Oppa Gangnam Style! K-pop has emerged as one of those trends that doesn't seem to be waning anytime soon. From clothes to music, everyone just loves the Korean culture. Korean food has become a common sight in Malaysia. There are specialty food stores for Korean food and a new Korean restaurant mushrooming every few months.
Recently, I had some tantalizing Korean food at Dubu-Dubu NU Sentral. Although the place was a little crowded due to the long lunch hour on a Friday, me and my mum managed to snag a place. Korean music videos continuously played on flat TV screens. Service was quick and attentive.
When I had my lunch there, a lunch promotion was ongoing where for RM15 you could get a main dish, banchan (side dishes), red rice and a drink. In the current economic situation, getting a complete meal, and a foreign meal at that, at a reasonable price is few and far between.
My mum ordered Kimchi Gogi Chicken while I ordered a Seafood Kimchi Soondubu Jigae. Both of our choices contained kimchi as Korean food that has kimchi is the benchmark. How good Korean food is relies on the kimchi flavor blending seamlessly with other ingredients to make the dishes simply superb.
Kimchi Gogi Chicken with banchan of more kimchi, pickled radish and cucumber dressed in minced garlic and sesame oil with seaweed and tofu soup.
The first set to arrive was my mum's Kimchi Gogi Chicken. Tender small pieces of chicken were marinated in Korean chili paste and grilled, which made the chicken just melt-in-the-mouth. The grilled chicken was then tossed with kimchi,cabbage, caramelized onions and sesame seeds. The dish had a melange of flavors that made every bite pure pleasure. The banchan served to compliment the spiciness of the dish while the soup provided the much needed liquid component to an otherwise dry dish. My mother chose hot green tea to cut the slight oiliness of the grilled chicken.
Next, came my set of the Seafood Kimchi Soondubu Jigae. Soondubu Jigae means tofu stew or soup but mine had the addition of kimchi and seafood making the clear broth red and spicy and sweet. The soup was umami rich and I just couldn't put my spoon down. The banchan were the same but there was no soup as it my dish in itself was a soup. For my beverage, I chose iced peach tea which was tangy and cool, appropriately tampering the heat from the soup.
In all, the full-to-our-brims meal was only RM35 (GST included). For good Korean food in a modern setting, I would recommend Dubu-Dubu. A small tip: come a little after the lunch rush hour for a quieter ambience to your Korean meal. Haengboghan sigsa (happy eating)!
Address: NU Sentral, Lot L4-04, Level 4, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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