A Really Hot Time

As I drove down Western Avenue on a recent rainy night, a purple neon light caught my eye and I was quite intrigued by what was beneath it: Korean characters followed by the word Cherbourg. That’s the town in Normandy made famous by the French film “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.” I’m familiar with Japanese-French restaurants, but a Korean-French restaurant was a new one on me. It sounded intriguing.

But when I stepped into Cherbourg last week, I found not only a menu without a single French dish, but the Korean owner, John Han, singing karaoke to the Eagles’ “Hotel California.” Han and his wife, Kim, got the inspiration for calling their restaurant Cherbourg from a trend in Seoul, South Korea, of giving restaurants exotic names solely to entice customers. Well, it worked in my case.

The menu, while not the beguiling combination I had hoped for, turns out to be a fusion of cuisines after all--Korean and American. While the karaoke booms through the room decorated with blonde wood and potted plants, the cooks are dishing out cheeseburgers, kimchi, sauteed spicy shrimp and buffalo wings. The wings ($5.95), a dozen crunchy tidbits, are redolent of garlic and vinegar.

On my first visit, I ordered fried cuttlefish ($11.95), which is similar to squid, but more chewy and flavorful. Nina, the attentive host, casually warned me that it was “kinda hot.” This, it turned out, was like a Sherpa guide telling someone that Mount Everest was “kinda high.” After a few bites, my ears, then my nose, began to sweat. My mouth was burning from the blend of cuttlefish, red chilies and jalapenos. I considered calling Red Adair to put out the fire in my mouth. Unfortunately, he was still putting out oil well fires in the Middle East.

For a milder, yet lively version of cuttlefish, try the parched variety ($11.95), paired with an assortment of vegetables and delicate noodles. For something not so exotic, try the whole spit-roasted chicken ($8.95). The mildly seasoned bird is quite tender and comes with a sauteed vegetables.

Cherbourg is at 16815 S. Western Ave., Gardena. (310) 327-2250. Open 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Saturday .