BULGOGI BENTO BOX FROM SAM OH JUNG.

KOREAN BBQ RIBS AND KIMCHI FROM BAKER AND WIFE.

Despite Sarasota’s cultured pride in the availability of most other global cuisines, local representatives of Korean food often seem pushed to the corners, plying their trade from strip malls and hideaways incongruous to their quality. In the quest for quality Korean, the path less traveled yields rich rewards.

Oriental Food and Gifts

Authentic Kimchi and Bibimbap

Owner Sue Kim sells a lot of kimchi out of her Gulf Gate storefront but she admits she can’t take all the credit. A family operation, Kim’s mother spent 40 years perfecting the recipe that she follows when she arrives at 8am with the prospect of making 80 pounds of kimchi for her daughter to sell. The cabbage is steeped in a sea salt concoction for seven to eight hours, at which time fresh ginger and garlic enter the mix alongside gochugaru—an intense Korean chili pepper. But most importantly, says Kim, they never add water or sugar or MSG, instead using a homemade broth of slow-cooked onions, anchovies and dried seaweed to complement the spicy flavors with some natural sweetness. “A lot of people never try real kimchi,” says Kim, who sees lots of things labeled kimchi in local supermarkets that give her pause. “That’s not kimchi—a factory made it and delivered it to storage,” she says. But kimchi is just a side in Korea, according to Kim, and for the full experience she recommends exploring the menu. The bibimbap sees a whole host of plant matter—zucchini, Chinese eggplant, bean sprouts, cabbage, Korean papaya, radish, carrots, seaweed and shitaki mushrooms—each marinated for 24 hours in a distinct flavor and laid atop a bed of short-grain sticky
rice with a fried egg.

Oriental Food and Gifts, 2212 Gulf Gate Dr., Sarasota, 941-924-8066.

Sam Oh Jung

Bulgogi Korean Bento Box

The definition of unassuming, Sam Oh Jung Sushi Bar resides in Bradenton under a simple blue-lettered sign reading “SUSHI” with no mention of perhaps the best Korean food in town. A great summer stop, the softly lit and quiet interior brings a welcome respite from the oppressive heat and glare. The lack of signage, while not doing much for the curb appeal, deftly avoids regular overcrowding. The bulgogi, a traditional Korean dish of wok-cooked beef marinated in a simple but flavorful combination of soy sauce, garlic, sugar and salt, achieves the impossible in making a meat-centric meal feel light. “Not a lot of people know the cuisine,” says Sam Oh Jung Manager Hieu Nguyen, “and it’s very hard to make if you don’t know what you’re doing. We’ve been here for 23 years so we must be doing something right.” Sliced thin, the beef explodes like a ripe fruit with none of the chew or gristle to interrupt the experience. Many of the dishes remain unchanged from the days when the original Sam opened the restaurant, bringing the family recipes with him. “Nothing’s changed,” says Sushi Chef Mike Suh, nephew to said Sam. “People love the consistency.” For lunch order the bulgogi Korean bento box and have it served with some of the cleanest fried rice around—airy and fresh with fluffy eggs and nary a burn or grease spot in sight—and a selection of fried dumplings, orange slices and pickled bean sprouts and cucumbers.

Sam Oh Jung, 6032 14th St. W, Bradenton, 941-755-3568.

Baker and Wife

House-made Kimchi and Korean BBQ Ribs

The kimchi at Baker and Wife is not what is used to be, but chef Isaac Correa is OK with that. Everything mellows with age, and what started complex and supremely spicy, full of hidden accents and mouth-scorching fire, has over the years been winnowed to its core flavor for something simple and hot. “But even now we’ll get people who say it’s too spicy,” he says. Napa cabbage and carrots comprise the base, which Correa marinates in a combination of vinegar, fish sauce, sugar and shrimp paste. The timely addition of a healthy portion of Korean chili paste transforms what could be a charming side dish into the center of attention. “A lot of the menu comes from my traveling abroad and I want to share this with people,” says Correa. For a further taste of Correa’s take on capsaicin-based Korean cuisine, try the ribs slathered in Correa’s own spicy Korean BBQ sauce. “This stuff comes from playing with your food,” he says, “which is basically what we do every day.”

Baker and Wife, 2157 Siesta Dr., Sarasota, 941-960-1765.