Café Ga Hyang Review

Written and Photographed By Colleen A Johnson

Years ago, bored with the daily doldrums of life, I decided to leave the comforts of western civilization and head east to the Land of the Morning Calm, aka Korea. What was initially a cultural shock but life-changing experience, I will never regret my time in Korea. I fell in love with the country, the people, and the food. Having lived in Iksan City, which was once the ancient capital of the Baekje Kingdom, I traveled the peninsula visiting Seoul, Ulsan, Gyeongju, Busan and even the beautiful island, Cheju. Not just the amazing scenery marked the unforgettable train rides as I rumbled down the tracks, but also the most incredible foods that I would snack upon while I traveled: softball size Asian pears and Korean apples; vibrant red-orange ripen persimmons; roasted sweet potatoes; gimbap; and frozen melon pops were only a sampling of the foods this round-eyed foreigner added to her regular diet. I remember eating for the first time paejon, bibimbap, bulgogi, kalbi, yaki mandu, japchae, cucumber kimchi and tteok — all of it healthy and all of it delicious.

A few years later I returned a second time to live in Seoul. This time I traveled with my beautiful Bouvier des Flandres, Bella. We lived deep in the heart of Seoul in Hannam-dong. I loved living in this grand city with my dog. From visiting luxury department stores to shopping at Itaewon, Myeongdong, Namdaemun and Dongdaemun markets, life was an adventure. The daily walks with Bella down side streets and alleys opened a world of unknown restaurants and markets that just had to be tried. The pungent aromas of garlic, kimchi and meat grilling in the heavy night air called for us to enter, sit and eat from their kitchens. Time after time, each little restaurant delivered delicious, mouthwatering, healthy food. I am a lifetime member of the Korean food fan club!

Now I live in Phoenix, far from the clamor of Seoul’s charisma. Regularly though I need my Korean food fix. So tonight I went my with my dear friend, Malia, to subdue the Korean crave churning inside. We went to Café Ga Hyang located in Glendale, Arizona. The ambiance was traditional Asian. Simple Korean décor adorned the walls of this small restaurant. Besides the open seating, there were several tables enclosed with privacy walls. Malia and I sat at one of these booths. Immediately noticeable though was the lack of grills at the tables – the grills used to prepare your own kalbi.

The menu listed authentic Korean meals and I was eager to order. Essentially this was Malia’s first time eating at a Korean restaurant so I ordered for the two of us. I ordered dolsot bibimbap, a marinated kalbi (beef) with rice, assorted vegetables, topped with a fried egg, served in a hot stone bowl, and kalbi accompanied with lettuce, rice, garlic, and red pepper paste. While I was anxious to consume authentic Korean food, the traditional experience of grilling our own kalbi was not an option. This particular restaurant prepares the meat dish for their patrons and serves the kalbi cooked and plated. When asked about wrapping the meat in the lettuce, they no longer offer the lettuce as a free accompaniment with the kalbi. There is an extra $4.00 charge to wrap the kitchen-cooked kalbi. My disappointment for tradition however was quelled by the taste of the food.

Our Korean waitress served banchan — the traditional side dishes of spicy kimchi, cucumber kimchi, potatoes, egg, seaweed, bean sprouts and the like. She served the lettuce, the red pepper paste, garlic and bowl of rice. Next came the marinated kalbi on a bed of sliced onions and the blistering hot bibimbap. The aromatic bouquet of garlic, red pepper, fermented soybean and soy filled our booth. Immediately I mixed the fried egg in the dolsot and infused the julienne carrots, spinach, shitake mushrooms, seaweed, and kalbi with the piquant red pepper sauce and egg yolk. The spice, the flavor, the taste was authentic, delicious and definitely held up as being one of Korea’s signature dishes.

The kalbi was equally delicious despite our lack of preparing it on our own. The meat was marinated in lovely sweet sauce and grilled to perfection. The onions were just a bit to raw for my liking but mixed with rice, red pepper paste, kimchi, bean sprouts or whatever else suited one’s fancy from the myriad of side dishes and wrapped in a fresh green lettuce leaf, we thoroughly enjoyed our kalbi. The entire meal was less than $40.