Gami: bursting with good things

It’s 2 p.m. on a weekday, and Korean chef Tony Shim is flitting back and forth between a party of business people discussing an iron mining project and the kitchen of his Guadalajara restaurant, Gami.

After he and his staff make sure the table is practically sagging under the weight of grills, dishes and glasses that are filled with appetizers, a main course of beef, rice wine and innumerable other delicacies, he takes a moment to survey the scene.

Shim, who seems to be always smiling, is dressed in a t-shirt today. He is a friendly, unpretentious man and so is his restaurant. At the back of its plain interior, tucked behind the Soriana on Americas just south of the Colon glorieta, is a small garden fringed with bamboo and with four tables which, like all the tables at Gami, have a grill in the center.

“Korean food is in the middle between Chinese, which can be greasy, and Japanese, which has no grease,” says Shim. He picks up a menu and points out some items which, although they have Korean names, probably originated in other Asian countries.

[Business associates from Korea, Japan, Mexico and the United States celebrate at Gami Korean Restaurant as owner and chef Tony Shim (standing) chats with them.] “These steamed mandu (meat dumplings) are called gyoza in Japan. Kimbab is sushi, but with unique ingredients like cooked ground beef and nabo, a long white radish. Our dobu is tofu in Japan.” He also points out udon, likewise eaten in China and Japan, as well as some of the most popular and uniquely Korean dishes, such as chapche (beef, noodles and vegetables) and pork or beef bulgogui. Many Korean dishes are platter-like affairs that come in boiling broth and with plenty of vegetables and sauce, which can be spicy or mild, depending on preferences. Some are served with the legendary kimchee (pickle-like) seasoning. This includes the plentiful appetizers that are served before each meal, the most memorable of which are tiny, pickled quail eggs.

Shim, still looking over the party of diners, says that the majority of his clients are from the small community of Koreans in Guadalajara — 1,000 people, he estimates — many of whom attend the city’s four Korean Presbyterian churches.

“I’m an atheist,” he points out with a smile, adding that most of his customers own businesses in Guadalajara or nearby cities and that when their business is good, they come frequently. Otherwise they don’t, he adds, still smiling.

Thus, although Shim has been in this location about six years, business is “irregular,” he says stoically. The fragrances wafting out of the restaurant today could seemingly draw in hordes, but the quiet street behind the supermarket has few passers-by.

“Mexicans like Korean food once they try it,” says Shim. He notes that Gami is one of only three truly Korean restaurants in the city, not counting all-you-can-eat places that serve a potpourri of Asian food, none of it very authentic.

“I haven’t altered the cuisine to try to make it appeal to Mexicans,” Shim notes. “And anyway, Mexicans like the principal ingredients in Korean cuisine — garlic, chiles and boiling hot broth made from meat, chicken or fish.” He adds that he doesn’t use the same variety of fish as in Korea because such fish is not available here. He buys all his food at local farmers markets except for some items he gets from an Asian importer. “And I believe they import most of their food via the United States,” he says.

On a day I dined at Gami, one companion was a most enthusiastic American who had lived in Korea and pronounced Gami’s food to die for. Another was a Mexican who had never sampled Korean food before.

“For me, these flavors are very extreme,” said the Mexican. But he ate with gusto, particularly enjoying a complimentary appetizer of tofu topped with spicy peanut sauce and a platter we all shared of Pachon (150 pesos), a seafood and vegetable pancake that was more like an omelette. We also shared a large, grill-fired cauldron of broth, tofu, ramen and vegetables called Kimchee Jeongol at 350 pesos for three people. The table of Koreans at our side, enjoyed a charcoal grilled entree.

“Most of our customers prefer charcoal grilling, which we do in the patio,” said Shim. For dessert, we were given a plate of watermelon and orange slices at no charge, the only dessert in the house.

Gami Korean Restaurant, Bernardo de Balbuena 872, between Jose Maria Vigil and Colomos behind the Soriana supermarket on Americas. (33) 3642-5809. Open daily 1 p.m.–11 p.m