Mark Peel’s Bombo getting closer at Grand Central Market

Mark Peel’s Bombo is getting closer to dropping. That’s the name the chef has come up with for his new fish stand at the Grand Central Market.

“It’s Spanish for kettle drum,” Peel said, while shopping at International Marine Products downtown for fish for a pop-up dinner Tuesday night at Rascals.

“It’s kind of crossed over to become one of those onomatopoeia words that sound like what they mean, and now it’s crossed over into slang to mean something big, over-the-top and rich.

“I like it because it evokes rhythm, noise, enthusiasm and celebration. And it’s kind of a play on the fact that we’re going to be cooking with these little steam kettles.”

Peel’s concept for Bombo is fast-service fish. Every dish, he says, can be cooked in less than 3 1/2 minutes. He’s planning 10 hot dishes and four or five salads a day.

The hot dishes will be based on four primary broths: curried shrimp cream, lobster bouillabaisse, vegan stock made with mushrooms and dried seaweed, and double-enriched chicken broth for meat dishes.

He’s trying out dishes at Tuesday night pop-ups at Rascals on South La Brea Avenue. Tuesday night’s menu, for example, will include seared Spanish mackerel on Japanese brown rice and mussels steamed in the curried shrimp cream served on pappardelle.

After Tuesday night, there will be pop-ups Jan. 27 and Feb. 3, also at the same restaurant. You can make reservations online.

It has been a busy winter for Peel and family. His wife Daphne Brogdon just premiered her own Food Network television show, “Daphne Dishes.”

As often happens with any kind of construction, Bombo is running a bit behind. Peel says he now hopes to have it open in mid-March.

“I can’t wait,” he says. “I’ve been semi-retired for too long. I love my family and I’m never going to get sick of them. But I think it’s time for daddy to go back to work.”

Rascals, 801 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 933-3229.

Bombo at Grand Central Market, 317 S. Broadway, Los Angeles.

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