Chi-Town's Bill Kim Wants to Fill LA Bellies With Fusion Fare

Chicago-based chef Bill Kim opened his first restaurant Urban Belly, a noodle and dumpling (!!) spot, in 2008. Shortly thereafter, in 2009, he debuted Belly Shack, a Latin American-Asian street food hybrid. Riding on the success of both venues, he's now looking to launch right here in Los Angeles. Kim tells Feast Chicago that his sister-in-law resides in LA and that "she understands the market." While there's no exact timeline just yet, Kim is drawn to Downtown, though before opening he plans to hold a pop-up, potentially within the next six months. Probably a good call to test his concept on Angelenos and also drum up awareness via the blogosphere.

From Urban Belly to Belly Shack, Kim is deciding between four LA restaurant names all of which also include "Belly." The new branch will fuse together cuisines from Chicago, Asia, Latin America, and, of course, the West Coast. If anything, sounds like Kim could give Korean taco king Roy Choi a run for his money.
·Bill Kim Looks to Take Belly Brand to West Coast [Feast Chicago]