Gangnam BBQ is a Korean theme restaurant in Kulai near to Senai Airport. The owner Mdm Kim is a Korean expatriate. I was enjoying dinner here with family friends, the Tans.
I love the set up inside the restaurant - Mdm Kim puts customer comfort high in her priorities. The tables are set in dining pits which are very comfortable. We had plenty of space for 9 of us with lots of leg room to spare under the table 😄
The hanging "elephant trunk" exhaust system keeps most of cooking fumes away from our clothes and hair 😄
The BBQ is fired by charcoal but the space feels comfortable as it is air conditioned.
A staff helped us with the cooking so that we can focus on eating 😄 This is Hima from Nepal and he has worked in Korean restaurants for 7 years.
USA beef sizzling on the grill.
Pork belly marinated in Korean style bean paste and chili sauce. We all love this tender, juicy naturally sweet pork infused with savoury spicy flavour.
Besides the BBQ, we also had a selection of a la carte dishes.
The banchan (side dishes) are a mix of Korean staples like spicy house made kimchi and familiar local (Chinese) dishes. There is something for all palates.
Japchae or glass noodles stir fried with vegetables and savoury sauce (RM25+). This is a savoury sweet dish which the ladies liked because of it's taste and the sweet potato noodle's soft crunchy texture. While I was busy focussed on taking pictures, I heard a few times in the background "Keep some for Tony, this is very nice". Thanks 😄
Hot stone pot bibimbap (RM22+). It's a good rice dish with vegetables tossed with raw egg and savoury spicy sauce. It is a good accompaniment for the other dishes.
Ganjang Tteok Bokki or Korean rice cake stir fried with soy sauce (RM20+). Savoury sauce wrapped around the rather thick, spongy chewy Korean style rice cakes.
Seafood and green onion pancake (RM25+). It is a fried omelette with small shrimps and slivers of spring onion.
Lettuce tossed in savoury spicy sauce.
Spicy stir fried octopus (RM35+). I like the octopus' natural chewy crunchy texture and also the robust savoury spicy sauce. I found myself dipping into the sauce, enjoying it after all the food had been eaten 😄
Spicy sausage and ham hotpot (RM40+ for medium serving). I like the savoury spicy stock but not so much the ham and sausages. The leek dumpling is nice.
We had a bottle of makgeolli or Korean style rice wine to go with our meal (RM25+). It is very similar in taste and feel to tody, traditional Indian coconut wine (no wonder the tody shop boss told me that Koreans are big customers of his shop 😄) Korean rice wine tastes and looks like watery milk and tastes sweet and sour. It has about 6-8% alcohol content, so it has more kick than most beer.
Each customer gets one complimentary ice cream for dessert 😄
We had many different dishes last night at Gangnam BBQ. As I prefer spicy Korean dishes, my favourites of the evening were the spicy sausage and ham hotpot, spicy octopus, spicy BBQ pork belly, and of course, their house made kimchi 😋
👉 I enjoyed my dinner at Gangnam BBQ. I love the company of my friends - there were 9 of us and the dining pit allowed us to sit together comfortably with plenty of leg room to spare. The exhaust system is effective, so we didn't get much BBQ smell on our hair and clothes.
The restaurant pays great attention to customer comfort. All the cooking were done by a staff, so we just focus on enjoying our food and each other's company.
They even have staff to constantly arrange our shoes neatly. The boss Mdm Kim said that it is to allow customers to put on their shoes easily after their meal. But, I found that it also makes the restaurant look neat and tidy as well enhances safety as no one will slip and fall by misstepping on shoes or slippers.
The menu is quite extensive, so there is something for everyone, spicy and non spicy.
Even though it is not an ajumma (Korean auntie) running the kitchen, at least at Gangnum BBQ, Auntie Kim is around to ensure that the food passes her Korean taste buds.
This is a good and affordable place for family type gatherings if you live around Senai and Kulai. For JB folks, if you are catching a flight, your airport sending off/ welcoming party could dine here instead of Senai Airport. Golfers might also want to consider Gangnum BBQ sometimes, instead of the club terrace. Check out some Korean liquor too. Trekkers can consider this too after climbing Gunung Pulai.
I should mention that there is plenty of free parking at the restaurant 😄
Restaurant name: Gangnam BBQ
Address: 7517 Jalan Enggang 19, Bandar Putra, Kulai, Johor
GPS: 1°39'36.4"N 103°38'19.2"E | 1.660098, 103.638657
Tel: 016 703 2677 | 018 874 2677
Hours: 12:00 noon - 11:00pm
Non Halal
Date visited: 21 May 2017
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Very good feature & write up. Tony has very good observation & memory.
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