February 29, 2024 | OPINION | By Sam Treat
At some point during one’s youth, nearly every child dreams of becoming a professional at something that they almost certainly will not grow up to become. For myself, my dream was to become a train conductor — a dream I let go of as I blossomed out of my childhood naïveté. Like many, as I grew, I became more jaded by the horrors and doldrums of our temporally limited existence and my dreams slowly became measured and realistic. On Sunday night, one of those dreams struck; a clear vision of a hot stone bowl filled with rice, vegetables, egg and beef. I knew what I had to do.
My Seattle upbringing afforded me the privilege of easy access to delicious global cuisines. My childhood best friend (shoutout Oscar) was Korean-American, and we would constantly trade lunch items in school, giving me an early predisposition toward Korean cuisine. To this day, I consider the Korean specialty of bibimbap to be my favorite food.
With depictions of bulgogi beef freshly in mind, and my stomach rumbling eagerly, I set out for my first Korean food adventure in Colorado Springs. As I expected, Kang Nam was snuggled into another remarkable Colorado Springs strip mall – the Sunrise Square. While neither square, nor particularly sunny, the strip mall did manage to squeeze an impressive variety of shops into one concrete area. From an Indian goods wholesale seller to a Lil Caesar’s to a CBD shop, you’d be hard pressed to find a better cross section of the American experience.
My first impression of Kang Nam was that they could have used a much better interior designer. The restaurant was surprisingly spacious, but for some reason, that space was barely used, with maybe 10 tables sporadically placed around with no apparent philosophy. The group of old Korean women talking loudly on their phones in the corner added authenticity to the whole production and harkened back memories of Seattle eateries.
While Kang Nam does offer a lunch special, the price point ($15 to $17) did not scream special. Most dinner entrees were $17 to $25, anyway. I opted for a dinner entrée, the bibimbap with bulgogi beef, which I ordered spicy. My counterpart ordered the Kalbi (beef short ribs) lunch special, which came complete with a small side of rice. For a classic accompaniment, I ordered a kimchi green onion pancake.
For those woefully inexperienced in the Korean eating traditions (not that I am anything close to an expert), one of the most telltale signs of quality (or lack thereof) is the banchan, small plates of pickled vegetables that are brought out before your meal. Some places have complex banchan offerings, with up to eight different types. Kang Nam, unfortunately, only had four. Alas, those four did not impress much, save the rare, pickled tofu rinds which were a welcome shock of flavor.
With the disappointment from the banchan fresh in my mouth, I was eager to give Kang Nam a chance at redemption with the bibimbap. Upon serving, that redemption was immediately off the table. For a $17 dinner-sized entree I am accustomed to being served a full bowl of rice, fried egg, various vegetables, kimchi, a healthy dollop of gochujang and, most importantly, a substantial amount of protein. Instead, the stone bowl I received was barely a quarter of the way full, with only a small portion of beef and no discernable spiciness at all.
I did feel some compassion for the waitress, who seemed to be the sole team member in charge of service — albeit slow and inattentive. When I raised the concern about the lack of gochujang (the chili paste responsible for spice and the famous umami flavor), the waitress informed me they were out. I found that unbelievable — that is like a BBQ restaurant running out of BBQ sauce. This was unfathomable.
While the bibimbap may have been a sorry excuse for a meal, the kimchi green onion pancake did offer some hope for better days to come. With the telltale orange hue from kimchi, the crisped edges and charred onion created a delicious respite from the despondency of the bibimbap. The sauce it came with was acceptable but offered little of the intricate flavors and spices I was craving.
The Kalbi lunch special was perhaps the best deal we found. It had a small yet significant pile of short ribs truly pulling their weight. The short ribs were juicy and flavorful, clearly having been marinated prior to cooking. The steaming fresh rice that came with them was about as good as any rice I’ve tried, offering a redeeming quality to an otherwise disappointing experience.
With experiences like this, is it any wonder that we tend to give up on our dreams? In today’s world, food cannot even be counted on to fulfill the most basic human desires of comfort and happiness. It truly is a dismal state of affairs. Thankfully, there is always another strip mall to visit, another family-owned restaurant to tear to shreds (kidding!) and another bite to be bit.