Gangnam Sushi Cafe

I find myself more and more attracted to eclectic restaurants, the proverbial mom and pop establishments. Usually these entrepreneurs hail from a working class background and yearn to simply make good food. Gangnam Sushi is an example of such. I was recommended this restaurant by a fellow co-worker during my most recent rotation.

Located on the north end of Winnipeg, it resides in a small non-assuming rectangular building on Selkirk Avenue. The decor can only be described as overwhelming. A random mishmash of plants, Oriental figurines, it is clear that the restaurant is an avenue for showcasing the owners' interests.

The menu is quite vast. Again, Gangnam Sushi is a mixture of Japanese and Korean cuisine. It was difficult to decipher if the owners were ethnically Korean or Japanese. Being that it was a cold wintery day in Winnipeg, we decided to order off the Korean menu.

A small side salad greeted us. The greens were tossed with a sweet and sour dressing which brought out the crispness of the vegetables.

Tofu Soup on the menu resembled Sundubu Jiggaem a stew of soft tofu, seafood and a raw egg in a spicy Korean based broth. The version here was good with delicious tofu and a surprisingly rich broth. The small pieces of previously frozen seafood were disappointing and the portion sizes were a bit small.

Gamjatang (pork bone soup) was a must for me. Although similar in appearance to the above tofu soup, the chef showed restraint in the amount of chili and allowed for the full fatty flavours of the tender stewed pork to permeate the broth. I especially enjoyed the two large pieces of potato which had soaked all the flavours of the broth during the meal. Recommended!

Wanting to round out the meal with something else, we elected to go with the Bibimbap. A popular Korean dish consisting of sliced vegetables and an egg on top of rice mixed with a spicy Korean bean paste sauce. The version here was good with tender vegetables and an aromatic sauce that held all the flavours together.

Overall Gangnam Sushi came as a surprise to me. With no expectations coming in, I left full and satisfied. Located in a part of town that needs a bit of re-vitalizing, having restaurants like Gangnam Sushi should go a long way to bringing up the area's popularity.