KOREATOWN: annex of Seoul (where a generation of Oaxacans and Salvadorans have also made a home); city within a city; civic treasure. Among dozens of restaurants and bars, there’s a strong argument for starting with a seat in Jennifer Pak’s small, welcoming dining room to begin delving into Koreatown’s food culture. The banchan is first-rate. A server will set down a dozen-plus plates — likely among them rolled egg, myeolchi bokkeum (stir-fried anchovies with peanuts) and kimchi that fizzes lightly on the tongue — arranging them with the efficiency of a blackjack croupier. Three vital dishes keep Soban’s reputation intact year after year. Ganjang gaejang, a speckled raw crab marinated in house-made soy sauce and dressed with green chiles and a sliced clove of garlic, reigns supreme. Extracting its sweet flesh is a full-sensory pleasure. Follow it with eundaegu jorim, the gochujang-spiced braise of black cod and daikon, and galbi jjim hearty with short ribs and root vegetables. The sense of place they engender is palpable.

• 4001 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 936-9106, sobanla.com