa a "Korean fun time place for celebration," as Kim's husband Ben Schneider, the carpenter and contractor behind both of the couple's restaurants, calls it. Watch the video above to see Kang grab the mic and close his night out with some sam cha in the karaoke room.
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