North Side Restaurant Review: San Soo Gap San

By Laura Oppenheimer in Food on Nov 16, 2006 3:36PM

"This is like going all the way to Orlando, but then not getting to go to Disney World," said our date for the evening as he surveyed the menu at 24-hour Korean restaurant San Soo Gap San. Chicagoist's dining partner was referring, in this case, to the lack of vegetarian options on the menu. After a careful survey, we determined that there was not a single meat-free option.

Which, if we think back, shouldn't have surprised us. Korean food is known for being heavy on the meat side — specifically beef. Still, we were surprised that in this day and age, there wasn't one single option available. Luckily, our server was happy to work with us, fixing up a special vegetable bibimbop. Unfortunately, that was where the helpful service ended, with the service staff being curt at best, and abrasive at worst. For example, after we were seated, we were told we had to get up and move to a different able, without any reason or rationale (as far as we could see). Pacing was uneven as well.

Luckily, the food, at least for the meat eater, was delicious. SSGS serves up an impressive array of panchen, the traditional selection of kimchi. SSGS' selection covered all the basics, including cucumber and cabbage kimchi, spinach in sesame oil, fish cake, and various other pickled accompaniments. We noticed that we didn't receive as many different kinds as the table next to us, but we chalked it up to the fact that we didn't order as many dishes. We heard from a Korean friend that the lacking panchen selection was due to our ... lack of being Korea n... but we'll tell ourselves it had more to do with our order, and less to do with where our parents came from.

In addition to the panchen, Korean restaurants are also known for giving diners hot grills and plates of raw meats. We've never been attracted to this setup; if we wanted to cook our own food, we probably would have stayed home, but we can see the allure all the same. At SSGS, you need to order two different kinds of meat in order to grill at the table. Otherwise, the kitchen will grill it for you, which was just fine with us. Chicagoist ordered the marinated chicken, which came out of the kitchen sizzling on an extra-hot skillet. We were pleased that it was served medium spicy, just as we had requested it.

The vegetarian bibimbop was competent but nothing special. Our date was disappointed, if only because it seemed like he had meat envy for the night.

San Soo Gap San is open 24 hours a day and is located at 5247 N. Western Ave.