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Having taken my first step out of the lift, it felt like I had just unknowingly teleported – I was in Korea. No long flight, just an elevator trip up to the 27th floor. The blaring of a Korean soap opera and the heavenly sound of imported Pork Belly sizzling on a griddle beckoned me through the open door of a spacious apartment. Only, it looked nothing like an apartment on the inside.
Neat tables full of chattering Koreans occupied the large living room, and the 12 foot balcony windows opened up to a view of a peach-hued Mumbai sunset. My Editor’s ‘inside contact’ grinned at my overwhelmed expression and waved me over to his table. “The boys are right on their way,” he said with a silver dollar smile. My other dinner companions, who entered as if on cue, were two Korean fellows who frequented this off-license eatery almost as often as Donald Trump says something inept.
To them, this place really was a portal back to Korea. Even though their impressive cuisine has flourished in cities like Delhi and Bangalore, Mumbai is a bit left out (of course, there are Korean joints in the city, but there is no comparison to the aforementioned). Whenever these guys felt like a taste of home or chatting in their mother tongue, this high-rise haven was their go-to refuge. So with this friendly duo and my ‘inside contact’, who is quite the savant when it comes to Korean food, dinner began.
This A-list (or should I say K-list) crew were my supper sherpas, guiding me through the many pages of the menu, and what lifesavers they were! The entire menu was in Korean and even though our host was a talented Chef (and perhaps the cutest, little woman I’ve ever seen), English was not her strong suit. That’s why she let her food do the talking, and my o’ my was it poetic.
I’m talking about thick slabs of Samgyeopsal (Korean Pork Belly) fried to perfection and bright red, marbled buffalo that glistened on the grill (the buff substitute mimicked the traditional beef recipes so well it was uncanny). But I’m getting ahead of myself. First things first! And the first thing when it comes to a true Korean dinner is Banchan.
Balcony Banchan & Tuna Sushi
Before we could order a bottle of Soju (Korean rice wine) the owner had already slid 12 portions of Banchan (Korean starters) in front of us. To my surprise, it was explained to me she served all the starters completely free of cost! These little dishes were not only scrumptious on their own but were meant to be snacked on throughout the rest of the meal. Although some Banchan dishes go best with specific entrees, my companions encouraged me to mix and match as I pleased.
Banchan Offered:
The Bees Knees: Bulgogi,BBQ Pork & Buff & Bibimbap
Bulgogi
This epic style of BBQ beef (in this case buff) only uses the most tender parts of the animal, which can be either the sirloin or the tenderloin. The meat is then marinated in soy sauce, sugar and Korean pear juice giving the dish a soft and juicy texture, coupled with a tangy sweetness. As I was demolishing my table’s Bulgogi I noticed the large table of Koreans next to us got an even bigger portion. When it was set upon the table all the Korean businessmen circling the dish began to chest clap in unison rather like seals. When food gets an actual applause, you know it’s good.
Korean Buff & Pork BBQ
The well-marbled meat was seductively succulent. One of my dinner buddies instructed me in the traditional way of eating the barbecue after he watched me vehemently pounce on the red meat that just came off the griddle. He showed me that the slices of buffalo are best eaten when placed in a leaf of lettuce with a garnishing of onion drizzled in a soy-based sauce mixed with sugar and white vinegar. The mini-wrap was topped off with a small clove of garlic dipped in a spicy plum sauce.
The barbecued Pork Belly, which was imported from Thailand, could be eaten the same way. I, however, found that simply dipping the cut up Pork Belly in the Ssamjang sauce (Sesame Oil, Salt and Pepper) was delicious. Compared to other Korean dipping sauces the mild flavour of the Ssamjang sauce did not take away from the flavour of the Pork Belly and instead subtly added to the pre-exsisting profile.
Bibimbap
This minced Buff concoction is mixed with Korean rice, assorted vegetables and is topped off with a sunny-side up egg. Although this seems like a rather simple concoction, there is a reason it is featured on every Korean restaurants’ menu - it really hits the spot.
Slurping Up The Best
[The noodles used in all the ramen dishes were homemade.]
Jjamppong- spicy Korean noodle soup with a boatload of seafood.
Popeye has his spinach, Koreans have their Jjamppong. This dish is a great way to combat Soju – as soon as the rice wine makes you a bit drowsy a long slurp of this spicy broth wakes you up in a heartbeat. Although all the seafood in the soup was lovely, the octopus was the highlight of this reviving ramen.
Jajangmyeon-Korean black bean sauce noodles.
Fans of Korean cuisine will recognize this noodle dish by its generic instant noodle counterpart, Chapagetti. Although most food lovers sneer at instant noodles, I rather like Chapagetti and was curious how the real, homemade version compared.
The thing is, there was no comparison to be made. The real Jajangmyeon was so scrumptious I forgot about Chapagetti faster than a bad boyfriend forgets his girl’s birthday. I even brought a good friend of mine back to the restaurant who claims to hate soybean. He dug into the noodle dish like a Gujarati who missed lunch would chow down the first Thepla that crossed his path. Albeit he was somehow convinced the noodles featured a potato sauce, that still does not change the fact that this sequestered restaurant could cure even the pickiest of eaters.
Beyond The Basics
This article would turn into a novella if I continued to explain all the Korean goodness offered at this undisclosed location. That’s why I’ll wind up this Sujo-inspired salute to Mumbai’s secret Korean restaurant by urging our readers that are adventurous eaters to try the Spicy Snail dish, Golbaengi-Muchim.
A Note To Those Who Are Now Drooling
If you’re wondering, “How the heck can I try anything if I don’t know where this place is?” we’ve come up with a solution.
HG has devised a lottery system for readers that will allow a select few foodies to get the details about this speakeasy-like restaurant. Availability, of course, depends on the number of applicants that write-in and how well they convey their love for Korean food.
Lottery system closed due to high influx of emails. Please refrain from sending any more requests to dine at this restaurant.
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