Restaurant Shilla, The Curve, PJ

A hearty Korean buffet spread

By K.W. MAK
Photos by SIA HONG KIAU

If looking for an authentic Korean meal leaves you high and dry then news about an enticing Korean buffet might just pique your senses. Fans of Korean cuisine will be pleased to hear about Shilla Restaurant's Korean buffet, a first of its kind in Malaysia. From tender barbecue meat to traditional hawker fare, the buffet springs pleasant surprise at every corner.

Head chef Lee Bum Sik said the concept was relatively new even in Korea, having been just introduced two years ago. According to him there was no better way to savour Korean dishes then with the widespread buffet available at the restaurant.

With some 110 to 130 dishes prepared daily, diners will be spoilt for choice.

An extensive spread: Head Chef Lee Bum Sik pointing at the variety of dishes available.

Korean barbecue fans will be delighted to see the marinated and non-marinated beef and chicken strips served with sesame sauce.

Just like regular Korean barbecue restaurants, the meats here are cooked to order to ensure the meat remained succulent and tender when served.

Another famous Korean dish is Bulgogi, broiled beef marinated with a mixture of soy sauce, sugar and other ingredients.

“It's a staple for the middle-income families in Korea,” said Lee.

Korean Style Steamed Beef is another traditional dish with slices of beef strips and veggies steamed with soy sauce.

A favourite hawker fare, Ja Jang Myun is a combination of steamed fat rice noodles topped with a thick bean paste sauce.

Cool: The sleek and spacious ambience of the restaurant.

“The traditional style is to cook the sauce with minced pork, but we prepare it without the meat because we are halal,” said Lee.

The restaurant also serves Japanese, Chinese and Western cuisine, albeit with a Korean touch.

“The recipe for the dish could be Japanese or Chinese, but it will be done Korean style with Korean based ingredients,” said Lee.

The Stir-fried Gingko Nuts with Herbs dish deserves a special mention, because the relatively simple and tasty dish requires a tedious amount of work to get those delicious soft yellow nuts out of their hard shells.

Lovers of Kim Chi will be delighted to find several varieties at the buffet spread.

The restaurant is set to expand to have an ala-carte section as well by the end of the month for corporate guests.

The Korean buffet is priced at RM46++ for lunch and RM56++ for dinner. For the month of Ramadan, the buffet is on a promotional price of RM36++ for lunch and RM46++ for dinner.

Restaurant Shilla, 149, 1st floor, Western Courtyard, The Curve, Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya. Business Hours: 12pm to 2.30pm and 6pm to 10pm daily.