FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Gangnam Korean Cuisine at First and Nees in northeast Fresno impressed a recent visitor to South Korea.<\/p>\n
“Tried a ton of food, and this looks exactly like what I had in Korea,” says customer Mike Gong. “Looks fantastic and it tastes fantastic.”<\/p>\n
“We try our best to provide real, authentic Korean dishes as well as share our culture,” says owner Charles Yu.<\/p>\n
Some dishes are kept steaming hot on the table.<\/p>\n
“It’s a neck bone stew,” Yu said. “Pork neck bone stew. The original name is gamja. Also, kamja stands for the potato. Same name, different items.”<\/p>\n
Chef Kim was classically trained in South Korea.<\/p>\n
“He has been in the field for about 42 years,” Yu said. “He was originally a French chef.”<\/p>\n
Galbijjim is a showstopper.<\/p>\n
“This is a Korean braised beef,” Yu said. “It’s soy sauce-based with a sugar on it, just a little bit. We have a kabocha, that’s a sweet pumpkin. Then we have some rice cake over here.”<\/p>\n
It’s served in a hot stone pot with mozzarella cheese on top.<\/p>\n
“We torch it, burn it so you have that gooey, chewy stuff too,” Yu said. “People love to see it, from their eyes first and then taste it.”<\/p>\n
Crab, shrimp and squid are mixed into this masterpiece.<\/p>\n
“We call it green onion seafood pancake, or pajeon,” Yu said. “You have it crispy on the side, kind of tender inside.”<\/p>\n
A creamy carbonara sauce serves as the base of this fusion dish – Tteokbokki.<\/p>\n
“It’s a carbonara,” Yu said. “Bokki is like a rice cake.”<\/p>\n
Banchan are side dishes, which include freshly made kimchi and fish cake.<\/p>\n
“This dish is so popular and well-known — LA kalbi,” Yu said.<\/p>\n
The grill is always full of marinated short ribs to keep up with orders.<\/p>\n
“Korean cuisine has really expanded in more than just the meat dishes that we usually have,” Gong said.<\/p>\n
Meatless versions of traditional dishes are also in the mix.<\/p>\n
“So bibimbap, as you can see, everything is vegetables,” Yu said.<\/p>\n
The restaurant name pays homage to the K-Pop hit “Gangnam Style.”<\/p>\n
“I’m so happy to share our culture with everyone,” Yu said.<\/p>\n
For news updates, follow Dale Yurong on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n