Sushi chef Kim Yong prepares a dish at Gah-rham in Beltsville. The restaurant specializes in Korean fare but offers sushi as a nod to American tastes. Greg Dohler/The Gazette

In three short years, the reputation of Gah-rham has turned it into a bona fide destination, and no one who has tried to find a parking space during lunch would doubt it.

"I'm so proud right now," said owner Moon Park, 34, reflecting on his success. "Nobody thought the location would be good."

But clearly Park thought the food would be good, and that would be enough.

Park also knew that Korean cuisine is probably the least known major Asian cuisine in the United States. There are a couple of Korean restaurants in the College Park/Beltsville area, along with a growing number of other Korean businesses, but only Gah-rham also offers sushi.

"We chose Korean as our main food, but in the U.S., people want to try all the different Asian foods, and Korean people eat sushi and sashimi, too," he said.

Lunch is a good time to try many of the popular offerings at Gah-rham. The $7.99 lunch buffet is the best deal in the area and draws a steady stream of customers from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.

The steam table always features several Korean specialties such as gal bi, marinated barbecued beef short ribs, and hae mul pajun, described on the menu as a seafood pancake but closer to what Americans would recognize as an omelet. Tempura of vegetables such as yellow squash and Asian sweet potatoes is light and crispy. Stir-fried jhap che noodles (sometimes spelled chap chae) and salty miso soup are also tasty.

The sushi bar offers up to 20 kinds of sushi for the buffet, as well. The varieties are mainly those that will suffer little deterioration from the time spent sitting out, such as California rolls, smoked salmon rolls with cream cheese and avocado, and cucumber rolls, although there are a few maki, as well. The tuna maki on the buffet was the only false note I experienced in my meals at Gah-rham, tasting slightly of chlorine.

While the gal bi on the lunch buffet is good, nothing really compares with ordering gal bi as an entrée to be cooked at the table ($17.95). Some tables have built-in grills, and the staff brings portable gas grills to those that don't.

"This is the most popular dish," Park said. "It looks good and appetizing when people see it. It's a Korean tradition to cut it just at the time of service."

It is indeed appetizing to see the strip of marinated meat that has been carefully pared from the bone into a long ribbon, to watch the server deftly cut the bone off the end then snip the meat into serving-size pieces with kitchen shears, then to hear and smell the sizzle as the meat is laid onto the hot grill.

Korean barbecue and other entrees are traditionally accompanied by a number of small side dishes called panchan.

"Asian people will prepare just about any kind of edible vegetable," said Park. "The side dishes are all good for your health, all prepared using only vegetable oil and all fresh vegetables."

Presented in an array of white bowls, the dishes balance the meal not only nutritionally but also in terms of color and flavor. Sparkling white shredded pickled radish, bright red smeared spicy cabbage kimchi, a deep green sweet and sour dressed watercress salad, stir-fried creamy yellow-green squash and glassy brown jhap che noodles populate the table with intriguing sights, smells and textures.

Park said he often has to explain to people who are not familiar with Korean food that these dishes are automatically served and are included in the price of the meal, but that they shouldn't eat all of the panchan before the main meal arrives.

"They are not like appetizers, they go with the meal," he said.

Other popular Korean entrees at Gah-rham include bibim bab ($8.95), a dish of vegetables and broth with rice and egg in a hot stone pot. It can also be ordered with beef ($9.95) or seafood ($10.95). The seafood pancake, hae mul pajun, is $8.95 as an entrée; jhap che, with smoky charred beef and vegetables, is $9.95; and bul go ki, beef tenderloin barbecue, is $14.95.

Gah-rham

5027 Garrett Ave., Beltsville

Phone: 301-595-4122

Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. ­ 10 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. ­ 11 p.m.; closed Monday