In search of authentic Korean Food in Malaysia
We went for lunch with our Korean teacher (선생님) on Deepavali day. We decided to visit Sri Hartamas which is densely populated with Korean restaurants and marts. There must be lots of Korean expats living in this area. no? Okay, we were about to go to a local (meaning Malaysian) or Japanese food restaurant because we were all sick of the commercialized Korean fare you get at the restaurants here. Kimchi Jjigae, Korean BBQ, etc. We don’t want those…WE WANT AUTHENTIC KOREAN COOKING! At least our
선생님 is pining for some!Then we spotted Han Sung Korean restaurant with its menu proudly displayed outside the restaurant. After a quick flip through the menu,
선생님’s eyes grew larger and she was excited to see “sundae” on the menu. “Sundae” (순대) is typical Korean style sausage made from pigs innards. Okay, it is at this point in time that i will tell you that this Korean food joint is non-halal.Leaving all notions of going to another restaurant,
선생님 wanted to eat at this place now! And so we ventured into the dark and slightly dingy interior of the restaurant. Although the restaurant has an aged feel and smells a mite musty (to me), it photographs beautifully. And our 선생님 was very happy. She says “I like this place”.We were ushered to a cosy, musty (says Orchid) booth, sat ourselves down, and carefully scrutinized the menu. After a closer view of the menu, 선생님 pointed out that this restaurant serves homestyle (고향이) dishes that you don’t see in most other restaurants. We then proceeded to order and 선생님 wouldn’t let me order anything that i had eaten before. So no Kimchi Jjigae this time! “Try something new” she said.
So here’s what we had….
Of course 선생님 had the 순대국밥 “sundae rice soup“. How could she resist?! When the dish arrived, 선생님 happily emptied the entire bowl of rice into the soup and mixed it all up. That’s the proper way to eat 국밥 (rice soup) okay! But for “jjigae” dishes, you don’t mix the rice with the soup. She exclaimed that this is the first time she is eating “sundae” in Malaysia! Oh how she misses it.
선생님 was so happy that she gave Liz and me a piece of “sundae” to try. Oh-kay, i am thinking FEAR FACTOR now.
I just Googled “sundae” and this is what it really is…Steamed small and large intestines of pigs, salted and stuffed with a mixture of pig’s blood, rice, green onions, garlic, minced pork and vermicelli. PIGS BLOOD?
This is what 선생님 put on my plate – a slice of “sundae”.
After dissecting it and swishing it about on my plate,
i returned most of it to 선생님, and ate the bits
that was left on my plate (see inset).
“Sundae” tastes all right. You taste the bits of vermicelli and a whole lot of pepper. But not knowing what you are eating helps!
Liz had the 한치덮밥 “Rice topped with fresh squid” which is very refreshing. It came in a humongous bowl (enough for two i say!) and you mix it all up before eating. It is a healthy dish with lots of fresh vegetables (the turnips adds a nice juicy crunch) and raw slices of squid. Just like a salad.
A very healthy and refreshing Korean dish
(also not found in most other restaurants)
I had the 순두부 찌개 (Seafood and tofu stew). The stew is slightly spicy and very yummy. Despite the vast amount of food on the table, i drank the stew till the very last drop!
It tastes as good as it looks
Here’s how you eat dubu kimchi
Pile it up like so, then eat!
What i noticed about this restaurant is that they served slightly different kinds of banchan. Not the normal fare, slightly exotic. Like have you seen cockles served as a banchan before?
Cockles (sea-ham) as a banchan
Three types of kimchi
(from left: radish, cucumber & cabbage)
I also learned a new word at this place. Koreans use “service” to refer to dishes that are complimentary or “on the house”. Maybe it was because 선생님 was with us, and the owner liked her, we got a Korean pancake for free! Plus ice-cream for dessert – that was complimentary too!
Needless to say we were very full and satisfied. For RM30 each, i ate until i didn’t need any dinner that day. Yes, i was that full!
All in all it was a memorable dining experience. 감사합니다 선생님!
Of course free flow of chilled green tea with your meals.
Just in case you want to go to this place, here’s what the exterior of the restaurant looks like. I am sure you have noticed it when driving around Sri Hartamas.
Go to Han Sung in Sri Hartamas for
some authentic Korean cuisine
Tags: spots
by Orchid | Friday, October 31, 2008
Culture, Restaurant reviews