Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Review: Hwa Ga Korean BBQ at Taman Desa

Speak Korean cuisine, and you would see the people in your group of friends immediately contributing their favourite Korean dish, and the places they go to get their Korean fix. I am no different. I absolutely love Korean cuisine, my favourite being the Kimchi Jigae (spicy Kimchi soup), so much so that I blogged about my Kimchi jigae recipe, which you can read here: *click*


It is no wonder that most Malaysians love Korean cuisine, in fact, the spicier, the better! But of course, having said that, Kimchi Jigae is not the only all-time popular dish. There are many others, the more notable one being Korean Barbeque meats, which range from pork, to beef, chicken, even lamb.




When I think of having Korean BBQ, I usually head to my haunts in Solaris Mont Kiara. However, one of the All You Can Eat restaurant there has shut down, and I am left bereft, not knowing where else offers All You Can Eat promotions.

Then, I came across Hwa Ga, a Korean restaurant that provides the All You Can Eat BBQ buffet promotion. Its concept is a pretty interesting one, where the dishes are only prepared the moment you order to ensure freshness. I was at their latest branch in Taman Desa, and as I understand it, they just started operations in September. This particular branch focuses on Ala carte BBQ Buffet. There are also other items on the menu, but I was there for one reason only, their All You Can Eat BBQ buffet.


Now, it’s important to note that Hwa Ga is non-halal, as they serve a multitude of pork cuts. But of course, having said that, if you’re not a pork lover, there are other types of meat available for you to choose from.




This was my first time at the Taman Desa branch, and I have to say, I am quite impressed. They have an outdoor and indoor air-conditioned seating area, with an alfresco outdoor dining area if you don’t really like air-conditioned places.


The grill is layered, first with a pan, water, the cover, and nonstick paper. They do not have the exhaust that sucks up the smoke from the grill, and I was skeptical at first, as I wondered what happens to all the smoke once the BBQ gets going. Turns out my fear was unfounded as there was minimal smoke, most likely thanks to the paper. This was a welcome change, as I didn’t want to smell like charred meat at the end of my meal.


When we were seated, we were served with the condiments, better known as banchan. These condiments are refillable, so don’t be shy. The BBQ also comes with the standard chilis, garlic, and dipping sauce for your BBQ meats.



The range available under the Ala Carte BBQ Buffet is quite extensive, which is about 31 items. Not all are meats, though almost half of it are. You also get to choose from a multitude of other cooked items, like the kimchijeon, kimchi jigae, tteokbokki, bibimbap, etc. The list is endless! Personally, I am very surprised there’s such a wide array of dishes on offer. Most All You Can Eat places generally give you a maximum selection of about 10-15 items, and those selections are the standard meats of only pork, chicken, and beef.



For each sitting, there is a time limit of two hours, and everything is prepared fresh from the moment you order, so you might need to wait about 15 minutes before the first dish is served to you.




When our meats came, we put it on the stove, and the sizzle on the pan was so satisfying. We were also provided tongs and scissors (which is pretty standard), and once the meat was done, you just dip it in the sauce, or wrap it in the salad leaf provided.

  




Taste wise, the meats were very well marinated. Each bite was full of flavour, and some of them you don’t even need to dip in the sauce, as there were so many types of sauces, like the Korean spicy sauce, and sweet sauce.




BBQ meats aside, the cooked dishes were also quite good. So while you are waiting for your meats to cook on the BBQ, you can order their cooked dishes to satisfy your hunger pangs.



And if you love BBQ but love your bibimbaps as well, you can have the best of both worlds, as you can choose between the normal bibimbap and dolsot bibimbap (cooked in a stone pot).



You can also opt for normal friend rice, kimchi fried rice, or both! The possibilities are endless.

When it comes to service, it can get a little slow during peak hours, but we have been assured by the management that they regularly train their staff. However, even through their best efforts, there will be times when there is staff shortage as they are overwhelmed by the crowd at peak hours. Of course, they are working towards remedying that.



Drinks menu are also available if you're the soju kind of person, Otherwise if you are not, they have normal drinking water available as well.



 



Are you salivating already?? If you have no plans this weekend, why not get together a group of your best foodie friends and make you way there!


Need more information? Just head over to their Facebook page here:


Here are the details for the price and T&Cs for their Ala Carte BBQ Buffet:

Ala Carte BBQ Buffet【Lunch: 11.30am- 3pm ; Dinner: 5pm- 11pm】
Lunch: RM 39+ Child: RM 20+
Dinner: RM 45+ Child: RM 25+

Terms & Conditions
*Buffet available in both weekdays and weekend.
*Maximum 2 hours dining time
*Kids from 4- 10 years old and height below 120cm will be charged accordingly.
*Additional 10% service charge will be included in the bill
*Terms and conditions apply
Til the next time, stay beautiful!

xoxo,
yin

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