DINING: Eclectic Asian fare packs punch

By Lori Midson, Special to the Rocky

Published November 6, 2008 at 7 p.m.

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Photo by Karma Asian

The spicy jaam bong will have you reaching for your drink.

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The jaam bong ($9.95) carries a footnote: "A must-have spicy noodle bowl in South Korea; they say if you don't know this, you a SPY from ... " I burst out laughing.

Then I dipped my spoon into the bowl, took my first bite and made a clumsy lunge for my water glass. I should have guessed from the color - an electric, inflamed hue of crimson - that my tongue would reap what it sowed.

"I'd like it really hot!" I had pleaded with our server, nodding like a bobblehead doll when she asked if I was certain that I wanted the jaam bong spicier than the kitchen normally prepares it. She grinned and shook her head before walking toward the kitchen, presumably aware that I'd just made a deal with the devil of bad karma.

As she made her way back to our table, clutching the majestic ebony crock of steaming witch's brew, I could smell the fiery broth radiating blasts of garlic, Korean red chile paste and rafts of kimchi, the fermented Korean cabbage staple that chef-owner Peter Hsing zealously incorporates into his cooking. Plunged with roly-poly scallops, shrimp that still had spring in their step, calamari and bouncy noodles, it was a multilayered tangle of compelling flavors.

So it goes at Karma Asian, a harmonious and exceedingly friendly restaurant that mingles the gutsy dishes of Korea with an accessible list of other Asian pronouncements that cater more to American tastes but still manage to turn familiar dishes into exotic pleasure rides.

On one hand, this is just another innocuous haunt that lines South Broadway's restaurant-saturated sidewalks. On the other, it serves distinct food that's uniquely different from what you'll find across the street, next door, around the corner or down the block. It's not a fancy food parlor; there are no fashion-conscious divas falling over their Jimmy Choo stilettos, overperforming servers who smother you with affection or sexy stools that cost more than my monthly mortgage payment.

There's not even a liquor license, although it's expected in two or three months.

The low-light dining room is a chromatic scheme of purple chairs, black tablecloths, leafy plants and some carefully chosen grace notes that give it a meditative mood - parchment-paper menus emblemed with real leaves, strategically placed Buddhas, a few burbling fountains and woven blond mats that save your butt from being flattened by the uncomfortably hard banquettes.

The mood is so meditative, in fact, that during my recent visits, I could have brought my yoga mat. There was certainly space, considering that the room was never occupied by more than a few tables.

That's regrettable, and I hope the tide turns. That would be good karma.

Judging from the calamari salad ($6.95), it should. Served chilled and slicked with Korean miso and sesame oil and interlaced with rings of red jalapenos, white sesame seeds and a melange of pickled vegetables, it's exhilaratingly fresh and vibrant.

Barely seared tuna, slices of avocado, thin rice noodles and crisp-fried onion slivers are bundled together in the tightly wrapped spring rolls ($7.95) plated with a saucer of sweet soy, while the showstopping shu mai ($3.95), eight crinkled dumplings potted with shrimp paste, wood ear mushrooms and the crunch of water chestnuts, arrived in a bamboo box accompanied by an orb of wasabi etched into a sunburst.

Karma's presentations are beautiful, with most of the heavy ceramic black bowls and plates dotted with pretty details like floral-shaped carrots, artfully arranged pickled ginger and whimsically imprinted spheres of wasabi.

There were no embellishments, however, chaperoning the Kobe beef lettuce wraps ($9.95). Perhaps there should have been, because the crumbles of one of the world's most lauded - and expensive - cuts of beef prompted a stifled yawn for its one-note sauce of soy.

The wild-caught salmon ($12.95), though just slightly overcooked, was thicker than your average waistline and straddling a deeply inky fermented black-bean sauce bolstered by flawless wok-tossed vegetables.

Panang curry ($7.95), moderately spiced and surfed with tender chicken, red peppers, carrots and Thai basil, was a bit too sweet and watery, and the pho ($7.95) tasted washed out and dull, as if someone had forgotten to add the beef bones.

I would far rather eat the house special rice ($9.95), a combination of rotund scallops, fleshy shrimp, scrambled egg, spirals of jalapeno, enough vegetables to fill a flatbed truck and perfectly cooked rice penetrated with Korean chile paste. Delivered in an ornate silver bowl, it's also the showiest dish I've had here.

This is not the best Asian restaurant in Denver, but if you're like me, you'll probably find that it has some of the best karma.

lmidson@gmail.com

Karma Asian

* Grade: B

* Address: 22 S. Broadway

* Hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m. daily

* Food: Asian

* How much: $1.50-$9.95 starters, $6-$12.95 entrees

* Reservations: not necessary

* Noise: a quiet Zen

* Information: 303-871-0167 or karmaasian.com

* Parking: metered street parking