Korean Menu With a Taste of Brazil Spells Fun for Diners

While almost no one was looking, a bright new Korean restaurant slippedinto town. It’s called temple, spelled with a lowercase T and the last two letters levitating heavenward. Two doors north of Wilshire at the beginning of La Cienega’s restaurant row, temple combines up-tempo Korean cuisine with a dash of Brazilian flavors; the owners, brother and sister Jun and So Yon Kim, grew up in Brazil.

Chef Richard Aramino doesn’t hail from either country--the American cooked French and Pan-Latino at L’Ermitage and Ciudad, respectively. And the architecture? It’s a quirky, Googie-inspired space covered in tile, with futuristic bar stools and an outdoor patio that mirrors the narrow dining room.

Somehow, it all works. Plus, the place is fun. There are delicious starters, most of them generous enough to share. Honey-glazed chicken wings with a toasted pine-nut crust look like miniature drumsticks. Beef sirloin carpaccio is an intriguing variation on a theme. The beef is seared, sliced thinly, and garnished with daikon sprouts, sesame leaf and shaved red onions. I liked the big pancakes dotted with shrimp, squid and scallops. And the kimchi crab cakes have got to be tried. Best of all are the pan chan, the array of side dishes that includes a fiery homemade kimchi.

Among the entrees, you can find that comforting Korean dish dol sot bi bim bap (steamed rice, seared sirloin beef strips, zucchini and spinach leaves served in a sizzling stone pot) along with bulgogi steak, which is a marinated New York cut scattered with pine nuts and served with a stack of potatoes. The bacalhau (salted codfish), beloved to Brazilians, shows up too. Black cod beats it for interest though, with its aromatic garlic sauce.

To drink, they’ve got Cristal or Pol Roger Champagne, along with Chimay beer from Belgium and a small but savvy wine list, which includes two excellent choices from Alsace and 10 wines by the glass. The bartender also makes a mean cocktail.

* temple, 14 N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills; (310) 360-9460; starters, $8.50 to $14; entrees, $10 to $21. Open for dinner daily, and for lunch starting next week. Valet parking.