In a city that needs no introduction to Thai, Chinese and Japanese food, Korean food is still pretty much a state secret. Some Korean food make it to menus in South-East Asian specialty restaurants but there’s nothing special about them. “In most cases, we didn’t end up cooking too much Korean food as guests seldom asked for it. But that was a couple of years ago,” says Chef Nachiket Shetye of EAST, Kemps Corner.

Now, things are looking up for Korean delicacies with dedicated menus as well as some serious effort on part of restaurateurs. “Korean cuisine has been overlooked for very long. It surely deserves a place on tables. It’s healthy and tastes great. Koreans eat very spicy food. So when Indians call for it, they aren’t disappointed,” says Nikhil Chib of Busaba, Colaba.

Kimchi is the national dish of Korea (they make enough of it everywhere so everyone just knows). However, there is much more to their food than that. There’s Prime Tenderloin, with Bulgogi or Yang yum Kalbi, Barbequed Pork or Farm Raised Chicken with Dak Kalbi. At India Jones, Trident, Chef Amit Gugnani, says, “Rice is the staple food for most Koreans and it appears at almost every meal. It can be cooked alone (the most common case), with other grains (such as millet or barley), or with chestnuts and beans. Vegetables may also be mixed with the rice before serving. Rice gruel (often made for sick people or the elderly who have health problems) is also a main dish. Bibimbap (Mixed Vegetables on Rice), Bokgeumbap (Fried Rice), Dolsot Bibimbap (Sizzling Vegetables on Rice), Gimbap (Rice Wrapped in Seaweed), Kimchi Bokkeumbap (Kimchi Fried Rice), Kongnamulbap (Rice with bean sprouts), Mapadubu deopbap (Rice with tofu and Chinese hot pepper) are just some of them.”

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