Mr Dakgalbi @ Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur

Anyeonghaseyo!

Hearing Dakgalbi again reminds me of the wonderful moment I had at Chuncheon Dakgalbi, when waiting for the water cab to go over Naomi. But good news is that I have no longer need to endure the longing for the scrumptiously and authentically Korean grilled chicken for we have found one of the best place in town; Mr Dakgalbi.

This 4-months’ old mushrooming up eatery is located conveniently at Jalan Bukit Bintang, Golden Triangle vicinity and within a stone’s throw away Low Yat Plaza and from BB Plaza. For easy navigation, you could just get down at the Bukit Bintang monorial and head towards the cross junction where you would see a Maybank outlet on your left. Then you take the left turning and proceed straight, passing by BB plaza, all the way up till you see the Bank Islam outlet on your left. And tada, Mr. Dakgalbi is just situated right beside it. Actually, the huge and bright signboard of Mr. Dakgalbi should have already justified its presence from some distance away :)

This second outlet which branches out from the first one in Solaris Mont Kiara, is being spearheaded by Mr An, or fondly known as Mr.John, the CEO of Mr Dakgalbi. But he is much thrilled when addressed as oppa, chalsenggaseyo! ^_^

Personally, I think that it serves one of the best Korean Grilled Chicken with Teppan Fried Rice in town. I have tried once at another eatery, spreaded by words of mouth at Solaris Mont Kiara, but it was less enjoyable compared to Mr. Dakgalbi. At here, other than you would be served by the efficient crews when it comes to cooking, I find that the chicken meat is especially tender and skillfully marinated. Yes, some secret recipe that you could try at home, would be revealed soon, thanks to the humble Mr An, for the tips!

The restaurant has a very gleeful vibes that spices up your mood upon entering the vibrant place. Everything is in a spick and span manner, with catchy graphical wallpapers.

Oh, there is even a scoreboard-cum-hall of fame, for the famous Running Man program. Bet those autographed memento by the respective icons are enough to arouse enviousness in any Hangeul fans here :)

While waiting for the rest to arrive, we are served with Iced Lemon Tea to first quench our thirst.

 Soon, the long awaited main dish makes its appearance, Family Set Dakgalbi (MYR 104). It is ideal for a family of four as the serving actually consists of 1.2 kg of chicken meat, to be cooked with the rest of the ingredients such as potatoes, cabbage, onions, leek, tteokbokki (Korean rice cakes) and spring onion. Else, if you’re a small eater, you could opt for their Couple Set (MYR 48).

Family Set Dakgalbi comes with 2 fried rice and 3 sides of your preference from ramen, fishball, cheese, udon, sweet potato, rice cakes, sticky noodles or potatoes. Should you need extra add on the sides, then you can order them additionally at MYR 6 per carte.

As usual, any Korean dishes wouldn’t be complete without Kimchi and also the pickled radish.

Now getting ready with the apron before the sizzling time! ^_^

 The staffs are very capable indeed, handling several tables at a time. We are indeed lucky and honoured to have the affable Mr An, helping with our table. Even with the apron around, he still exudes some charisma unexplainably when cooking, haha. Gomawoyo oppa!

Everything is kept to the most hygienic and as comfortable as possible during the grilling process, with the hollow cylindrical metal covering the big pan from splashing some oil to the diners. Now you know why I would rate this higher than the other restaurant I went before.

All the ingredients are cooked up at the same time, with ramen and the deliciously marinated chicken cutlets with gochujang (traditional Korean chilli sauce).

Does anyone realize that there are many health benefits that could be obtained from this quaint-looking Korean Chilli Powder? It's just like a case of hitting two birds (or rather more) with only one stone. 

It actually has lots of great benefits associated woth natural youth elixir, whereby it effectively aids in preventing the aging of the skin, help reducing obesity risk as well as stress-reliever where the spicy agent in it contains plenty of Vitamin A, B and C that altogether, boasts a healthier you. Such a goodish dish you would say right? ^_^

The mixed vegetables has also zested up the dish further with the delightful crispness they bring along. But the main star stealer still belongs to the juicy chicken meat that is thoroughly marinated which leaves them flavourful and succulently addictive. Secrets lies in the early process, where the chicken meat would firstly soaked in milk (be it normal milk or coconut milk) for about 2 hours, before they are rinsed off and marinated in gochujang for 5 days and then freezed prior to serving. According to Mr An, the milk process would get rid of the chicken smell, leaving them much tender and softer instead. For domestic usage at home, you could skip the 5 days marinade after the milk procedure. Isn’t it a useful guide to those aspiring chef at home? Am one of them by the way : )

  

After some cooking, still have some left over? Fret not as this is the superb time to add in the side dishes, which are fried rice with its specially inhouse concocted sauce, stir fried with cheese! Yes, you heard me right! This is the uniqueness over here with the teppan rice and I love it dearly! Compared to Cheesy Raboki, I prefer this way of stirring it up with the extra dakgalbi. Eventually, this assimilation resulted in a much more saporous dish that is not too cheesy but blends in pretty well with the Korean spice. Nyummm!

Oh here it comes my lovely cheese! ^_^

Ramen remains springy alongside the pleasantly chewy tteokbukki.

Sikssareul ajumasitkke meogeotsseumnida!

Apart from the specialty signature dish, you could also whet your palate with one of their Side Menu, Jaengban Guksu (MYR 17), which is nice for 2 to 3 pax.

It is a type of noodles that are usually served chilled by our Korean chingu, together with varieties of hearty vegetables in tangy sauce of gochujang and some gyeoja (mustard powder) to bring up the flavor.

This is actually a salubrious platter, suitable for vegan folks or any health conscious folks that desire some refreshing jeonchae (starter) to any gathering. In this case, we have it after the meaty feast, to sorta clear up our tummy, so it is quite versatile in fact : ) It shares a close resemblance to the usual salad that we have, with all the myriad of colorful greens being nicely julienned and arranged delicately around the cold noodles. After tossing everything together with sesame oil, minced garlic, sesame seeds and many more, it is then ready to be served.

It is definitely another joyful gastronomic night that I believe another return would be not long away.

Jalmeogeotsseumnida, gamsahamnida !!

Location:

No. 61, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur

Contact: +603 2110 5090

Operation: Mon - Wed: 10:00 - 23:00

       Thu - Sat: 10:00 - 00:00