SangSang — Restaurant in Kaipātiki

If you're looking for an authentic Korean restaurant that is different from the rest, then SangSang is the way to go.

The food here is simply stunning. It really feels like you're having homemade Korean food but it's presented as finer dining. The menu may seem interesting to people who haven't had Korean food before but I guarantee you will have a great experience here.

The main attraction of Sangsang is their 'Sot Bap' (Pot Rice). Sangsang uses individual metal pots to cook their rice on their stove burners. The lovely servers will explain how to eat Sot Bap so don't worry.

Sot Bap gets served to you in the metal pot, with a wooden base and a lid covering the rice. They will give you a seperate bowl to dish your rice out into. The pot will have rice stuck to the sides. This is called Nurunji (scorched rice). The server will come over and ask if you want hot water poured into the rice pot. Once poured, cover with the lid and let it sit as you enjoy your meal. Nearing the end of our meal, take the lid off and viola, you have Sungnyung (scorched rice tea). This is a very traditional way to enjoy rice and it's great to see a restaurant in Auckland do this!

I ordered the 'Gondirae Sot Bap' (Korean leafy vege pot rice) with the grilled fish. My mum ordered the Sundubu (Spicy Soft Tofu Stew). The fish was well grilled and fell apart very easily. The stew was deep and flavourful - definitely one of the best sot tofu stews I've had in Auckland.

Your order comes with an assortment of well made and fresh banchan (side dishes). My personal favourite is the Jang-jorim (Braised beef in soy sauce) as it included quail eggs!

If you're trying to decide if you want pot rice or stew, fear not as the rice dishes come with a small bowl of their radish soup (very fresh, very clean) and the stews come with the pot rice.

I will definitely be back in future to enjoy...

Our family celebrated my husband's birthday with a visit to the Korean restaurant Sangsang for the first time. We ordered gondre sotbap (Korean-style rice with seasoned thistle), tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties), and bulgogi ttukbaegi (hot pot bulgogi). The most impressive dish was the sotbap. I thought I could only find this kind of rice in Korea, but it was beautifully prepared here. The freshly cooked rice was topped with gondre namul (seasoned thistle), and it was served with spicy stir-fried pork, soup, and a variety of side dishes, creating a perfect balance of flavors. The tteokgalbi exceeded my expectations. It had a wonderfully chewy yet tender texture, making it one of the best I’ve ever had. Although I didn't take a photo, the bulgogi ttukbaegi was also excellent. The beef was incredibly tender, making it easy for the kids to enjoy as well. It was a perfect dinner, with our whole family finishing every last bite. If I were a Michelin inspector, I would have awarded Sangsang a Michelin star...

I saw the stellar reviews and just had to try it out with my date since it prides itself on Authentic Korean restaurant. I’ve been to numerous Korean restaurants around Auckland so the word authentic stuck with me and I expected something very unique or special. Only thing special about SangSang was its higher than norm price compared to many of their competitors in the Korean restaurant experience.

The food was bland, I was tempted to ask how it differs from the other Korean restaurants in cbd. They’re also quite stingy with their seafood ingredient given the premium they charge.

I did like the fancy bowls and presentation but compared to the price we paid on the meals neither myself nor my date was pleased with the taste due to it tasting bland with minimal seafood presented in our orders.

Try them if you must sate your curiosity but be prepared to spend on average 30 dollars per person. Even with the rising costs I feel this is a bit too much to spend on a single meal that doesn’t even...