Within recent years, the popularity of Korean cuisine has certainly been growing. It is not difficult to stumble upon various kinds of Korean restaurants as you walk along the streets of Kuala Lumpur. Whether it is a luxury fine dining experience, or a visit to a small café, many seem to adore the taste of spicy and sour dishes prepared with various kinds of ingredients. There isn’t a need to travel all the way to the likes of Seoul and Busan to indulge in delicious kimchi, bulgogi and bibimbap. Along with the surge in the popularity of Korean pop culture, Korean cuisine too has been emerging as one of the top cuisines, especially in Asia. Recently, Top 10 of Malaysia takes a look at its pick of the top 10 Korean restaurants in Malaysia.
Sae Ma Eul
Located in Mont Kiara, the ‘best and most affordable Korean BBQ restaurant in Klang Valley’ has certainly made waves among food bloggers and has been attracting many customers. With generously portioned meals, the restaurant is usually packed during peak hours. What’s interesting about this place is its signature dish – the spicy rice ball. Customers have to don on plastic gloves to mix the ingredients provided to create for themselves the dish according to their very own liking, in terms of taste and portion.
DubuYo
Dubbed as Malaysia’s best urban Korean food, the restaurant offers a perfect harmony of Korean delights, consisting of all tasty urban Korean favorites. From its signature dish Soondubu Jigaes to many other different pork-free varieties, customers will truly enjoy the scrumptious flavors DubuYo has to offer. DubuYo, situated in Mid Valley Megamall, also has decent-sized servings with good meal sets promotions, which features all the Korean dishes such as bibimbap, rabokki and many more. Other DubuYo outlets can be found in Penang, Seremban and Kota Kinabalu.
Bon Ga Korean BBQ
Being one of the leading restaurants for traditional Korean food, Bon Ga Korean BBQ was first established in South Korea in 1997, and selected Malaysia as the first country to open its first international branch in 2009. Just like any other Korean restaurant, barbeque meat is its signature. However, the unique aspect of this restaurant is that the barbeque meat is specially cooked inside its elaborately-equipped BBQ area using special white charcoal to maximize the aroma, and is served on a hot stone plate. It has also established professional catering services, and are now the top caterer for Korean food in Malaysia.
Hanwoori
Located at the popular Korean town in Ampang, Hanwoori serves the best authentic Korean food in Kuala Lumpur. It first opened in 2001 and its popularity has gradually been increasing throughout the years. Galbi is the signature dish and is a variety of grilled items made with marinated beef short ribs in a special sauce. Hanwoori also serves fantastic savoury pancakes, which customers can enjoy while relaxing in the bright and cosy setting with a screen playing Korean music videos.
Kyochon
Derived from the words “Kyo” meaning wisdom, and “Chon” meaning village, the founder Chairman Kwon made 3 promises when opening Kyochon – never ever serve fast food, to use 100% natural ingredients and to only use the freshest chicken. Its signature chicken dish is fried in Canola oil with no artificial flavourings added. The brand has 1,000 outlets worldwide, including in the USA and Japan. Pavilion, 1 Utama and Sunway Pyramid are some of the malls where Kyochon can be found. Kyochon has also received an award for Best Brand voted by consumers for 13 consecutive years in Korea.
Onsemiro
Onsemiro is a classy pork-free Korean restaurant located in the Intermark building along Jalan Ampang in Kuala Lumpur. It is considered the first Korean fine dining restaurant to open in Kuala Lumpur. The restaurant represents a more refined taste of the authentic traditional flavours, using high quality ingredients and finest preparation methods. Customers can indulge in their meals while sitting on the wooden benches, where they can watch the chefs as they prepare the food, or in one of the private rooms.
Da On Fine Korean Cuisine
Da On Fine Korean Cuisine, situated in Pavilion KL, is a popular spot for the urbanites of Malaysia. It specialises in fine dining, and uses only the finest ingredients imported from Korea. Serving various different mouth-watering traditional cuisines and medicinal dishes, it has received the patronage of many, including royalties, dignitaries, politicians, VIPs and elites. Customers can enjoy the contemporary setting along with an elegant dining experience.
B.Bap Korean Bistro
With a touch of modern contemporary approach, B.bap proudly serves authentic Korean street food in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, in the busy commercialized hub of NU Sentral and Avenue K, as well as in a few other malls. Its menu is specifically designed to incorporate a wide range of wholesome popular Korean dishes which include various types of bibimbap, noodles, rice, soups, and assortment of side dishes to complement the mains. It opens from 10am to 10pm, and offers all-rounder meals, whether is it for breakfast, lunch, tea or dinner.
Bulgogi Brothers
Bulgogi Brothers first opened in Gang-Nam in 2006, long before the Gangnam Style became popular. Since then, the casual Korean restaurant has over 40 outlets now, including one in Canada. It even managed to pick up the Best Korean Restaurant award at the Korean National Brands Awards in 2012. Its signature dish is the tasty bulgogi, from which the name of the restaurant is derived. The restaurant is located at the Paradigm Mall, Kelana Jaya.
Gangnam88
Gangnam88 is located in Mont Kiara and has been serving Korean cuisine in authentic Gangnam home-styled cooking since 2012. Not only are traditional meals served, Gangnam88 also offers a fresh twist on some of the classics to keep things fresh for its customers. Only ingredients that meet stringent standards are used in the food preparation, and only the freshest and cleanest dishes get to reach the dining table.
