Editors Note:
Hae Kum Gang: "Korean food is unfamiliar to many, but Hae Kum Gang dishes up the kimchi (pickled cabbage) and bulgogi (marinated beef) with aplomb. Prices aren't cheap but portions are gigantic: a dish of spicy chicken served on a hot plate came with five endlessly refilled Korean starters, kimchi soup, and rice. Starters included tasty fried eggplant, marinated radish, sesame seed spinach along with the omnipresent spicy kimchi. Spicy stir-fried crabs were a bit small but quite delicious, served in a sweet and hot red-bean sauce. A variety of stir-fried noodle and rice dishes are also on offer try the Bi Bim Bap, a Korean speciality of rice served in a sizzling hot plate and mixed with egg, meat, vegetables and chili sauce. Hae Kum Gang's ambience is merely okay, but attentive service staff make up for any shortcomings give it a tryu if you want to experience a truly distinctive Asian cuisine.
Perched on the second level of a drab office building, one would not believe that this restaurant houses a cheerful and homely atmosphere - spilling over with Koreans, busy catching up with each
other and with their ghar ka khana! The staff was courteous and prompt though they hardly spoke any English (definitely room for improvement here). It was getting a bit difficult conversing with
them which was when the owner, Mr Chi Jung Sik stepped in and was more than helpful with his suggestions. Since we were totally clueless about Korean cuisine, he suggested the meal sets (with
choices of chicken, seafood, beef, pork and vegetarian) which had a bit of everything that is part of a traditional Korean meal, something like our thalis. The chicken chulpan gui set had juicy
chicken gui (grilled meat in Korean) presented on a sizzling plate (chulpan). And we really enjoyed slurping the outrageously tasty seafood broth that was part of the hemul jeon gol set (hemul means
seafood). Rich and aromatic, with succulent pieces of fish, prawn, mussels, squid, shrimp and even crab - this broth alone can make for a wholesome meal even without the accompaniments. Speaking
of accompaniments, or banchan as they are known in Korea, the sets were served alongside spinach, sweetened baby potatoes, tofu, batter fried brinjal, vegetable soup and rice - all unlimited. Two
kinds of kimchi (Chinese cabbage and radish) complete the meal. We heard that the kimchi is prepared fresh everyday and is also sold by the kilo.We felt the dessert section was woefully inadequate
considering that the rest of the menu was full of great choices. Ice creams in different flavours and a fruit dish with seasonal fruits in sugar syrup was all that was on offer. Food:
3.25/5 Service: 3/5 Ambience: 2.5/5 Meal for 2: Rs 700