Over the weekend, I was invited to the Taste of Korea restaurant which inspired this posting. Here are 10 quirky things I love to do at Korean restaurants:
- Greet the host/waitresses in Korean ann-yeong-ha-se-yo! (even if they are not Korean)
- When ordering, look through the menu for droolworthy dishes and funny typos (I’ll have THIS picture please!)
- Sample all the different side-dishes and ask for refills (fully complimentary & unlimited!)
- Attempt to use their heavy metal chopsticks (you will see me struggling and I opt to use the spoon)
- Be the first one to press the service button if we need the waitress (what a great invention)
- Ask for a change for the grill if we are barbecuing
- Watch the mesmerizing TV screen as Korean pop videos are playing in the background (can’t stop watching!)
- Korean Barbeque – the smell 😀
- Mix the Bibimbap – popping the egg yolk and mixing it altogether is the most important job 😛
- Look forward to any complimentary fruits or iced coffee (I noticed that a lot of Korean restaurants do this!)
Do you do any of these too?!
Read on further for my experience at Taste of Korea restaurant and what to order!
Taste of Korea, Eclipse Hotel, Abu Dhabi, UAE
My friends and I were pleasantly satisfied with our meal at Taste of Korea. Its located at the Eclipse Hotel in Abu Dhabi. A convenient location in the city centre, but this location I have not heard of until now. I was surprised to find an authentic Korean restaurant located at the penthouse level.
As we arrived, we were greeted by the friendly Ghen who sat us and assisted us with our order. The restaurant has ample seating, over a dozen tables and features large bright windows and large mirrors.
Menu
Taste of Korea has an extensive menu ranging from Korean Barbeque to Hot Pot, to pan fried dishes, Korean snacks and more. We tried to order a few things across the list to sample what the restaurant has to offer.
Appetizers
As soon as we made our order, we had 5 different side-dishes served to our table. Among them were Kimchi (of course), eggplant, pickled cucumber, kimchi pancake (first time having this!), and macaroni salad.
Ask your server for a Taste of Korea stamp card!
Buy 5 get 1 free lunches! Buy 5 dinners get a Barbeque dinner free!
Barbecue
Our table had a built in grill right in the middle, of course we needed to opt for some Korean Barbecue! From the list of their barbecue meats they had over a dozen choices. We chose #1 Marinated Beef Ribs, #3 Rib Eye and #5 Marinated Cut Beef Ribs.
The barbeque came with a personal dipping sauce plate (garlic, jalapenos, hot sauce, salt/pepper) for each one of us as well as veggies like lettuce to wrap the meat in.
Our server came with each meat dish, grilled it for us and replaced our grilled for the next dish. What great service!
Among the 3 choices of meats, #5 marinated cut beef ribs were the best as (1) it had loads of flavor and (2) it had an even marbling fat to it so it tasted very good.
Hot Pot
We ordered the seafood hot pot which was perfect portion for 4 people. It came in a large metal pot which they placed on the portable burner. In a matter of minutes the hot pot was ready and sizzling. The hot pot came with so much seafood and glass noodles– squid, crab, clams. It had a bit of spice to it which I enjoyed. This one is a great pick for sharing.
Korean Dishes
Apart from KBBQ and Hot Pot, we had a few great picks that we would order again. This includes the shrimp prawns in sweet and sour sauce and the cheese ddabokkie (rice cakes). My friends really enjoyed the shrimp prawns. If you love the famous Chinese sweet and sour pork dish you would love it as well. Rice cakes is one of my favorite dishes, they had a few options like spicy rice cakes or cheese rice cakes and there are options to add instant noodles to it! So good, I will be back for more!
For a limited time – get a 10% off voucher for your next meal when you present your business card.
