After years of hosting sold-out pop-ups across Los Angeles, chef Brian Baik’s acclaimed Corridor 109 will open in its permanent Melrose Hill home on October 30. At the new restaurant, Baik will serve an 11-course seafood-centric tasting menu at an intimate counter that seats only 10 diners.
For Baik, who was raised in Los Angeles, opening Corridor 109 feels like coming home. His parents opened Koreatown bossam specialist Kobawoo House in 1983 — first on Beverly Boulevard before moving to its current location off Vermont — and he recalls a childhood spent at the restaurant. “I was there all the time as a kid,” Baik says. After earning a business administration degree from the University of Southern California, Baik moved to New York to pursue a short-lived career in real estate before restaurants and hospitality called him back. In New York, he began to build his career, working at prestigious restaurants including Bouley, Eleven Madison Park, the Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, and Sushi Noz. In 2019, Baik moved back to Los Angeles to help his parents run Kobawoo House while dreaming up what he might do next.
Baik debuted Corridor 109 as a series of Monday night dinners at Kobawoo House in 2021, serving Japanese and Korean seafood courses; guests would enter through the kitchen instead of the main entrance, lending an air of exclusivity to the pop-ups. The name Corridor 109 nods to now-closed Paris restaurant Passage 53 using Kobawoo House’s strip mall suite number. Starting in 2023, Baik operated Corridor 109 out of a test kitchen in Chinatown, but he always had his sights set on opening the restaurant somewhere more permanent. “The focus of the space was always kind of developing the long-term space,” he says.
Tasting counter. Shelby Moore
Baik was drawn to Melrose Hill for his first restaurant in part due to its central location and proximity to Koreatown. “I think a big part for me was making sure that I was in a location where there was an okay parking situation,” Baik says. “And I could be at a place where I could focus on my restaurant in a way that is genuine to me, and the way that I wanted to do it, versus catering the food to the audience of an area that I’m at.” He saw Melrose Hill — and its current blossoming of new restaurants — as an opportunity to bring his cooking to people from across Los Angeles.
In July, Baik opened the front part of Corridor 109 as Bar 109 with bartender Kayla Garcia (Kumiko) to introduce himself to the neighborhood. At Bar 109, Baik serves a more casual menu of bar snacks, including a fried fish sandwich and a wagyu hot dog, executed with precision that reflects of a fine dining background. Now, Baik is on the precipice of finally opening Corridor 109, less than three miles from his family’s Kobawoo House.
Baik built the menu at Corridor 109 around his penchant for seafood and high-quality ingredients. He credits David Bouley for sparking his interest in Japanese ingredients and cooking techniques — he continued to hone that passion at Eleven Madison Park, the Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, and later, was part of the opening team at Sushi Noz. “The concept [for Corridor 109] is really sharing the ingredients that I love to eat,” Baik says. “It’s just sharing the things that are special to me.”
Corridor 109’s $325 tasting menu, which channels Baik’s experience cooking Japanese and French food, as well as his Korean American upbringing, will change with the seasons but its focus on seafood will remain consistent. (The menu will be offered for $295 through November 15 to celebrate the opening.) Baik’s aji toast with horse mackerel nested on a slice of homemade milk bread, a favorite from prior pop-ups inspired by Spanish pintxos, will be on the menu. “To me, it’s kind of that mix of my cooking background,” Baik says. “It’s not sushi, it’s not French, but it really kind of brings together some of the different experiences that I’ve had.” Diners can also find an ikura tartlet filled with translucent orange roe orbs, skipjack tuna nestled on top of a swirl of pesto pasta, and channel rockfish swimming in a fish bone broth.
Master Sommelier Michael Engelmann leads the wine program, which focuses on bottles primarily from small, family-owned estates. Sake will also be available to pair. For now, Corridor 109 will only offer a single 7 p.m. seating each night.
Katsuo with pesto spaghetti. Shelby Moore
Ikura tartlet. Shelby Moore
Aji toast. Shelby Moore
Kinki with fish bone broth. Shelby Moore
Baik continued his partnership with Montalba Architects — the group behind the design for Bar 109 — for Corridor 109. “They fully understood the vision for this concept and how we wanted to make people feel and experience as they come into the space,” he says. Diners will enter through Bar 109, before being whisked through a tall door and seated at Corridor 109’s tasting counter. Baik and his team will greet guest individually and then get to work preparing the first dish just feet away. (The restaurant does not have a separate kitchen — each course forms at the tasting counter with guests looking on.) A rectangular block of light sits above the floating preparation island, casting a spotlight down on the chefs’ hands as they cook and plate.
With Corridor 109 arriving at a time where cost of goods, ingredients, and labor continue to rise, Baik had to navigate finding the right price point for the tasting menu. Earlier iterations of the pop-up Kobawoo House offered a menu for $150, which rose to $225 while operating out of the Chinatown test kitchen. “I don’t want [the cost] to alienate guests as much as I can control,” Baik says. “But the cost of ingredients for us, very special ingredients, is high, and I wanted to be at a location where I wouldn’t have to charge for $500 for the menu cost.” He brings in seafood from Japan for certain dishes on the menu, alongside produce and other ingredients sourced locally from farmers. “I think it is a constant struggle of finding things that are accessible in any way while still doing a high quality,” Baik says.
After years of development, and a few months at Bar 109 under his belt, Baik feels ready to having the doors open at Corridor 109. “I’m very excited to get things going with the with the restaurant especially, and just to focus on cooking again,” he says.
Corridor 109 is located at 641 N. Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90004. The restaurant opens on October 30 for discounted previews from Thursday to Saturday, which are available to book on Resy.
Brian Baik. Shelby Moore