With Winter Approaching Gahm Mi Oak is a Great Splurge Lunch
With baby and the wife in tow (she got the day off today!), I headed down to Koreatown for a leisurely today. Normally I am a $10 and under kind of a guy, but I think if you have to work on a holiday you should be allowed a little bit of a splurge. So, with that new rule guiding me I decided to hit up Gahm Mi Oak- one of the nicer (and more unique) Korean food options on 32nd btw. B’way+5th Ave. The menu is pretty small, and almost everything on it is over $10, but if you’re looking for something completely offal- this is your place. Gelatin of cow knee? A soup made with ox bones? Raw oysters and pork belly? It all sounded great to me… but I was there for one thing and one thing only. Soon dae! (Korean blood sausage.) Ever since I had Woorijip’s version, I’ve been craving a solid hot version from a restaurant- and all the Midtown Lunch commenters seem to agree, Gahm Mi Oak’s is the best in K-Town.
The normal size version costs $13.95 (there is a larger for $20), and comes with more than just the sausage. From left to right, there was also liver, slices of what I’m thinking might have been heart, and stomach lining. The sausage, not surprisingly, was far better than Woorijip’s prepackaged version. It came nice and warm, and I really liked the dipping sauce (tasted like miso.) I think Korean soon dae is a great gateway blood sausage because not only is it stuffed with Korean noodles but it doesn’t have as strong a blood taste, or the mushy pudding texture, of a French blood sausage. (I prefer the French version, but I could see how blood sausage virgins might find this stuff easier to eat.) The rest of the offal was just boiled, and served plain, but that’s what the salt, dips and chili peppers were for. I couldn’t believe how tender the stomach was, and the meat that I think was heart was delicious. If you’re into liver, that was good too.
You can see far more appetizing photos of this dish here and here.
For those who aren’t into the nasty bits, Gahm Mi Oak is probably most famous for their Sul Long Tang. Both (Lunch’er Pabo, and Robyn from Serious Eats had great things to say about their version.) A milky looking Korean soup made from ox bones, it comes with rice, noodles and thin slices of beef. It’s a perfect winter time soup, with a unique but completely mild flavor. Just don’t forget to add salt and scallions, or it will be way too bland. If I had grown up eating this soup, I could imagine it being incredibly comforting. It’s probably why on a cold day like today 90% of people in the the completely full restaurant were eating the Sul Long Tang. And, at $9.22 it’s technically a Midtown Lunch!
Oh… can’t forget about the kimchi! Another dish that Gahm Mi Oak is known for, their version comes free with your meal (naturally) and is clearly homemade… a point they hammer home by cutting the fermented cabbage and radish for you right at your table.
All in all it was a great lunch, although not the typical Korean fare that most Americans have become comfortable with. I’d also recommend going there with a bunch of people. Even though their menu is incredibly small (there are only about 10 things you can order), most of the stuff is far better shared than eaten alone.
THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)
- I like super authentic Korean food, and am looking for something different than your standard bibimbap and bulgogi
- I love Sul Long Tang! The perfect soup with winter approaching
- Blood sausage, liver, stomach and heart is my idea of a delicious lunch!
- Fresh and delicious kimchi!
THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)
- Pricier than your average Koreatown lunch
- Where’s the bulgogi!?! Must… have… bulgogi.
- Boiled squid? Ox bones? Cow knee? Blood sausage? No thanks!
- Banchan is one of my favorite parts of Korean food, and Gahm Mi Oak only gives you kimchi
Gahm Mi Oak, 43 W. 32nd St. (btw. B’way+5th), 212-695-4113
Posted by Zach Brooks at 2:30 pm, October 12th, 2009 under 32nd btw. B'way+5th, Gahm Mi Oak, Korean.
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37 Comments
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Wow, Chris is really Ferran Adrià ? lol.
And are we really going to go into a history lesson…
http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2005/08/the_history_of.html -
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@ Fred: Tripe is not food! In fact, I’d rather try eating a tin can as opposed to tripe, liver, brain or any organ or innard! Blech!!!!! Someone tricked me into eating tripe 10 yrs ago in K-Town–and I never forgave him for that!!!!
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My first experience of Sul Long Tang was at this place. It was so good that I have been dreaming about it ever since. Didn’t realize that the other stuff was there too. Maybe I can coerce/encourage some friends to try it with me.
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liver, tongue, tripe, and heart seem to be the ‘safe’ offals. never went for tongue. the image of frenching a cow makes me shudder.
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I actually don’t mind tongue that much–but the organ thing–oh man–no way… Been there–gagged…never again!
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@D: whoa whoa man, I’m just a hardcore sul lung tang fan and grew up on this stuff and I’d like to think I know a good deal when I see one. Being from the west coast originally, I appreciate seeing a price that I’m familiar with and would love to spread the good word to those who are looking for a bargain.
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@wonders & @zach – Soondae usually comes with liver and tripe, no tongue. The waitress was right. I’ve had it there a few times. But @wonders, tongue would be a nice addition!
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@bionicgirl- yeah, but there was a third meat in the middle that was neither tripe nor liver (I’m 100% positive.)
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I second chris6sigma’s recommendation of Arirang. Their Chicken Kar-Jeabe is awesome – which is a mixture of their kalguksu noodles and sujebe (dough flakes). Their pajuns are really good too, especially the seafood one (although the kimchee one is very good too).
Oh, and I love Gahm Mi Oak too!
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Zach – not entirely helpful of me but I don’t believe that looks like heart. As heart is actually a muscle, it tastes like regular meat and not an organ, if that makes sense. Having said that, it’s totally delicious cooked medium rare mmm but that’s all I have to add… this looks pretty good, I didn’t know about Korean blood sausage
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I’m not sure I agree with you on one point, ‘Yvo’:
Yes, a ‘heart’ is a muscle. So is a gizzard (in fowl, you understand).
Now, speaking from my personal experience, I have eaten bovine heart, and fowl heart, and (I was told) pork heart.
All of them seem to have a distinct ‘organ-meat’ taste to them. Yet, when I eat gizzards (one of my very favorite foods), I do NOT get that same taste sensation.
But, whatever, since my wife and I would NEVER eat that sort of thing in a restaurant (prepared by someone unsupervised by us), our experience has all been in our private kitchen — prepared either by us or by our trusted house-keeper.
Doctor E. and I believe that if you are going to experiment with that sort of cuisine (especially when your family is involved), that you should be careful — VERY CAREFUL — in what you are ingesting.
But then, that’s just our opinion(s).
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@zach. wow, im impressed. i dont know many people who are not korean that brave to eat soon dae! i grew up eating this stuff on the side of streets and in open markets in korea as a kid.
there is a place called Pocha 32 also on 32nd street that does a great spicy soon dae bokkum (stir-fry). they only use the blood sausage and not the liver and other offals and it is quite spicy. it’s more of a drinking place and the food is supposed to be more of a drinking companion snack than a meal. it is definitely outside the $10 midtown price range but the food is good, different from a “regular” korean restaurant and the soju drinks are great. if you have a few people with you i would recommend getting the watermelon soju that actually comes in a watermelon.
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@Zach – Ah, I didn’t see that thing in the middle. I was thinking it was stomach, but I had to make sure so I had my mom look at it, and she said it’s a lung. Now you have to trust my mom. Moms are always right.
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Once again, DocChuck fails to recognize that this website is all about eating out, not eating in. Pathetic, but not sruprising. Why is he here, again?
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not surprising, rather
GAWD!, I really love puddy cats.