Young Bin Gwan: Good Korean food at Blok M<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Blok M, particularly the area lying between the
\nbus terminal and Jl. Melawai Raya, is well-known for its
\nmultiplicity of Japanese and Korean restaurants as, before the
\neconomic crisis, there were significant numbers of expatriates
\nfrom both countries living and working in the surrounding area.<\/p>\n
Although there are not quite as many these days, this is still
\nthe one part of the city where restaurants offering both cuisines
\ntend to be clustered together. I tried a Korean one recently that
\nlies just outside that immediate area, but is nonetheless a good
\nexample of its type.<\/p>\n
It was the first time I'd eaten at a Korean restaurant
\n(although I had tried Korean food before), so I was relieved that
\nthe waiter who welcomed my dining companion and myself as we
\nentered was also very helpful in describing the food available
\nand in assisting us to choose a balanced meal.<\/p>\n
Young Bin Gwan Korean Restaurant: Jl. Mahakam I\/13, Kebayoran
\nBaru, Jakarta Selatan, phone: 7247073, 7224545.<\/p>\n
Location: Very easy to find. The restaurant is directly
\nopposite Hotel Gran Mahakam on Jl. Mahakam I.<\/p>\n
Hours: 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m. every day. Major credit cards are
\naccepted.<\/p>\n
Looks: Nothing special outside, particularly as the French
\nchateau look-alike Hotel Gran Mahakam visually dominates
\neverything in its vicinity. There is a parking lot immediately in
\nfront that can hold about seven to eight vehicles.<\/p>\n
Inside it is bright and functional, with a minimum of
\ndecoration and tables for four or six with high-backed chairs.
\nThe restaurant can seat about 50 diners downstairs, with another
\n50 to 60 upstairs, some in private rooms. Each table has been
\ndesigned to accommodate a circular barbecue, of which more later.<\/p>\n
The staff were all friendly and helpful, and managed to avoid
\ndisplaying their amusement too openly at my novice attempts to
\nprepare and eat some of the food, particularly the barbecue.<\/p>\n
What it's got: The menu, thoughtfully prepared in Korean,
\nEnglish and Indonesian, shows a good range of Korean fare
\navailable including soups, noodle dishes (some spicy, using cold
\nnoodles), stewed meats (including intestines and cow gristle),
\nand the mainstays, pork, beef, chicken or shrimp barbecues, which
\ncan be cooked at the table.<\/p>\n
The Korean standard, kimchi (cold sliced vegetables pickled in
\na fiery sauce) is served with every meal as no Korean would dream
\nof sitting down to eat without it.<\/p>\n
Drinks available included a range of juices, tea and coffee,
\nsake (rice wine), whisky and Jinro, described on the bottle (the
\nsize of a small beer) as Korean liquor, and tasting a little like
\ngin or cold sake. It is served in a whisky tumbler with ice and a
\nslice of lime or lemon and is a good accompaniment to the kind of
\nfood described above.<\/p>\n
Taste factor: As soon as diners are seated, they are presented
\nwith an impressive array of complimentary appetizers in circular
\ndishes. I counted nine in all, including kimchi, various kinds of
\nother pickled or steamed vegetables, a salad and fried potato
\ncake. If I'd eaten all of these, I would not have been able to
\nmanage anything else!<\/p>\n
It takes a fair degree of self-control not to devour the lot,
\nas they were all attractively presented and some were quite
\n\"more-ish\". A complimentary dish of omelet was also brought to
\nthe table later on.<\/p>\n
We ordered sun dubu jige (beancurd soup), which turned out to
\nbe as fiery as the kimchi, and a bit like a soupy Korean version
\nof Indonesian sayur asem (sour vegetable soup).<\/p>\n
The Bokum bab (Korean-style fried rice) was a little sticky,
\nbut had plenty of diced vegetables and egg in it. Jab chai
\nconsisted of slightly sweet glass noodles cooked with various
\nvegetables, including chili, carrot and onion, and left a
\nsomewhat fiery aftertaste.<\/p>\n
The highlight item of the meal was bul galbi (barbecued rib of
\nbeef Korean style). This is where the built-in table barbecues
\ncame into their own. Fortunately a waitress did the cooking at
\nthe table for us, as I would not have known how to do it
\nproperly.<\/p>\n
The meat, still on the bone, was removed, then cut into small
\npieces, about the size of large postage stamps, using a pair of
\nscissors.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile the charcoal (not gas) barbecue was heated up. A
\nbucket of hot coals was lowered into a well beneath the
\nperforated circular hot plate and was kept glowing by the draught
\nfrom an electric fan below. Pieces of garlic were grilled
\nalongside the meat.<\/p>\n
When done, the meat, dipped in a tasty savory sauce, together
\nwith the garlic, are wrapped, Korean-style, in lettuce leaves,
\nrather as Peking duck and hoisin sauce are wrapped, Chinese-
\nstyle, in pancakes.<\/p>\n
My novice attempts at this stage of the proceedings must have
\ntested the self-control of the wait staff to the limit, as I
\ndidn't hear any loud guffaws as I struggled to prevent the pieces
\nof meat from slipping out of their leafy envelopes.<\/p>\n
It was worth the effort, though, as the result was a delicious
\ncombination of juicy meat and refreshing lettuce, pepped up by
\nthe piquant garlic.<\/p>\n
Price points: The meal above, including complimentary
\nappetizers and omelet, plus a Jinro, ice lemon tea and
\ncomplimentary Korean tea, came to just under Rp 230,000,
\nincluding tax and service at 20 percent. This was a very
\nreasonable price, considering the amount of food available.<\/p>\n
Minus points: Although I had no complaints about the food, the
\nlighting level and general ambience of the restaurant did not
\nreally lend itself to a quiet, dinner-for-two, and seemed more
\nsuited to people dining in groups. I gather this is fairly
\ntypical though of Korean restaurants in Jakarta, and probably
\nwhat would be the norm in Seoul.<\/p>\n
Verdict: To the uninitiated, Korean food is certainly worth
\ntrying, especially as the sight and aroma of it being cooked at
\nthe table somehow makes it all the more appetizing. There is no
\nshortage of places at Blok M to sample this type of fare, and
\nYoung Bin Gwan is as good as any as your starting point. (Les
\nCoffier)<\/p>",
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