So I finally made it to the Korean restaurant in the Carlton Hotel in Kuwait City called KORYOKWAN. It is a small, cozy/causal dine-in restaurant and is one of the first and oldest Korean restaurant.
I wanted to try the place for a very long time, for the sake of trying and experiencing something new. They have around 5 to 6 cabins for your private gatherings. The interiors are made up of wooden panels mostly and far eastern art pieces. They also do events and catering outside the hotel (if you are interested).
The Korean cuisine is mostly based on vegetables, rice and meats. They traditional meals are accompanied by an array of sides such as banchan, kimchi, doenjang, soy sauce and gochujang (red chilli paste).
First thing that comes to our mind is – Kimchi, often described as spicy or sour, a traditional Korean fermented side dish made of variety of seasonings. Pickled cabbage kimchi, radish kimchi, salty scallion kimchi, Indian mustard leaf kimchi are a few. Our soup was quite healthy and had bites size pieces of tofu and spinach. You can opt for spicy or non-spicy version. I quite enjoyed the fried dumplings. Then to follow we ordered the Dolsot Bibimbap (bowl of hot white rice, topped with mushrooms, carrots, soy bean sprouts and stirred fried beef and then capped with fried egg. The stone bowl is very hot and the food right at the bottom of the bowl is crispy and sizzled. You can however, eat with various sauces and chilli pastes. But don’t forget to mix it up first. I personally, found the dishes starting from the appetizers up to their main courses a bit on the expensive side.
We rounded off our meal by sipping the Korean tea, which is made with the infusion of various leaves, roots, fruits etc.
So next time you feel like a healthy meal with a lot less calories, go and try the Korean Way of Food.
