SouthGate Will Bring Korean Pub Fare to Rittenhouse

Following last year's sad shutter of Tangier, there's finally word of what will take over the space at 18th and Lombard streets. The next inhabitant will be a pub focusing on Korean food, called SouthGate, according to a report from Philly.com.

Owner Peter Hwang tells Philly.com that the menu will include a "mix of Korean-influenced bar foods along with authentic Korean fare," with Korean fried chicken and Japanese whisky among the highlights to look forward to.

The chef behind that menu is Clara Park, a freelancer whose diverse resume includes stints on the line at Town Hall (in San Francisco), Osteria, and Momofuku Ko, food writing and recipe development, and private and consulting gigs. Park can also claim the title of Chopped champion, after successfully competing on an episode of the Food Network hit last year. (What's more, a relentlessly endearing bio on her personal site folds in Spice Girls references and childhood memories of getting "reamed out for sniffing the cottage cheese at the salad bar" at a "very chic local Burger King.")

SouthGate is reportedly aiming to open in mid-May, if work on the building goes according to plan.

SouthGate, 1801 Lombard Street, opening spring 2015.