When Mrs. Kim Kamnang, the chef and owner of Seoul Gomtang in Oakland, was a child, her grandmother always cooked and she always watched. Her grandmother was an expert in Korean cuisine. As she grew up, her grandmother taught her extensively how to cook traditional Korean dishes, from meat dishes, stews, soups, pancakes, and bibimbop to casseroles. When Mrs. Kim got married she used all her culinary talents to make good food for her family. At that time she had never imagined that she would end up feeding her fellow countrymen in Oakland some of the best Korean food outside of Korea. Later, she was even more surprised to learn that her warm and nutritious food was as appealing to non-Koreans.
Six years ago Mrs. Kim arrived in the United States with the wish to educate her younger daughter in the American education system, a system that is much less demanding than the Korean one. She did not want her younger child to suffer from the very competitive Korean education system. With her talent and extra time afforded with her daughter in school, she opened her restaurant in Oakland. Mrs. Kim’s restaurant specializes in Gomtang, a type of beef bone soup that looks very much like Vietnamese Pho.
The restaurant serves boiled beef bone soup and dishes made with beef bone soup. Seoul Gomtang is small with about 15 tables. But after six years, she makes more profit than many large and upscale restaurants in the neighborhood. And, the word has spread about how delicious her food is. Her cuisine is good to the last bite, or the last drop. Once people have eaten there they keep returning again and again. Seoul Gomtang has accumulated so many return customers that there are many people coming in to eat as early as 11 a.m., while other restaurants have not even opened yet.
On a Sunday at 8 p.m., the restaurant was packed. So many customers were there that the staff appeared to be a little bit overwhelmed. Korean restaurant owners have a saying: “The food does not lie; if the food is good, customers will come.”
If you ask me what is good there, I would say everything they serve is quite excellent. The dishes may look like food from any other Korean restaurant. But as you eat them you begin to realize bit by bit that they are delicious, and you find yourself enjoying every last bite. This restaurant serves food prepared really well and with heart and soul.
The bestselling menu item is Gomtang. This dish closely resembles Vietnamese Pho, and has noodles. But the flavor is very different from that of Pho. Gomtang can be considered Korean soul food.
Mrs. Kim boils beef bone in a huge pot, cooking it all day and night. And, the stock always stays simmering in the kitchen. After long hours on the stove, the soup becomes milky white. It is the Koreans’ number one energy food. In Korea they call it the “recovery-from-a-health crisis food,” and also “stamina food.” The soup typically has few options: Ox tail, tendon, ox feet, and beef. Ox tail gives you extra strength, tendon soup helps your joints, and ox feet soup will give you plenty of good collagen.
Read more...Seafood pancake
Another favorite is the Seafood Pancake. Everyone who tries it loves Korean seafood pancake and for good reason: it is really tasty. Seoul Gomtang makes one of the best in the Bay Area (along with Choi’s Kitchen in Santa Clara). People usually order Tang (a soup dish) and share the pancake. You will not be disappointed with this dish—Mrs. Kim apparently has the hand that gives good flavor.
Don Katue (pork cutlet) is a deep-fried and breaded pork filet. It is a large portion and cooked to a golden-brown color. The cutlet is served with cabbage salad, corn, red beans, and pieces of pickled radish. Eating them together, along with each piece of pork, is as close to harmony as food can be.
Ginseng Chicken is another favorite. It uses small chickens that in Korean are called “medicine chicks.” This dish is Koreans’ summertime tonic food. It gives energy and strength to endure Korea’s heat and humidity during the summer months. Ginseng, garlic, date nut, and sweet rice are used to make this dish.
The Seafood Tofu Soup has ample fresh, not frozen, seafood. You can taste the difference.
Kalbi Jim (rib stew) Beef ribs are cooked for a few hours in a soy sauce-based seasoning. The meat is well marinated and tender with a slightly sweet taste. It is a very popular item. Besides these outstanding dishes, the restaurant also serves typical Korean restaurant fare, such as bibimbop, BBQ beef, and cold noodles, among others.
Prices are very reasonable. Also if you like kimchee, you will love the kimchee served here. It is not too salty, not too spicy, not sour, but just perfect to go with all the food they serve. They are open from morning till night, seven days a week. The restaurant does not have a sign in English. However, the small building looks like a single-family house with a large yellow sign (in Korean). So it is not easy to miss it.
3801 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, CA 94609
Open seven days a week:
8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Friday
7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Tel: 510-597-9989
