“We’re going somewhere new.  They don’t have traditional Korean barbeque but you’ll love it,” my friend tells me as we make our way down 32^nd Street, the heart of New York City’s Koreatown.  “No barbeque!” I splutter but she waves my indignation aside.  “Trust me!  This kimchi is famous.”  And yet I’ve never even heard of the place so it’s with a bit of bad grace that I enter Gahm Mi Oak.

 

Their menu was not as extensive as some of their neighbors in Koreatown as they offer only a handful of traditional Korean dishes but they do offer the popular bibim bap, a hot stone pot of rice with vegetables and beef topped with a fried egg and a spicy red chili paste, but that’s not why we’re here.  We’re here for the kimchi.  Kimchi is vegetables that are marinated or fermented over time in garlic, scallions and red chili paste and other seasonings depending on the recipe which vary from family to family and are often handed down from generation to generation. 

 

It is said that Gahm Mi Oak’s kimchi maker was sent to Korea to learn the art of traditional kimchi making and the recipe is a closely guarded secret.  You can’t purchase it to take out and don’t even bother asking for a doggie bag.  In fact, during my last two visits we weren’t even allowed to cut the kimchi, just the wait staff, who bring it out in a clay pot with a pair of heavy duty scissors.  It’s a spicy mixture of fermented napa cabbage and daikon radish and it is indeed the best kimchi I’ve ever tasted.  Spicy but not too hot, not too crispy and not too soggy.  So famous is this kimchi that it’s even mentioned in a popular Korean soap opera with one character telling another she had actually been to “that restaurant in New York with the kimchi.”

 

But don’t overlook the yook hwe, raw beef marinated in pear juice, the modum soon de, a soft pork sausage that is just delicious or the sul long tang, a white broth of boiled beef bones with beef, rice and noodles that you season from the small bowls of sea salt, pepper and scallions on the table.   Some say it’s the best hangover cure in the world.

 

Like Gahm Mi Oak, quite a few restaurants in Koreatown are open 24 hours, mainly to cater to the late night working Korean store owners around the city, but they also have a large following with the late night club goers. 

 

Wonjo offers traditional Korean barbeque at your table using white oak charcoal with a nice selection of meat, seafood or vegetables but the most popular are the kabli (short ribs), the bulgogi (beef) or jaeyook gui (pork). 

 

High end restaurants such as Kum Gang San at 49 W 32nd St offer two levels of dining, a waterfall and a woman wearing a beautiful traditional Korean costume, called a hanbok, while playing a type of harp.  Some stores on 32^nd Street offer prepared dishes to take home while others, like Mandoo Bar offer dumplings either steamed or fried with your choice of filling.  Closing early at 10:00 pm it’s located 2 W. 32^nd Street.

 

Koreatown is situated in midtown Manhattan not far from Penn Station.  There’s a Red Roof Inn, a La Quinta and a Radisson right on 32^nd Street that have Korean as well English speaking staff members.  Guests are an interesting mix of Korean businessmen and American and European tour groups.  Koreatown can be reached by the B, D, F, N, Q, R, V and W subway lines. 

 

Gahm Mi Oak is located at 43 W.32^nd Street between Broadway and Fifth Avenue and accepts all major credit cards.  They don’t accept reservations and are open 24 hours but do call ahead to see if they are open on holidays.  (212) 695-4113.