Whether it’s Korean fashion dominating Church Street or numerous K-pop events happening year-round, Bengaluru continues to grow as a booming hub of Korean culture. However, if you’re still finding your footing in understanding what the Hallyu Wave is all about, we suggest you start your investigation through the culinary route. One spot you can begin it with is the Asian cuisine restaurant Eight, which is now hosting Flavours of Korea — a food pop-up that takes diners on a journey through Korea’s vibrant food culture. We recently sampled the limited-edition menu. Here’s how it went.
We began with Vegetable Gimbap, Korean-style sushi rolls with pickled vegetables, sesame oil and nori sheets. While it soothed our hunger pangs, we looked forward to the more flavourful starters coming our way.
Next, we had Chicken Cheese Mandu, a Korean dumpling. What grabbed our attention was that the bottom of the wrapper had a crispy, golden-brown crust while the rest was soft and steamed. Plated beautifully with a red, crispy garnish and radish rings, it looked too enticing for us not to take a snap before devouring! The gochujang dip gave the perfect balance of spice to the mozzarella in the filling and we loved it.
Amping up the fire, two variations of fried chicken arrived at our table. The first one was Spicy Gochujang Glazed Chicken — tender fried chicken in a bold, sweet-spicy gochujang glaze. With hints of garlic and honey, the delectable starter opened up our senses and paired well with the nutty peanut butter dip. The second variation, Korean Fried Chicken, was crispy, golden-fried chicken tossed in a light soy-garlic glaze. We loved it too, but the former won our votes.
With that, we began the main course with Veg Bibimbap — mixed rice in dolsot (stone pot). In traditional Korean households, bibimbap is prepared by mixing all the leftover dishes of the day in one pot. What arrived at our table was a sizzling black stone pot with layers of rice and vegetables. The bed was a delightful layer of crispy, browned rice, thanks to a coating of sesame oil. Julienned strips of sauteed carrot, spinach, zucchini and sliced shiitake mushrooms, with a sunny-side-up, were the toppings and we blended them with the caramelised rice. With a dash of gochujang sauce, the warm and wholesome dish not just filled our tummies but also our hearts with almost a homely familiarity we find in many one-pot, Indian dishes.
Like a very archetypal story, the ending was what made us the most happy. The dessert course comprised Belgian Chocolate and Pistachio Pastry and Mango Sago. While we relished the balance of the rich chocolate with the earthy undertone of pistachio, the creamy and scrumptious Mango Sago was the one that stole our hearts, putting a scrumptious end to the meal.
Meal for two: INR 3,000 onwards. Till December 31. At Phoenix Mall of Asia, Bellary Road.
Email: prattusa@newindianexpress.com
X: @MallikPrattusa
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