POT…I inhaled and was stoked.

POT is super chef Roy Choi’s latest culinary conquest. He has literally taken over the refurbished Line Hotel in Koreatown.

Choi rolled into the Los Angeles neighborhood and established 4 joints in one location: Pot, Pot Cafe, Pot Bar and the soon to debut, Commissary.

We cruised down Wilshire Boulevard on an overcast, drizzly Sunday. It was a clean run as Los Angelenos hibernate at the threat of rain. We found street parking and entered the hotel which is unimposing from the outside. It was built as a Hyatt in the 1960’s.

We found ourselves in a modern, spacious lobby embellished with eclectic artwork. It was renovated by the Sybell Group who designed the very attractive and popular NoMad Hotel in New York City which the proprietor of the Line Hotel also owns.

Hotel impresario Andrew Zobler of the Sydell Group let loose an impressive creative team to reinvent the lobby and 388 rooms, all done in concrete. Chef Choi and LA designer Sean Knibb were part of the design team.

We headed towards the back and dead ended in front of a black neon sign pronouncing, POT. We thought we were entering a nightclub, but instead walked into a well lighted, crisp restaurant space which is all about Korean cuisine.

There are 2 counter areas and ample seating. We hear that POT is buzzing at night with long waits and clientele getting the munchies. Pot does not take reservations so plan accordingly.

We sat with a well informed veteran server who has been in the biz for quite a while. We learned that Roy Choi, who is a food truck pioneer (Kogi BBQ trucks), has established a restaurant empire with A-Frame (Culver City), Chego (Chinatown), Sunny Spot (Marina Del Rey), Alibi Room (Los Angeles) and 3 Worlds Cafe, a community coffee and smoothie cafe (South Central).

Choi is constantly involved. He was seen on season 11 of Top Chef,  served as a key consultant on the delightful and charming Jon Favreau film, Chef, (review at: https://ifthedevilhadmenopause.com/chef-recipe-success/) and his most recent project is masterminding the entire Pot dynasty.

We perused our newspaper style menu and with James’ assistance picked out 5 amazing dishes. A large pitcher of iced barley tea graces every table and an apron is present to spare your clothing once you start to enthusiastically dig in.

We started with the sublime Beep Beep, which is an uni dynamite rice bowl ($18)…a generous portion of uni perfection. This is a must have.

Next up, Poke Me ($16), yellowfin tuna, edamame, sea beans, maui onions, smoked with shoyu vinaigrette. The huge chunks of tuna are tender and delicious and the salad a tasty companion.

The BBQ Galbi ($18) ribs arrived smokin’ hot and sizzling. The portion is huge, the taste sublime and the char perfection.

The kimchi fried rice comes with a poached egg and is a large order that has crusty, crispy bits similar to the bottom goodies in bouillabaisse. It is even better after it cools down.

Pot is highlighted on the menu and comes in a small sample size as well as 3 others, just like Goldilocks portions. We selected a pint sized Pot, called Redondo Beach, brimming with spicy crab, bean sprouts, sesame, onions, nira and tofu ($18).

There are 9 choices in total. The Pot was quite spicy with tomato based broth and succulent crab. I don’t do very spicy, but my husband slurped happily and broke out in a fragrant sweat.

There are sides on the menu such as steamed egg, pickled sea beans, stinky kimchi, pickled cukes, baby anchovies and spicy dried squid, ranging between $2 and $4.

Also featured, a Noodle Of The Day ($11). There is an entire page of cocktails, wines, sake and beer.

POT is a fabulous place to dine with a big crowd so that you are able to sample everything. Purportedly, Choi wants you to exuberantly indulge in the fare and inhale everything on the table.

The prices are fair because the servings are large and we had enough leftovers for dinner for two that night.

We were coming down from our Korean food high and exited to the lobby area where the cafe offers sandwiches, salads, desserts and coffee. There is also an outside eating area.

Marian Marr of New York City’s Momofuku Milk Bar fame, created the dessert menu in collaboration with Chef Choi.

We shared shaved Bongsu with mochi cake, misugaru powder, sesame brittle, sweet red bean and condensed milk ($4.50) along with and a satisfying, foamy cappuccino.

The lobby also contains the Pot Bar which debuted with Matt Biancaniello’s fun and funky cocktails in March.

We rolled out of POT happy, informed and satiated. POT is a joyous celebration of good times and good food in the ‘hood…and remember, it is only 6 miles from Bev Hills and 3 miles from the happenin’ downtown Los Angeles scene.

POT in the Line Hotel 3515 Wilshire Boulevard, Koreatown, Los Angeles, California. Pot is open daily from 11am-11pm. Pot Cafe Sunday-Tuesday 9-12am and Wednesday-Saturday 6-2am, Pot Lobby Bar Sunday-Tuesday 11am-11pm, Wednesday-Saturday 11-2am. Coming soon, Pot Commissary. eatatpot.com.