Horon is a favorite late night haunt in an unassuming Torrance strip mall that specializes in kushiage, deep-fried skewers of seafood, meat and vegetables. Last night involved a post-tequila tasting of ten skewers, but no stick was as satisfying as the Japanese pub’s bowl of pork tongue. No wonder the dish was marked with a “Horon Favorites” symbol.

The tongue was probably one of the only pig parts that I hadn’t eaten before, and after eating Horon’s version, it made me wonder why. The idea of a pig snout-deep in a trough, lapping up slop with its tongue, might not exactly inspire confidence. However, that thought never crossed my mind when devouring the silky chunks of pork tongue ($4.80), which were slow cooked for eight hours, dabbed with concentrated miso-sesame paste, submerged in a light broth and showered with shichimi togorashi, the Japanese seven-spice blend that adds a subtle kick.

If Horon’s hog tongue doesn’t provide a big enough dose of Vitamin P, their chef will gladly deep-fry bacon-wrapped asparagus, bacon-wrapped enoki bundles or bacon-wrapped cherry tomatoes.

Dose of Vitamin P spotlights my favorite pork dish from the previous week.