Sunju Lee is the owner of two Gangnam Korea restaurants, one in Huntsville, and more recently in North Bay.
The success of her Huntsville restaurant gave her the confidence to open a second location.
“I’m here to let North Bay people know that Korean food is very good,” Lee proudly stated.
“Our food, I would say the closest kind in terms of ethnic and taste, would be the Chinese food. Yet, Korean food is way less greasy and it is always, always marinated and used with lots of garlic and ginger in terms of seasoning.”
Lee’s menu also caters to people who have special dietary requirements.
“I have gluten-free options, plus I have vegetarian options.”
Catherine Beatty is very cautious about the food she eats, and after discovering Gangnam Korea, has become a repeat customer.
“I have stomach issues, so I find the food here doesn’t hurt my stomach as much. I find the flavour comes out a lot more, especially the fried chicken. With American fried chicken I find you taste the grease, whereas with this one you actually taste the flavour over the greasiness. So, I like that a lot,” Beatty shared.
“My food is mainly popular Korean dishes. One of the most popular Korean foods is Korean-style fried chicken,” Lee pointed out.
“It is very different because my chicken is actually home-battered, and it is brined in a Chef’s special sauce with ginger, garlic, curry, and pepper. And then it gets deep fried, and on top of that, there’s Chef’s special signature sauce which I call Gangnam style sauce, that gets smothered and mixed right in with the chicken. It is very flavourful and crispy at the same time.”
Customers can choose to have their boneless Gangnam and rice served Gangnam style, spicy Gangnam style, golden crispy, or honey butter flavour.
In addition to chicken, the menu contains pork and beef entrée options.
“My chicken is my signature dish here, but then on top of that, I do offer a variety of popular Korean dishes. Bulgogi is marinated beef.”
Bulgogi is described as sweet and savory traditional Korean marinated beef with vegetables.
Pork lovers enjoy the spicy pork, marinated with vegetables.
The menu also offers Jap-Chae which is sweet potato noodles stir-fried with marinated beef and vegetables.
Jap-Chae is the only traditional Korean noodle dish made with sweet potato noodles stir-fried with marinated beef and vegetables, Lee shared.
Customers have the option of ordering food mild or spicy.
“Korean people enjoy spicy food, but then we do have non-spicy food too. For example, for my chicken, regular Gangnam style is not spicy but I do offer spicy Gangnam style which is a Korean level of spicy,” Lee grinned.
Korean level of spicy is hot, but not like the intensely fiery hot level people who order suicide chicken wings are familiar with eating.
“For Korean people, when we eat chicken, we eat it with pickled radish as a form of vegetables. Just like you would eat carrot sticks and celery sticks when you eat chicken wings, we have our special pickled radish that comes with the fried chicken, which is homemade here.”
Ban-chan, or Korean side dishes include homemade Kimchi, a spicy cabbage, braised potatoes, and stir-fried zucchini Korean style.
A popular fun food is the Mozza-dog, filled with gooey delicious mozzarella. Sweet chili sauce, honey garlic, mustard, a little bit of ketchup, and garlic mayo are drizzled over the crunchy coating.
“This has been around forever in Korea on the streets. This was the most popular street food in Korea, but then lately, in the 2000s the Mozza-dog made its way to North America and everybody would see them on TikTok except there was no place that offered Mozza-dogs in the whole city of North Bay,” Lee pointed out.
“So, I decided to introduce it, and it has been very popular at my restaurant, even over the chicken sometimes, almost, because people would come and order the bubble tea and Mozza-dog combo, which they love. It is a perfect meal, it is a perfect snack, and it is quite filling. The reason why it is so yummy is because it doesn’t taste like a normal pogo, you are going to tell the difference when you have the first bite. The batter is homemade fresh twice a day, it is not greasy, and it is chewy.”
Sauces are made fresh in-house.
“The sauce gets made every three to four hours in a day, Chef makes it. I have asked Chef why would you not make a big pot in the morning and just use it for the rest of the day? He said no because it is not going to taste fresh. So, that is our belief,” said Lee with pride.
“Our vegetables are always fresh and they get stir-fried. The thing about Korean food is it is very healthy. We use a very, very minimum amount of oil. I try to make my restaurant menu as authentic as possible, so I have been very selective with my menu options.
Lee came to Canada as a teen, and is happy to share the foods that remain part of her Korean heritage,
“I am proud of the fact I get to showcase my culture in the food, and the fact that K-pop culture is so popular right now and I get to promote it in a way. I appreciate everybody for their openness in trying something new, trying Korean food for the first time, and coming back.”
Staff are helpful when it comes to first-timers sorting through the menu.
“I would say, would you like something sweet and savory, and crunchy, but good at the same time? It would be my chicken. But would you rather have a healthier option, so instead of having the deep-fried, we actually have stir-fried options for beef, pork, or chicken. And then all your meals, you will receive it with a side of rice, because that is how Korean people eat any meal, with two pieces of dumpling that comes with the meal. On top of that, you will get Kimchi and pickled radish as a side dish.”
Customers also enjoy their bubble teas which come in a variety of flavour options, from fruity flavours to coffee flavours and classic bubble teas like brown sugar.
The Gangnam Korea location in North Bay is 34 Champlain Street, across from Sobeys.
The restaurant is family-friendly with plenty of seating, and is available for catering. It is not licensed at this time, however, they hope to be licensed soon.
