While Korean Pop might have stolen the hearts of millennials the world over, the East Asian nation’s food isn’t far behind either. We are of course referring to South Korean cuisine, as the majority of the population in North Korea is woefully undernourished and largely bereft of the array of dishes available to their Southern brethren.
The last couple of years have seen a surfeit of Korean eateries pop up all over the Capital (driven by the growing number of South Korean expats); some misses among the hits. With that in mind, we decided to head straight to the source, and dropped by Dalgrak, more commonly known as the Café at the Korean Cultural Center in Lajpat Nagar.
The cheerful, cafeteria-like décor is bolstered by a friendly staff, ever ready to offer suggestions and tweak the dishes from the reasonably priced menu.
We stuck to the classics and ordered the Vegetarian Gimbap (Korean Sushi rolls), Spicy Pork Stir-fry Deopbap (grilled pork with rice), and Jap Chae (Korean glass noodles). One Korean mainstay not available at the café is the Samgyeopsal, so beloved around the world for the ritualistic style in which it is prepared and consumed.
Comprising thin slices of fatty pork belly (the best kind of belly) served raw, alongside a grid iron, and all manner of accoutrements like kimchi, sauces, pastes, and spiced vegetables, diners have the pleasure of grilling the meat at their own tables with their favourite accompaniments and usually finishing them by wrapping the belly in lettuce leaves before pigging on them. Alas then that this dish isn’t available on the menu, but we live in hope that one day it shall.
Wishful thinking aside, the meal we got was quite palatable. The gimbap came decorously served on a simple platter, with a bowl of soy sauce. Diminutive in size, the rolls more than made up in flavour, the rotundas of rice wrapped in seaweed studded with gem-like bits of seasonal vegetables, fresh and crisp to the crunch. Dipped in soy, the umami gave a delicious undertone to the simplicity of the rice and vegetables.
Speaking of all things umami, the stir fry smacked of it, tender renderings of marinated and grilled meat contrasting with the bite of vegetables enmeshed among the pork slices. The accompanying steamed rice soaked up the juices and prevented the dish from getting too heavy on the palate.
On the other side of the flavour spectrum was the Jap Chae. Once a favourite in the Korean royal court, the noodles, made traditionally with potato starch, have become a staple of Korean cuisine in our more republican times, and it’s easy to see why. Without being overly-complex, there are still a lot of things going on with the flavours of the dish, the tang of the spices belied by the mild sweetness of the noodles themselves. Slurping doesn’t get much more fun.
It would also be remiss of us not to mention the kimchi. The café does it just right, perfectly blending the requisite sourness with the spiciness.
While we didn’t have space for dessert, we did try the Sweet Potato Latte, which should definitely be on your check-list when you visit. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.