David Chang’s Majordomo Opens Tonight: Here’s What to Expect

Majordomo, David Chang’s first foray into Los Angeles, officially debuts tonight after months of anticipation. The Momofuku chef entertained friends and family over the weekend, with luminaries like Jon Favreau, Bill Simmons, Eric Wareheim, Evan Kleiman, Nick Kroll, Brian Grazer, and Vice’s Shane Smith getting an early look at the food. Majordomo is taking reservations on its website right now, with plenty of availability in the next few days and weeks. [Update: the reservations are now booked a month in advance, as of Tuesday afternoon]

The menu, which is also fully posted on the website, lists seven major categories, starting with bing breads and its accompaniments. Some of the listed dips and spreads include chickpeas and uni, eggs and smoked roe, sardines, Benton’s reserve ham, and even cave-aged butter with osetra caviar. Appetizers might be a deep-fried Benton’s sausage-stuffed pepper; fried butterball potatoes covered with furikake, nuts, dried chiles, and seeds; or broken cool soft tofu with honey and sesame seeds that works as a light, spoonfriendly starter.

There’s a small raw bar section for seafood lovers while a market section boasts raw sugarsnap peas covered in a light wasabi dressing. Marinated mushrooms feel like a fresh starter salad at BCD Tofu House while the bounty bowl comprises crisp greens and radishes with green goddess and domojang (a take on Korean doenjang). Most of the starters run about $6 to $24, with a lot of range in the teens to make things shareable and relatively affordable.

The bigger dishes show a lot of promise too, with a Korean eundaegoo joorim-style black cod in paper, spicy fried skate rice (a popular homestyle Korean dish), and grilled whole rockfish. The real draw for diners might be the iconic spicy bossam and Adam Perry Lang-style smoked ribs kissed with galbi seasoning.

It’s kind of a major commitment at $190 (and the price might change too) but David Chang contends it would cost around what a table would spend for that quantity of beef at a top flight Korean barbecue restaurant. The smoked short ribs are sliced tableside and presented with the bones. Wrap in butter lettuce, top with domojang, and lace in some of the kimchi for one of the most luxurious and elevated galbi presentations in the city.

Artwork in the restaurant comes from three major artists. James Jean created the large ten-by-ten pieces in the private dining room. Adam Field put together the Korean jangs and oongis that line the space, which were made locally in Long Beach. Finally renowned artist David Choe has artwork showing at the bar area.

Hours for Majordomo run Tuesday to Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Majordomo. 1725 Naud Street. Los Angeles, CA. Street parking and valet parking available.

• David Chang’s First LA Restaurant Opens Tonight [E]
• First Look at David Chang’s LA Restaurant Majordomo [ELA]