Hae Kum Gang Korean Restaurant — Restaurant in Bengaluru

My view of Korean food has traditionally been based on what I have been served in the food courts of Singapore & Malaysia, which was essentially a meat sizzler with some kimchi & enormous amount seaweed. Over a period of time, my knowledge on Korean food expanded, however my palate didn't. Was just exploring if Bangalore has an option of an authentic Korean cuisine, Fat Piggy came to rescue. Having suggested this hidden gem, (where I had my first and best Korean bibimbap so far) Fat Piggy has been very resourceful in suggesting other great places around Bangalore.

One fine day, me & my foodie friend out of the blue pinned Hae Kum Gang for lunch & headed there.

After getting comfortably seated, we browsed through the extensive menu, which is a mix of Korean (primarily), & Japanese. After arguing about our food choices, about me preferring a California Roll over Sushi, What mains to order, so as to sample the best of what a restaurant has to offer, and most of the time, my choices win (also because my choices are wise).

For starters, we opted to take a Dragon Shrimp Roll. While we waited for our rolls to arrive, we were served a set of small plates of kimchi, pickled cucumbers, braised sprouts, boiled potatoes dipped in soy glacé. I believe these were supposedly similar to the small plates of what is served in Spanish tapas, without much research we started enjoying these. The kimchi is something worth a mention, very different from what you get in Chinese places. The potatoes with soy glacé was equally good, with a mild but distinct flavour.

The dragon roll, thankfully arrived before our small plates became empty plates. The roll was essentially shrimp fritters rolled over avocado, flakes, teriyaki sauce & Sushi rice, with scattered flying fish roe (eggs). Initially I was a little skeptical about the fish roe, hence asked to be served separately. The roll was beautifully presented in a dragon shape, with fresh shrimp flavour and nice crispness not just because of the fritters & crisps, but also because of the fiery bright orange roe that I believe was deep fried.

For mains we ordered a Cutlet Donburi, and the famous Korean Bibimbap, both in versions of Chicken

The Chicken Donburi was nice and crispy with the light batter coated succulent chicken.

The super star, however was the Korean Bibimbap, served in an authentic earthen pot. It was bursting with flavours, with each part that made the Bibimbap true to its flavours, working well both independently as well as when consumed together. The Chicken as such had a smoky earthen flavour that hit the palate, and the same Chicken along with the rice produced a different yet unique impact on the palate.

Overall a great set of mains, with the only complain being, we left unsatisfied as the food triggered our hunger to have even more, and one might also attribute that to smaller portion sizes.

With a tiny bit is greedy space left in our tummies, we looked at each other and sheepishly succumbed to our greed to have more, and orders Shrimp Fritters. The fritters were too good, fresh shrimps, crispy fried in light batter & served with the head, which is also deep fried.

We were too full, however we were promised during the beginning an offer for a free dessert, which we reminded. We were served three chunks of watermelon, drenched in a light mango syrup, which is more like a juice. But what this combination created in my palate was absolute magic. Never could I ever believe that two varied ingredients like watermelon & mango could produce such a profile in the palate. No words to explain this ecstatic end to what was a wonderful meal on a beautiful Bangalore afternoon at Hae Kum Gang.

Hae Kum Gang is a place that must be experienced without fail, and I would love to visit them, yet again not just for their Bibimbap, but also to sample their interesting & super extensive menu.

Final Verdict - Tiny little cosy place, excellent service, awesome Asian food, quirky ambience, good service, what more can a fan of south East Asian...

Hae Kum Gang is the first Korean restaurant I've ever eaten at (March 2011) and I'm definitely no expert on authentic Korean, so forgive any inaccuracies. The ambience of this restaurant is a little confusing, featuring a mix of potted plants, traditional Korean decorative pieces and posters of K-Pop stars. It's unintentionally quirky and I kinda like it. The service is polite and earnest. They seem to get a steady crowd of Asian expats in Bangalore and this is reassuring. You are served a complimentary range of small plates of cold sides (amuse-bouche?) shortly after you're seated : Napa Cabbage Kimchi (not what you're used to in typical Indian Chinese restaurants, trust me), Radish Kimchi, Stir Fried Greens, Batter Fried Eggplant and Caramelized Baby Potatoes are what I remember eating. From my experience, the bigger the group, the more of these plates you get. These cold plates are usually enough for me and I dive straight into the mains but I have also tried a couple of their hot savory pancake appetizers. Sogogi Wanja is a yummy beef pancake. Tender, spicy and interesting. Kimchi Jeon is a vegetarian pancake made with... well... kimchi. It tastes like a Korean Pesarattu.

The range of mains here is mind-boggling and I don't remember some of the items I've eaten here. The names and descriptions are sometimes confusing and the staff isn't trained to explain them to people unfamiliar with Korean food. The photos, however, for each dish are very helpful. Make sure to ask basic questions like "Is this a hot dish or cold?" if you prefer a hot meal (A lot of Asian food, I discovered, is served cold). As a basic thumb rule, I look for pork, beef or seafood though their vegetarian options are quite yummy too. The portions are generous. The buckwheat noodles here are a revelation. This was the first time I realized that not all noodles are made equal and that good noodles are rare in Bangalore. Haemul Jjam Bbong is a favourite. This is a spicy seafood noodle soup loaded with shellfish and vegetables. The thick noodles in it are the real star of this dish. Dolsot Bibimbap is hot stone pot layered with rice, vegetables and condiments. It comes with a hot chilli paste that must be added before you eat. It looks like a simple vegetarian bowl but the flavours are complex. Chulpan Gui sets are great too. I've tried the Jeyuk and Bulgogi variants (pork and beef respectively). This a sizzler plate with thin slices of the soy marinated meat you choose. It comes with cold rice and a wonderful array of small side plates including a hot kimchi soup. A small complimentary bowl of melon and papaya in juice rounds off the meal. All in all, a great way to explore Korean cuisine in Bangalore. I rate this restaurant higher than Soo Ra Sang (Wind Tunnel Road) for its service, range and...

For all those VEGETARIAN and VEGAN folks who are afraid to try.

Since I've watched a lot of Korean food shows I was a little aware of what would be added in few dishes so I researched for the veg options in the menu I found on net.

Once I visited the place I could see a small and decent restaurant which played all popular Korean songs. The ambiance is good.

In the menu I could see only few vegan/Vegetarians options. But still I asked the staff who were courteous and explained to me that certain dishes could be ordered without the meat which are base dishes.

First they served the side dishes. Kimchi(Beware they add anchovies and oyster sauce to it) since I knew about the process we didn't taste it. Next were Flour Korean style pancake (Jeon) made of maida, they tasted good. Next was bean sprouts and Eggplant(brinjal) fritters. My favourite was baby potatoes in sweet soy sauce. Wish they served it as main dish couldn't get enough of it.

We ordered California Avocado Sushi rolls and Japchae (Glass noodles) as starters. They were more like main food with generous servings. The sushi rolls were delicious. Don't try Wasabi directly. It's very spicy. We mixed soy sauce and wasabi and dipped the rolls in it. They were delicious. Next was Japchae(glass noodles) with vegetables. They were a little bland for Indian taste but not bad. You can ask for chilli sauce to spice up the dish. I loved the texture of noodles.

Next we ordered main dishes Vegan Tofu Chulpan which came with Sticky rice. For Indians I think tofu chulpan may taste more like starters we are used too. Tofu along with other vegetables on the hot pan were really delicious. You could mix it with rice and eat it too.

Next was plain vegetable bibimbap which comes with gochujang (fermented chilli sauce). People who are not used fermented sauces may find it odd. You need to mix it all up and eat.

For drinks we ordered a mango mocktail which tasted like mangobite candy we're familiar with. We didn't order any other drinks.

The staff suggested few other options too which could be served without meat. Please don't hesitate to ask they shall help you out. Since we were full we didn't order more.

In all Korean cuisine here is light on the stomach, you don't get the heavy feeling...