In Los Angeles, at the corner of South Kenmore Avenue and South Sixth Street stands a restaurant that would make any Colombiano feel like they were back in Bogotá. The twist is that it’s in the heart of Koreatown.

In 2013, Escala restaurant brought the Korean community the flavor of some good old fashioned Colombian cooking as well as the atmosphere of “Amor y Familia”.

Escala’s owner Kyu Lee, also known as “Chino”, was raised in the section of Avenida Caracas in Bogota during part of the 1970’s. His father, being Korean diplomat, became more established and after some time, moved his family to the Cedritos section of Bogota. “Even though I lived a privileged life, I got to experience the both worlds of Bogota”, said Chino.

Back as a kid in Colombia, Chino always was surrounded by both Colombian and Korean foods.

“My mom tried but could never cook Colombian dishes”, said Chino “I would go to my friends’ homes and eat their mother’s cooking and come back and tell my mother to try cooking arroz Colombiano or bunuelos.”

Chino was very grateful though that he grew up with his mother’s Korean cooking. “She was able to make tofu and bean paste from scratch when there were no ingredients.” While in Colombia, Chino noticed that there are some odd similarities between Colombian and Korean foods. Things as small as putting ketchup on your Arroz con Pollo or Kimchi with coconut fried rice and peas with shredded chicken as well as Colombian and Korean types of morcilla.

At the age of 11, Chino moved to Los Angeles with his mother while his father stayed in Bogota. While in LA, he discovered the Hip-hop-culture. Chino is grateful to have parents who gave him the flexibility to follow his dreams even though within the Korean culture there can be more of a strictness within the family system. “I feel because my parents lived in Colombia for so long they were a bit more flexible and understanding of what I wanted to do in my life”, said Chino.

Coming from a music and art background, Chino always liked to promote social events. “I always wanted to have my own bar so I can throw parties”, said Chino. As luck would have it, a friend of his sister used to own Escala when it was just a Korean bar. The owner was looking to move into a different venture which lead Chino to take the chance and purchase the bar.  One thing Chino was not counting on was California law stating that when having any new liquor license, you must sell more food than liquor. “If I have to sell food, I might as well put passion into it” Chino said. “My friends recommended a chef to me who has his own restaurants and he helped me out in the kitchen and design our menu.”

Chino admits that the transition from music promotion to restaurant owner is still a work in progress. “I’m still learning…I’m still a new jack at this, but fortunately the knowledge and relationships I gained in the music industry paid off here,” said Chino. He added that having world class DJ’s come to Escala and play music for the customers and not for financial reasons help Escala not only become a place of great food but a place to come together and have a great time.

When walking into the restaurant, the Spanish-style water fountain greets you at the door giving you a Zen-like calm, while the sounds of classic hip-hop come from the DJ booth. “The intention in the design is to make it feel like home and just chill, Chino continued, “and the girls like taking pictures in front of the fountain.” 

When ordering your food, start with a couple beef empanadas with aji. The empanadas nice crunchy shell and the shredded style beef inside gives the appetizer its true Colombian flavor. There are two popular dishes at Escala that must be eaten. First, the Bandeja de Cola or Oxtail platter is a braised oxtail with coconut rice, pinto beans, plantains, egg, and a tomato onion salad. The oxtail goes down smooth with a slightly sweet taste from the coconut rice while the plantains mixed with the salad gives a perfect balance to the meal.

The Bandeja platter is Colombian chicharron with Korean BBQ short ribs, chorizo, egg, arepa, pinto beans, coconut rice, and avocado. The chicharron is full of juicy flavor with every bite and the slight spicy kick of the short ribs adds a flavorful twist to the authentic platter. The best way to wash down these delicious meals is with a glass of Refajo (Aguila beer mixed with Colombian soda).

Every time Chino visits Colombia, he always feels the love that was shown to him and his family when they moved to Bogota over 40 years ago. He succeeds in bringing that love into Escala through its food, artistic style, and overall “family” atmosphere. “I want the customers to feel that this is a place to have a good time…a place to be happy”, said Chino, “I really push not only Colombian culture but I push the Colombian spirit. There is a reason why Colombians are called the happiest people in the world.”