Cheap Eats, Edmonton, Southside

Gangnam Street Food

Gangnam Street Food is the newest Korean eatery to hit the K-mall area in the Southside Edmonton.

If you haven’t been there yet, it’s a strip mall that has been overtaken by Korean businesses (mainly restaurants). You can find Let Eat Snow, Miga, Ginseng, and Korean/Japanese grocery store A-mart within steps of each other. Gangnam is owned by Mirae Investment Inc, a group that also owns Let Eat Snow, A-mart, Doobaeki, and Baekjeong Korean BBQ House.

Gangnam introduces a new Korean eatery concept that hasn’t be found here yet: Korean street food. Their menu focuses on smaller portions of food that can be enjoyed quickly for an inexpensive price of $4 to $10 each. I was told that in Korea, these types of eateries are found near schools to cater to students (that student budget life). Although the portions may appear small, I left feeling quite full! The food items in my post are from the tasting event that I attended last weekend. There will be more items on their actual menu such as kimbap (Korean sushi rolls), eomukguk (Korean fish cake soup), corn cheese, Korean spicy noodles with cheese, and more.

Disclosure: Although I was invited for a complimentary tasting event by Gangnam Street Food, my review is 100% unbiased and based on my own, sincere experience. 

L to R: Korean Style Hot Dog, Dduck Bo Kki, Dak-gang-jung, Skewers

At the tasting event, I was able to try six items from their menu. One of these items was dak-gang-jung (crispy Korean fried chicken) which I wasn’t able to take an individual photo of. This was actually my favourite item of the night! The fried chicken pieces were boneless and juicy on the inside. The outside was very crispy and topped with a honey mustard sauce. There will be more flavours on the actual menu so stay tuned!

Korean Style Hot Dog

Everyone at my table loved the Korean style hot dog! Similar-looking to a corn dog, the exterior is made of regular dough and breaded.  As quoted, “the chef is very focused on the dough’s texture to make it the best” and this was evident with every bite. There was a slight crisp from the breading, while the dough’s texture had a nice chew. The inside had a hot dog, and if you’d like, you can also get it with mozzarella cheese for a cheesy texture! Personally, I don’t like mozzarella cheese but I can see why everyone else at my table enjoyed it.

Dduck Bo Kki

I have yet to find a Korean restaurant that doesn’t serve dduck bo kki (spicy Korean rice cakes).At Gangnam, the rice cakes and fish cakes are stir-fried in their special spicy sauce. The cakes had an enjoyable, chewy texture while the sauce wasn’t too spicy. You can’t go wrong with this Korean classic. I also recommend using the sauce as a dipping sauce for other items.

Skewers

I tried two of the four skewers that will be on their menu. The chicken skewer was dipped in their special Korean bulgogi sauce and the pork belly was brushed with their special super spicy sauce. Trust me, they didn’t lie when they called it super spicy. I was only able to take a small bite of their pork belly skewer because I can’t really handle spice!

Spam and Sausage Cup Bap

The cup bap is Gangnam’s version of bibimbap. Served in a cup instead of a traditional hot stone bowl, it’s meant to be enjoyed quickly or taken to-go. The one that I tried had spam and sausage in it, as well as stir-fried kimchi, bean sprouts, corn, lettuce, and a pan-fried egg. Mix it all together and you got yourself a meal. I actually really liked the mini sausages in the cup bap and I’m sure spam lovers will enjoy the spam. The portion might not seem like a lot because of the cup size but it will probably fill you up. They will have six kinds of cup bap on their menu so I’m excited to see what else they come up with!

Ho Dduck

Our meal ended with a ho dduck, which is a Korean style pancake filled with melted cinammon and sugar filling. It was served hot, and reminded me of a cinammon bun. I really liked it!

You can find Korean instant noodles, beverages, and snacks at the front counter.

Gangnam officially opens to the public on January 24, 2019. I enjoyed their “fast-casual” concept and will probably stop by again if I’m in the area and craving a quick Korean bite!


Address & Hours

#15, 9261 34 Avenue

T6E 5T5

Edmonton, AB

11 am to 9 pm every day