NON-HALAL

Considering my occasional obsession to Korean drama series, it’s a surprise I remain apprehensive towards Korean food. Quite possibly due to excessive servings of kimchi and namul by eagerly hospitable Korean hosts during one of my familiarisation trips to South Korea some time ago (they served kimchi for breakfast too!). The men in the entourage were amazed with Korean women who have to prepare so many dishes everyday even in average households and families, while the women (like myself) were rather thankful that as Malaysians, we don’t need to wash as many plates as the Korean women. As ‘polite’ Malaysians, we did our best not to offend our hosts and hostesses by trying  to finish up every meal but we always ended up with at least a quarter to half bowl of leftover rice and dishes that looked untouched (except for hot soup, seafood and meat).

Korean food is really… an acquired taste. Once in a while, it’s nice to have a change of gastronomic experience but too much of an acquired taste brings about a natural tendency to crave for familiar grounds. On the final day of our trip, our lovely tour guide brought us to a halal Indian restaurant at Ikewon. Each one of us had a minimum serving of two bowls of rice and countless refills of naans to go with mouth-watering mutton, beef curries and chicken tandoori!!!

So, when it comes to Korean food, I must admit I’m not very adventurous and would rather stick to the tried and tasted. For that reason, I always return to Nak Won Restaurant.

Koreans really love their vegetables and that is a positive habit I’m still trying to emulate. They are, in fact, known to have one of the best diets in the world, varied and well balanced nutrients that come from healthy cooking preparations using nutritious ingredients. Boiled, blanched, steamed, broiled, grilled or barbecued but rarely deep-fried.

I love Nak Won’s version of stone bowl mixed rice with assorted vegetables and their generous spread of side dishes (banchan). They serve up to 15 side dishes (for 2 pax), with the flexibility of having a second serving for free.

A must-try is their sweet and succulent Marinated BBQ Pork Ribs. Other notable dishes include fermented bean paste soup, kimchi pancake, chilli crab, hot chilli beef stomach soup and BBQ Unagi. Be prepared to budget around RM70 – RM100 per person for a complete meal.

In Korea, after every meal, it is a tradition to pour hot water (sungnyung) into your personal rice bowl/pot, let it sit for a while and drink directly from the bowl. At Nak Won, they serve cold sweetened rice tea. Love it very much!

Restaurant Nak Won

Taman Desa Branch

7-1-1 Jalan 3/109F, Taman Danau Desa, KL

Tel:+603 7987 3004

Ampang Branch

A11-1-1 Jalan Ampang Utama 2/2, Business Ave, Ampang Jaya

Tel: +603 4253 4249