While I enjoy a lot of cuisines especially Asians ones, I have to admit Korean cuisine has never been on the top of my lost, mainly because I’m not a fan of kimchi but my very recent visit to Dae Ga Korean Bbq & Grill @ The Curve Petaling Jaya has changed my mind about Korean cuisine. I discovered a whole lot more of tasty Korean food. I have always been partial to grilled meats and at Dae Ga, there are plenty of such options.
A few days ago, I was invited by Dae Ga for a food review. It isn’t difficult to find the restaurant as it’s the first restaurant you’ll see among the restaurants on the 1st floor of The Curve. Browse through the menu before you enter the restaurant. I do like restaurants that have menus outside as it means customers have the convenience to decide whether they want to dine there based on the menu offerings.
Some people may not like bbq restaurants as there may be a lot of smoke and you end up smelling like meat after the meal and another factor to consider is whether you have to do the grilling yourself. At Dae Ga, they use charcoal to grill the meats and there’s no smoke or smell at all. Furthermore, the staff will do the grilling right in front of you so just sit back, relax and chill with friends and family while waiting for the meats to be cooked. Of course, diners can request for the degree to which the meats are to be cooked. Personally, I prefer mine well done as I dislike seeing any redness.
This month, Dae Ga offers set lunch options as well as dinner sets which are more value than if you order a la carte from the menu. If you are not a fan of grilled meats or think it’s too heavy for a meal, Dae Ga offers many rice and noodle options such as Mixed Rice with Seasoned Raw Beef, Thistle Mixed Rice, Hot Stone Bowl Mixed Rice (my absolute favorite and more on that later), Beef Brisket Kimchi Fried Rice, Buckwheat Cold Noodle Soup (this one is phenomenally good and more on this later too) and Spicy Buckwheat Cold Noodle.
For the side dishes, we were served marinated thinly sliced onions, mashed potato, lettuce which tastes great wrapped around the grilled meats and naturally, we must have kimchi as it’s a Korean restaurant after all.
For the meats, we were served the Dae Ga Marinated Beef Set (for 3-4pax) which consists of Marinated Beef Short Rib 1pc/200g+ Marinated Beef Sirloin 240g (2 flavors) + Lateral Cut Marinated Beef Short Rib 160g. Okay, I admit I wouldn’t be able to tell what cut of meat is what but luckily, we have the friendly and helpful staff on hand who can answer our questions as he grills the meat. Come to think of it, I wish I had a staff like him when I go for steam boat.
Some of the meats can be a little tough but they are all marinated so well. The marinade tastes slightly sweet but not too sweet, it was to my liking and it goes well with either the lettuce or rice, depending on one’s individual preference. Overall, thumbs up for the grilled meats, totally delicious till you want to suck on the rib bones.
Doesn’t the Kimchi Stew look appetizing? It has yellow noodles in it with a lot of vegetables and no, it is not as spicy as it looks. The portion is generous and can feed up to 4pax. This alone would be enough to complement the grilled meats as there’s a lot of ingredients in it.
I can’t think of a more refreshing food than Dae Ga’s Buckwheat Cold Noodle Soup. It’s almost frozen, that is how cold it is but it tastes so wonderful and is especially suitable for Malaysia’s year-long hot climate. Even touching the chilled container makes me happy, knowing that each bite is like a balm to the exhaustion brought about by the heat.
This is a spicy version of the buckwheat cold noodle but all of us preferred the taste of the 1st version (non-spicy).
The Seafood Pancake is a must-have if you are at Dae Ga as it’s full of seafood and vegetables, no skimping on ingredients here. You get value and a lot of it too. The pancake is so crisp and this is something I wish I could have every day.
If there was another dish I could have regularly, it would be the Hot Stone Bowl Mixed Rice as it’s so awesome when all the ingredients are combined and mixed well.
To wash it all down, order a jug of their Ade, it’s really good and not too sweet. Other than Lychee Rose, choose between Yuja (Citron), Mango Rose and Passion Fruit Mint.
I left Dae Ga with a very full stomach and a changed-for-the-better impression of Korean food. One thing is for sure, Dae Ga serves high quality food and beverage and I would recommend Dae Ga to everyone, even to people (like me) who are hesitant about trying Korean cuisine as they may think it is an acquired taste. There are many dishes at Dae Ga that will appeal to everyone, no matter what their taste buds may be like.
