Noodles and Seafood the Korean style

Mention Korean food and the images that come to mind would be of spicy and fiery red kimchi, stone bowls of rice and soup and of course, BBQ.
Daorae is one of the leading Korean restaurants in Malaysia; and they have opened their doors to the Penangites a few years ago with the opening of their first outlet in Bayan Baru which I visited then (read it here).
I have also visited their HQ branch which is located in Sri Hartamas in KL, also a few years back.

Therefore, this is not my first visit to this Korean restaurant although it is my first visit to their second outlet in Tanjung Tokong, Penang.





Getting back into the dining out cycle can be quite a fun and memorable experience, although we are faced with the usual dilemma of deciding what and where to eat, all the time.
Korean food came to my mind; yeah, surprisingly, as I am usually a bigger fan of Japanese food but I just had this sudden thought and when I told hubby, it was all set and we headed to Daorae.


Cute Korean souvenirs/ornaments framed to decorate the walls


While most of the people are here for the BBQ, I am always opting for something different from everyone (yeah, weird me) and I just wanted to get that taste of Korean food from their ala carte dishes instead of having to cook my own food over the stove.

The drawback of BBQ in a restaurant is that smoke smell which lingers over you and somehow your hair just smells like you have been grilled yourself when you walk out of the restaurant and head home.
Therefore, to overcome this problem, or at least, to minimize the impact on ourselves, I requested for a table that is far away from the BBQ tables although the whole restaurant is filled with BBQ tables.



Sikhye 식혜, also known as damsul or gamju , is a type of traditional Korean rice drink which is served and can be found in most Korean restaurants.
It is a common drink which is enjoyed by the Koreans, I think, as I remembered having this at each meal when I was in Korea.



It is a drink made of cooked rice along with malt water, and it had a rather unique taste to it.
Served cold, it was rather refreshing and definitely a good complement for the spicy taste of the dishes.


I have always loved the silver utensils used in Korean dining, and I have my own set too which I got from South Korea during my last trip there :-)



The wide array of appetizers served before our main courses arrive.
(Yes, these are all just the appetizers, and come complimentary before the mains and it is also a common practice in Korean dining)



List of the appetizers; one by one
Kimchi (the famed pickled cabbage/vegetables)



Pickled carrots, I think, it had a rather unique taste to it



Boiled spinach



Deep fried anchovies and nuts



Bean sprouts



Steamed and chilled white tofu



Salad with mayonnaise



There seems to be more appetizers than my main; and just between the two of us, it is a lot to take.

Our mains took some time to arrive as well; and we opted for some noodles and seafood.

Janchi-gook-su 잔치국수 (MYR18)
(Fresh vegetables and seafood served with Korean noodles in hot soup)



Served in a metal bowl, this is enough to serve two pax, the taste of the soup was enhanced with the sweetness of the fresh seafood which consists of clams, squids and prawns along with seaweed, onions, carrots and spring onions.





O-jing-er-so-myun (MYR35)
Sliced squid with assortment of vegetables stir-fried in spicy chili sauce, served with noodles



When this arrived, I was a little taken aback with the size of the serving as we were thinking that this would be our side order and oh well, I guess we overlooked the sizes and also the amount of food.
A little on the pricey side but the serving is definitely more than enough to serve two; maybe even three pax.

This is a rather spicy dish but the exotic tastes of the spicy chili sauce made this very appetizing and went really well with the noodles.

The large and juicy squids definitely added to the yum factor of the dish.



When mixed with the spicy chili sauce, this looks like spaghetti but tastes more flavorful than the Italian pasta.


Look at the amount of food we had to deal with; just between the two of us and it seemed like we were just pigging it out.




Then we had a surprise when the waiter came with this

A chive pancake
We thought it was a mistake as we did not order this but imagine my shock when he told me that this is complimentary and is supposed to come along with the side orders of the appetizers.





The sauce to go along with the pancake


Compared to the other Korean pancakes I have tried which are more of flour than anything else, this is quite good and the only downside is that it is a little oily.
It was served hot and I guess they just cooked and served it straight from the kitchen.

Faced with the amount of food, seriously, I am waving the white flag and we decided to pack the food home instead of wasting them.


There are also sliced watermelon served as desserts; and we were really all stuffed when we walked out of the restaurant.


I think it is a better idea to come with a bigger group/family to enjoy the food as the servings are really meant for sharing.
Prices can be a little high here; but the portions are quite large as you can see from my post.

Hazy day
Look at all the flags that Daorae is flying...


It will definitely take me a very very long time to go for Korean again...as I still remember the stuffed feeling until now :-P

(안녕하세요 Ahn Nyeong Hah Se Yo) DaoRae BBQ!~

Hail the Land of Kimchi which has long ago docked by our coast and built homes and restaurants here in our very own paradise land.

We have seen no end of Korean restaurants promoting Korean BBQ sets and their authentic Korean food; and we even have Korean villages in Ampang.
Apart from that, I am definitely confident to say that Malaysians are no strangers to the Korean culture after all those hours of soaking in the language and love hugs in front of their TV following the korean drama craze after the soaring popularity of Winter Sonata.

So, what is another new restaurant going to do to the already Korean-obsessed/worshipping community here?

DaoRae is the latest addition to the line of Korean BBQ restaurants in Penang, and they are located in Bayan Point; next to a bank and facing the high flyover to Sg Dua/Sg Ara and facing Krystal Point.

The warmth of the friendly greeting was immediately felt when I walked into the restaurant where all the staff (including the BIG Boss, who is a Korean himself) stood at the door, greeting us.
(Ah, the special attention you get when you're there early)

The interior, was designed to cater for BBQ environment and since it was new, there is this whiff of fresh paint in the air.
Overall, it was really neat and the dining area is really comfortable; and each customer is ensured their own privacy at their table.



Long story short, main point is the food.
One point is, I am sure everyone knows, Korean food are not exactly cheap and this is even more so since they offer exquisite fine and authentic Korean cuisine (even the Chef is flown in from Korea!)
Their name has been established in Malaysia sometime ago, following the success of their outlets in USJ Taipan.

Minimum spending here is from RM17 onwards for a bowl of noodles/rice and for the BBQ set, be prepared to spend RM70 and above.

For starters, do not be suprised by the 'more-than-10' appetizers they serve immediately after the waiter has taken your order











I almost felt stuffed after I've sampled the appetizers and regretted that I've ordered a main.
Anyway, we didn't go for the BBQ because I am not really much for meat and the scent of burnt pork/beef in my hair and clothes.
Don't be disappointed just yet; for I had the chance to introduce other side dishes which you can try when you are out of the mood for BBQ and just want a bite of Korean.

Bi Bim Bap (RM19)

Basically this is literally translated as Stone Bowl Rice.
The bowl reminds me of mortar; which we used to grind our chili to make paste/sambal.
This is one of the homey meal Koreans take pride in; where they serve rice topped with a few types of vegetables; which usually included sliced carrots, mushrooms, bean sprouts,crab sticks, seaweed and minced meat and a touch of a sunny side up right smack in the middle of the bowl.
The bowl keeps the rice at the bottom warm.

You need to stir everything up and mix them with the rice to get that Bibimbap taste!
The waiter was kind to explain the process when he served us this; not in Korean, but in his own native language. Anyhow, he was really courteous and attentive to our needs during our entire dining experience there.

We were also served soups when our mains were served


A hot bowl of noodles with seafood in soup (RM17)

The bowls used to serve are huge; I gulped when I saw the bowl placed in front of me.
I am sure some must be wondering, how good can a bowl of noodles in soup which is basically sick food taste?
Actually, they used a superior stock and the soup had a rather tasty (though tad bit salty) flavor with the clams and prawns used in the soup.
To be frank, the clams exuded such an overwhelming 'fishy-seafood' smell to the soup that it definitely attested to this being seafood-based.
The noodles used were mee-suah-like and were however, tad more soaked which ended up soggy. Not that it's bad, it depends on your preference.

I silently curse my friend who ordered an extra side dish to stuff ourselves silly but praised him after taking a bite of this; as he had been kind enough to recommend a good dish.

Korean Rice Cakes (RM30)

Although we were joking about how much we are paying for basic chee-cheong-fun dish, it was nevertheless flavorful with the spicy-sweet and sourish texture lent by the kimchi in the cooking process

Look at all the food on our table!


We tried, we did, and we couldn't finish ALL of it


The total price was RM78++ but the dining experience and the food was of authentic Korean style and taste that I must say it's worth your time/money spent.