Ethnic cuisines inspire food adventures

Routine always seems to creep and take over the daily activities of life, especially eating. What to do when strapped for time and cash amid hectic work schedules? The answer often involves going to the “safe” food joints — the reliable places you’ve ordered from time and time again.

It’s time to break the habit and explore for once. The relaxed weekends of summer encourage such discovery, and ethnic cuisines of all sorts offer an easy place to begin.

Take Korean food, for instance: It’s more than just all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue, regardless of how awesome that can be.

There’s a vast number of good, affordable Korean restaurants in Los Angeles, but it’s hard to argue against the selection and value of a solid food court.

The Koreatown Plaza, which sits just north of Olympic Boulevard and Western Avenue, offers just that.

The food court can get crowded during peak lunch hours on the weekend, but finding a table isn’t too difficult.  An impressive variety of dining options await new visitors, with joints offering everything from cold buckwheat noodles to Korean blood sausage.

Tonkatsu House’s namesake dish, tonkatsu, is a particularly noteworthy choice: A fat slab of tender panko-fried pork, smothered in a tangy-savory brown sauce, comes with sides of rice, shredded cabbage salad, all-important kimchi (spicy pickled vegetables) and more.

Though more of a fusion dish than traditional Korean, tonkatsu is undeniably tasty and comes in a gigantic portion.

Pao Jao’s not completely Korean, either: The dumpling shop has Chinese roots but still spins a subtly Korean take on the foodstuff. The meat-filled dumplings stand as a revelation — break open the fluffy white bun and smell the steam wafting off a mixture of tender meat and fragrant chives.

For classic Korean cuisine, check out Gamja Bawi.  The gamja-tang, otherwise known as potato-and-pork-neck stew, exemplifies the bold complexity of Korean soups, a cornerstone of the cuisine.

Redolent of sesame leaves, chili paste and pork broth, the spicy stew goes great with steamed white rice and also happens to be the perfect hangover cure.

Vietnamese food can be a bit of a mystery to some as well, but the Southeast Asian fare often impresses with its freshness and culinary sophistication.  Vietnamese cuisine always emphasizes a balance of savory, herbal, acidic and sweet flavors, leading to food that’s complex and satisfying without being heavy.

Downtown’s Blossom, on Spring Street between ourth and fifth Streets, flaunts just that: Fresh, balanced Vietnamese classics.

There’s Saigon-style pho, the ubiquitous noodle soup with a choice of meats and do-it-yourself garnishes. Bun (pronounced “boon”), the popular cold noodle dish, is also a favorite — try the intimidatingly named “bun tom, cha gio, bo nuong,” which comes with grilled shrimp, crisp egg rolls and a chunk of smoky grilled lemongrass steak.

Conveniently, the menu makes it easy to order: All items are numbered, meaning you don’t have to awkwardly stumble through a dish’s name.

Of course, there’s Hanoi-style pho to be had as well, and it doesn’t get much better than the stuff Hoan Kiem hawks. The store, tucked away in the shadows of a dusty Chinatown shopping plaza, sports an impressively minimal menu: Rice crepes, chicken rice and chicken pho, with a beef pho special on certain weekends.

You can’t fault them for the lack of variety, however, because each of these items shine.  The chicken pho, with a richly savory broth and melting shreds of chicken among a tangle of perfectly chewy rice noodles, is a knockout — add some ginger and chili sauce and it’s a masterpiece.

Even old favorites like Mexican food have something new to offer. Check out the late-night favorite El Taurino, for instance.  Sitting proudly right off of Olympic Boulevard and Hoover Street, the colorful eatery dishes out more than just tacos, though those always delight as well.

Try the costillas rancheras, slabs of thin-cut shortrib griddled with onions and served with warm tortillas, braised beans and a fiery guacamole; a splash of El Taurino’s addictive salsa roja takes it over the top.

And come back on the weekend for a hunk of barbacoa — slow-roasted goat — and a bowl of consomé, a deeply flavored soup made from barbacoa drippings that arrives with carrots, chickpeas and a chunk of roasted bone hiding buttery marrow.

Just make sure to pay attention to the order number being called over the P.A.: The yelps of Spanish and English can buzz incoherently at times, though that’s just part of the fun.

There’s nothing wrong with spending another dinner chowing on the University Village’s selection of restaurants, per se, but a little distance from campus brings a (sometimes literal) buffet of fascinating food. Korean, Vietnamese and Mexican are only a few examples of the diverse ethnic cuisines out there — besides, haven’t you had enough Subway and Soy?