Lapaba Brings Korean Italian Pasta to Koreatown

New Restaurant Alert! Another new restaurant lands in Los Angeles, and here is your first look.

Koreatown's most talked about new room sits at the corner of 6th and Western, where Lapaba, short for La Pasta Bar, opened February 3 with a partner list that raised eyebrows across the industry: restaurateur Robert Kim, the operator behind Norikaya and Mama Lion, created the concept with backing from Nancy Silverton and Tanya and Joe Bastianich of the Mozza family, as LA Magazine reports. Within months, the 37 seat pasta bar was added to the Michelin Guide, per Time Out's coverage of the Guide's May additions.

The kitchen belongs to husband and wife culinary directors McKenna Lelah and Matt Kim, Osteria Mozza alumni who met at the restaurant in 2014, she at the mozzarella bar, he as sous chef, before stints with Grant Achatz and Dave Beran. Their rule for the menu: the Korean ingredients have to earn their place. "We weren't just like, 'Oh, let's just put gochujang in this and then it'll be Korean,'" Lelah told LA Magazine. All pasta is made in house in a dedicated pasta room.

What We Hear You Should Order

We haven't pulled up a chair yet, but per the menu, this is where we'd start:

• Kimchi Suppli: fried risotto balls with fontina and Park's BBQ kimchi

• K Meatballs: bulgogi meatballs with milk bread and truffle tomato

• Cacio e Pepe Rice Cakes: young and old pecorino, black sesame

• Little Gem Caesar: with doenjang in the dressing

• Bucatini all'Amatriciana: with jjajang, Korean black bean paste, in the sauce

• Tiramisu-Garu: the dessert built on misugaru and makgeolli

  
  

Lapaba is at 558 S Western Ave in Koreatown, with reservations on OpenTable recommended for the 37 seat room. It joined our new restaurants in Los Angeles watch list this month, and for more Guide recognized pasta, our feature on Michelin starred Pasta Bar Encino keeps the theme going.

This is a New Restaurant Alert: a first look at a notable new arrival, not a review. We will be reaching out to the team at Lapaba for an up close and personal FJM feature.

I hope you're hungry. - Matthew Tropp | FJM.