When Les Kim and his wife Sunhwa Han dreamt of bringing authentic Korean food to Spokane, they didn’t just imagine plates of crispy chicken and fiery tteokbokki. They envisioned a space where strangers turn into drinking buddies over soju bombs and family recipes passed down through generations. At Gangnam Style, a new Korean restaurant that opened on July 1 in downtown Spokane, the couple’s dream is now sizzling to life.
While the menu is inspired by the quick and affordable Korean food and drinks at street-side stalls called pocha, the restaurant elevates the experience, perhaps nodding to its namesake, the upscale Gangnam neighborhood in Seoul, Korea. (Yes, Gangnam is a place, but made popular by Psy’s 2012 hit).
When you step into Gangnam Style, located at 411 W. First Ave., absent are the hard plastic stools used for seating at traditional Korean food stalls, replaced by sleek and minimal birch wood benches and wood laminate tables that Kim built by hand…