Kimchitiam | Taman Desa — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

DISCRIMINATION at its finest! Me and my partner were assigned to a large table available upon our visit to this restaurant, but shortly after we sat down and ordered our meal, the grumpy Korean boss changed our seat and assigned us to a smaller table to make way for another 2 customers that spent a higher amount than us. Worst of all, the boss did not provide any reasonable explanation or provided us with any compensation, showing that he does not have any sense of guilt at all. We are small eaters that do not consume much especially at night, so there's no purpose of us ordering so much food. We did not argue too much with the boss as we were there just to settle a meal and it's not worth it to be in an argument which is not beneficial to me.

Food wise, it was slightly below average but still can be considered as authentic. However, what shocked us is that we are limited to only 1 side dish per order, and to refill or add extra side dishes there will be a charge of RM 3 (for kimchi it is RM 5 per plate). If a limit of refilling the side dishes is imposed by the restaurant, it is still understandable by the rising cost of ingredients. This is not a typical act of Korean restaurants and it is humiliating the Korean dining experience. There is a minimum spend of RM 30 per pax (individual) in order to enjoy unlimited flow of side dishes. Another worst part is that you will be stared and monitored closely while you take the side dishes as if you owed millions of dollars, and every customer will be stared while they are having their meal which is not a pleasant experience. Money/profit-oriented operation shouldn't work this way which defeats the purpose of dining in a Korean restaurant. Make sure you check the total cost before proceed to payment.

I don't expect an apology or positive response from the restaurant operator on this matter as I won't be receiving any favourable reply anyways. This is just to express my disappointment and make other customers aware of what to expect if you decide to dine in this restaurant...

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!

Price is steep, higher than average Korean restaurants. Food taste was below average. Pancake is not crispy, portion is small and very stingy overall.

Horrible service by the owner. Grumpy and unfriendly. You can definitely find better Korean restaurants out there.

Banchan is self service, and yet the owner stands there watching you intently as you help yourself to the banchan. Banchan refills are CHARGEABLE at RM5 for kimchi and RM3 for others (beansprouts, spinach, shredded potatoes), and yet, you are not allowed to pile up and take as much as you want. The owner watches you like a hungry hawk watches a dead prey, and if you take too much banchan, he will tell you to put some back. If you have so much time to watch me and tell me what to do, here's an idea - how about you serve me my banchan instead of making me stand up and take it myself?

Korean tea, which is normally refillable in every Korean restaurant, is also not refillable here. How stingy and calculative of the owner! How do you do business like this? Every other Korean restaurant out there allows refills for banchan and tea, and you are the special one here who doesn't allow refills. Plus your food is below average while your pricing is so expensive. I can't comprehend this at all.

When we left the restaurant, the owner didn't even thank us for our visit. Never saw him smile at all the entire time.

I also cannot fathom why a business owner would wish his customers harm just because they throw cigarette butts in his pots. I get it, I have a garden too - I would hate it if someone throws cigarette butts in my potted plants. But do you have to wish that your customer will get lung cancer because of that? A simple "no smoking" or "please do not throw cigarette butts in pots" would have sufficed.

This business is not worth any smart consumer's support. Don't spend your money here. We deserve better service and...

Same but a bit different than the one in NSK Kuchai Lama. This is one more of the proper restaurants that offer more options of usual Korean food including Noodles (Seafood Ramen, Cheese Ramen, etc), Fish (Grilled Saba Fish with Kimchi, etc), Soups (Spicy Beef Stew, Sausage Kimchi Stew, etc), Stir Fried (Sweet and Spicy Chicken/Pork, Marinated Beef, etc), BBQ (Garlic Pork, etc), Rice (Bulgogi Beef Fried Rice, etc), Non Spicy Menu (Rice Cakes, Glass Noodle, Mixed Vege Rice Stone bowl, Soyabean Stew, etc), Snacks (Potato Pancake, Egg roll, Gyoza, etc), etc. Prices below not yet included Service Charges

Atmosphere: 4.25🌟 Located inside the Faber Tower Ground floor (left side from Main entrance). It feels a bit small but still comfy air conditioning and seatings. Decent spaces between tables.

Service: 4🌟 Friendly services. Perhaps it was closing time soon but I got a free side dish self special service offer which can refill and take as like. Seems like the side dish bar has about 5-6 items.

Food: Spicy Pork 3.75🌟 Rice 2.5🌟, Sauce Pork 3.75🌟, Side Dish 3.75🌟 Comes with steam rice and soup. The rice is a bit sticky (steamed). The sauce is appetizing and nice with just a nice amount of spiciness that it enjoys. The ingredient includes pork belly and onions. Comes with a free refillable side dish (up to 6 items). I don't usually enjoy bitter gourd but I actually like this side dish (with fresh small prawns I think). Kimchi is a bit too sour for me but still kinda decent. Long Beans and Potato Shreds are pretty good too. Spinach is lacking seasonings/ flavour and also a bit old. Priced at Rm 28

Drinks: Barley Tea Not the usual Chinese barley tea but more like Korean tea....