Photo by Lucas Lim

Featured below is the garlic bossam, containing pieces of tender pork doused in a savory garlic sauce.

From the friendly staff to the bold flavors, Sosom by Mister Bossam located at 18162 Colima Road, Rowland Heights offers ramen, pork belly and appetizers for everyone to enjoy. Sosom serves signature dishes like bossam, which is a plate filled with pork belly slices layered with different toppings ranging from garlic sauce to green onion. 

The first item that family and I ordered was the garlic bossam ($22.00), 60 thick slices of pork belly marinated with a flavorful tangy sauce. Alongside all of the bossam variations, there was complimentary lettuce to wrap the pork in and spicy or non spicy dipping sauces to choose from. The tender pork is a catalyst for flavor as the different sauces and the lettuce contrasts with adding a crunch to the texture of the dish. I would highly recommend this dish to large groups and people who enjoy pork.

We also ordered a tonkotsu ramen ($15.00) which was filled to the brim with tender noodles and toppings which added to the broth’s flavor. The toppings included crunchy bean sprouts, soft boiled eggs, seaweed and pork belly. While first being skeptical about the toppings on the dish, I realized that the plethora of diverse foods complemented each other. 

The eggs on the ramen are very hit-or-miss and I think that this addition helps add more flavor for the noodles. Also, my little brother wouldn’t like the bean sprouts getting in the way of the noodles making the bite crunchy. I think that it helps with the depth of the dish which is always great but still in turn might turn most away from this dish. 

The texture of the karaage ($8.00) was better than most fried chicken I’ve had. The sweet and sour sauce added to  both the chicken’s texture and seasoning. The fried crispy layer felt completely separate from the tender chicken which made it look appetizing on the plate. 

For the end of my meal, I had two beef dishes. The sukiyaki beef rice bowl ($13.00) was stringy and sweet. It came with lots of carrots, broccoli and a beef sauce that elevated the dish. The other beef dish my family got was the ribeye beef plate ($13.00) and was very tender but chunky. The sauce on this dish was more bold and I preferred the sukiyaki beef rice bowl because of the sweeter, more leveled flavors. 

With their big portions and friendly staff the experience was all around enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this to my peers and I see myself coming back to Sosom by Mister Bossam in the near future.