Bistro Karu
Written and photographed by Sarah Pittman
As one of the food columnists for the Gwangju News, I try not to have the same style of food every month. Gwangju is full of many different cultures and cuisines, and I want to at least try to showcase every one. This month is a little different, however.
As I was wandering around the Dongmyeong-dong area to the northeast of the Asia Culture Center (ACC) looking for something new to eat, my eye caught sight of a picture of a very sweet-looking Shiba Inu dog wearing a kerchief. Next to the picture was the name Bistro Karu. Now, if you know me, you know how much I love dogs of all shapes and sizes, and this is why I had no choice but to step inside and see what it had to offer.
Up a flight of stairs, a white Shiba Inu named Latte was waiting patiently to greet people behind the restaurant’s glass door. Sadly, the owner’s other Shiba Inu, named Karu, was not there that day. The hostess very kindly offered me a table by a large window. The décor was an inviting combination: A very modern look with lots of concrete was made warm and homey with rustic wooden chairs and gold cutlery. The menu was purely in Korean, but they did provide glossy 4×6 pictures of the dishes with the menu.
Bistro Karu mostly serves traditional Italian comfort foods like linguine and risotto, but it also has created some Korean spins on Italian favorites as well. The dishes range in price from 15,000 won for linguine to 30,000 won for a sous-vide Akaushi Wagyu steak. I was drawn towards the donkatsu-style chicken and mushroom risotto. To be completely honest, I had never tried risotto before this, but the photo looked so good I could not pass it up.
As soon as the plate arrived at the table, I knew I had made the right choice! The chicken smelled amazing and was perfectly cooked, with crispy skin on the outside and juicy breast meat on the inside. The risotto was amazing with a running river of butter underneath it. It was slightly cheesy, with a perfect ratio of mushrooms so that you could have one in every bite. I was expecting the butter to be too overwhelming from how it looked, but it worked perfectly with the chicken. On top of the chicken were pickled perilla leaves. On their own, the leaves were unpalatable, but when mixed in with the risotto, they added a bright and bitter contrast to the soft, rich flavors.
Bistro Karu opened four months ago, in June. It is run by Choi Jae Kwang and his sister. Bistro Karu is open from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and again from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. You can find more information about the restaurant on its Instagram page @Bistro_Karu. It is located at 11 Jangdong-ro, Dong-gu (광주 동구 장동로 11), near the ACC lawn.
BISTRO KARU 카루식당
Address: 11 Jangdong-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju
광주 동구 장동로 11
Telephone: 070-8865-1818
Opening Times: Daily 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
(break time 3:30 – 5 p.m.)
The Author
Sarah lives in Gwangju with her boyfriend and dog. She graduated from CSUF in California in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She would like to find a job teaching back in the United States. She enjoys photography, food, sleeping, and watching Netflix.