All You Can Eat Korean BBQ Buffet @ Hwa Ga

Load up on Korean BBQ and Nurungji Tongdak

If you don’t know by now, then I’ll gladly say it again. I love Korean food. Any dishes for that matter. Korean cuisine has such robust flavours, colors and are also pretty healthy as they incorporate a lot of vegetables to their diet. My family and I often have Korean, at least once a week. Whether it’s eating outside or homecook, we all love Korean food dearly.

We also love a good Korean BBQ. Though I have made Korean BBQ at home before but I prefer to eat out simply because there are plenty Korean BBQ places that are really good out there and we like to leave the messiness to others. One place to enjoy a good Korean BBQ is Hwa Ga Korean Restaurant. With five outlets spread all over the city, Hwa Ga serves a substantial variety of Korean dishes from BBQ to stews and even a very unique Nurunji chicken.

We visited their Sunway Mentari outlet one Saturday to check out their latest promotion of All-You-Can-Eat Korean A La Carte BBQ Buffet that just started. Available for lunch and dinner daily, this promotion is a steal for those who enjoy lots of barbeque meats and seafood. That’s not all, it’s a la carte buffet so it means you order of their menu so that everything is kept fresh.

Hwa Ga Korean restaurant is designed like most typical Korean restaurants. Simple minimal décor with spacious settings, the Sunway Mentari outlet is bright and lovely. Lots of natural lighting from the glass walls, a lovely counter bar, well-kept ventilation even though it is a BBQ restaurant and even the air-conditioning was solid and cool.

We sat down to one of the long tables and was happy with what we saw on the All-You-Can-Eat Korean A La Carte BBQ Buffet menu. Definitely lots of meat from pork, beef and chicken to some squid as well. Besides all the meat and seafood choices (12 choices to be exact), there is also a long list of other dishes from stews to rice, noodles, pajeon, tteokbokki  and even Korean fried chicken. Let’s not forget the refillable Banchans too.

First up, Banchans all ready and set to go… Kimchi, Spicy Eggplant, Beansprout, Spicy Fish Cake, Crispy Anchovy and Peanut, Sauteed Zucchini, Egg Roll, Spicy Onion and Lettuce Salad. These choices of Banchans may differ daily.

Hwa Ga uses special charcoal that has less smoke so fear not for those who are worried for their hair and clothes. The restaurant also has pretty good ventilation system with the underground suction system.

Meat up… all glorious 12 choices:

Samgyeopsal (Pork Belly) – thick cuts of tender and fatty pork belly

Busut Samgyeopsal (Pork Belly with Mushroom)

Daepae Samgyeopsal (Sliced Pork Belly) – thin slices of fatty pork belly

Gochujang Samgyeopsal (Spicy Pork Belly) – spicy and sweet fatty pork belly

Dwaeji Galbi (Grilled Pork Ribs) – savory and sweet pork ribs, my favorite of the lot

Dwaeji Jumulleok (Grilled Marinated Pork) – savory and sweet pork with onions and peppers

Hangjeongsal (Pork Shoulder) – lean pork fillet

Usamgyeop (Short Plate) – 3 layer beef

LA Galbi (Beef Rib) – savory and sweet beef rib with fatty bits, also very tasty

Jumulleok Gui (Beef in Soy Sauce) – savory lean beef slices

Dakgalbi (Stir Fried Chicken) – spicy and sweet boneless chicken

O-Jingeo Gui (Grilled Squid) – spicy and sweet squid

Let’s BBQ!

Grilled your own meats or if the restaurant is not too busy, they might be able to also help you with the bbq. The Grilled Pork Ribs are simply divine and we ordered 3 rounds of this yummy and tender pork ribs with bits of fat. The savory and sweetness is well-balanced in this one so we really enjoyed this very much as well as the thick Pork Belly.

There is also a O am Bulgogi (Spicy Squid & Pork Belly Bulgogi), cooked in the kitchen and served upon order.

Korean Fried Chicken! Most Korean BBQ restaurants don’t serve these but I was glad they do here. Although I didn’t expect too much from these, all choices of Yangnyeom Chicken, Fried Chicken, Banban Chicken and Dakgangjung turned out very decent. Crispy, tender, moist and individually seasoned with various sauces and seasoning.

Koreans love their stews. Also part of the menu are classic stews of Kimchi Jiigae, Doenjang Jiigae, Woosamgyeop Deonjang Jiigae and Sundubu Jiigae. These are great with rice or even good on its own.

There’s also Kimchijeon and Pajeon. Whether you’re opting for spicy kimchi pancake or spring onion pancake, these are no doubts classic favorites when dining in Korean restaurants.

Japchae, a healthy myriad concoction of vegetables, chewy noodles and sometimes some protein. It’s a good dish to get more vegetables and give your jaw some exercise with the chewy noodles.

Same goes for Korean rice cakes or Tteokbokki. This one is cooked spicy with lots of sauce drenching rice cakes, vegetables and fish cakes. I love mine really spicy…

For fillers or if you must have your rice, choose from the regular bowl of Bibimbap or the hot stone bowl of Dolsot Bibimbap. Either one, both are healthy and delicious.

There’s also fried rice Korean style and Hwa Ga offers Kimchi Bokkeumbab and Yachae  Bokkeumbab. One’s spicy with piquant kimchi while the other is vegetarian.

While most may not think to order noodles, I am still glad Hwa Ga offers Shin Ramyeon and Kimchi Ramyeon in this buffet deal. My little one had the Shin Ramyeon and enjoyed it very much.

The All-You-Can-Eat Korean A La Carte BBQ Buffet is really a value-for-money deal if you enjoy lots of meat and other Korean dishes.

All-You-Can-Eat Korean A La Carte BBQ Buffet

Lunch 11am to 3pm        Adult - RM 39++ | Child RM 20++ (6 to 11 years old)

Dinner 5pm to 11pm       Adult - RM 45++ | Child: RM 25++ (6 to 11 years old)

*Children below 5 years old eat for free

Term & Conditions

·         Dining time: 2 hours max

·         Food wastage will be charged accordingly

·         All prices are subject to 10% service charge

·         1 special gift for each table.

*Special gift is subject to stock availability and terms and conditions apply.

As mentioned earlier, besides the BBQ, Hwa Ga also serves various renditions of Nurungji Tongdak. Nurungji is actually scorched rice. It is actually the thin crust of the bottom layer of steamed rice. Nurungji Tongdak refers to whole chicken stuffed with rice cooked with other ingredients and roasted in charcoal oven for one and half hours till everything is well cooked together. The chicken is then butterflied in order to press the rice filling to be cooked on a hot plate to scorch the rice. Then the chicken is then paired with various condiments and sauces to be served.

Hwa Ga serves 10 variations of Nurungji Tongdak. The rice filling has glutinous rice, black rice, ginseng, jujube dates, gingko nuts, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, barley and garlic.

We savored three variations with the first one being the original Nurungji Tongdak (RM55). The Grilled Chicken with Scorched Rice has a wonderful aroma as the rice filling is being scorched on the hot place. The chicken is tender and makes a lovely contrast with the scorched rice. The dish is best eaten hot for flavours and textures.

There is also the spicy Nurungji Cheese Buldak (RM65). This one features Grilled Chicken and Scorched Rice with Cheese and Spicy sauce. Enjoy ooey gooey cheesy sensations as one pulls the chicken smothered in lots of melted cheese and spicy sauce.

The Nurungji Modeum (RM75) which features Assorted Grilled Chicken with Scorched Rice has the additions of lots of spring onions, onions, bonito flakes, cheese and sweet corn. Make sure to eat this hot while the cheese is still soft and melty for best flavours.

Drinks are Not Included in the All-You-Can-Eat Korean A La Carte BBQ Buffet but fear not, there’s plenty of choices available for additional order. Choose from Soju, Makgeoli, Beer, Plum Wine, Tea, Sodas and Juices.

Hwa Ga Sunway Mentari

Dataran Mentari Sunway,

28, Jalan PJS 8/18,

Bandar Sunway,

46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Contact: +603- 5630 0648

Business Hours: 11am- 11pm

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HGSUNWAYMENTARI/

Hwa Ga Ara Damansara

R-08 1st floor, Oasis Square,

No 2, Jalan PJU,

A/7A Ara Damansara, PJU 1A,

47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Contact: +603- 7734 6538

Business Hours: 11am- 11pm

Hwa Ga Sri Petaling

55-57G, Jalan Radin Bagus,

Sri Petaling,

57000, Kuala Lumpur,

Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur.

Contact: +603- 9055 3555

Business Hours: 11am- 11pm

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HGSRIPETALING/

Hwa Ga Mont Kiara Solaris

7, Block K Soho KL.

Solaris Mont Kiara,

504800, Kuala Lumpur.

Contact: +6010- 243 6547

Business Hours: 11am- 11pm

Hwa Ga Damansara Perdana (Pork Free) (No Ala Carte Buffet)

Lot F05 Empire Gallery Heritage Lane

No2, Jalan PJU 8/8,

Damansara Perdana,

47820 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Contact: +603- 7732 6151

Business Hours: 11am- 11pm

Nepali Underground Supperclub @ Bandar Sunway

A Sumptuous Nepali Feast by the Sherchans

Ever since I have had my first taste of Nepalese cuisine at Restaurant Nepal a few years ago, I have indeed have a penchant to savor the cuisine again. Unfortunately, since Restaurant Nepal closed down, I have been missing the cuisine dearly.

Mentioned Nepalese cuisine and the first thing that comes to mind is momos. Yes, I am talking about little dumplings with juicy filling, served with Nepali chili sauce. Whether it’s steamed, boiled or fried, I’ll take it whatever I can get my hands on because they are so yummy. There are more to Nepalese cuisine than just momos and one thing’s for sure, the cuisine is never short on flavours.

When the famous Fatboybakes aka Cheng Yi extended an invite to a Nepalese Underground Supperclub, I was over the moon. Finally, a place to savor Nepalese cuisine and a home cook one too! Hosted in the supperclub owners’ home, we were also pleased at the comfort of their home. It was spacious and bright. Dining there that day was indeed pleasurable as well as memorable.

We were just lucky to be able to savor The Sherchans' homecooking. Both were warm and wonderful too with their humble hospitality. While Mrs. Sherchan does most of the cooking, Mr. Sherchan has some mean dishes under his repertoire too. We were lucky to be able to sample a variety of their signature dishes that will be available in their supperclub menu.

Starting out, appetizers and salad first. Sadeko Badam, a spicy peanut salad that combines yummy ingredients such as cucumber, tomatoes, red onions, chili, peanuts and herbs. Lots of textural components, giving the dish a vibrant bite of fresh and nutty flavours with hints of heat.

Pyazi, crispy onion fritters, are quite addictive. Sweet slivers of onions fluffed in crispy spiced batter and fried to deliciousness. It’s so good, I wish there was more…

Momos, who can forget these dumplings, not me for sure. The Sherchans makes Pork Momos. I can’t ask for anything better. Their momos were near perfection for me. Thin skin beautifully pleated, encasing juicy and tasty pork filling. Steamed till just right and served with a spicy sauce, these Pork Momos are bombs of flavours. If they would sell these, I would gladly drive to their house to buy these yummy momos.

That spicy sauce was made from Dalle Khursani, round cherry chili bombs of Nepal. Since I love a good kick of heat, I even boldly savor this chili with my rice. I love my chilies from all over the world…

Pickled Potatoes or Alu Ko Achar was lovely for me. Well I am be a bit biased since I love potatoes and sourish flavour. The potatoes are soft and creamy, beautifully spiced with a perky tang. Because its quite tangy, it does makes the dish easy to enjoy although potatoes can be heavy.

At first I thought it was an anchovy dish and then after mixing it up, there were lots of bittergourd in the Karela Ko Achar. The bittergourd was cooked till soft and has robust bitter spice flavours that worked well with the crunchy salty anchovies and bitey red onions.

Mr. Sherchan was in charge of the Gurkha BBQ and both pork and chicken wings turned out to be a crowd pleaser. Both meats were well-seasoned and chargrilled with nice caramelized edges. Served with that awesome spicy sauce again, this is one BBQ that I wouldn’t mind eating again. The pork was tender and flavourful with bits of fat that gave the meat some moist and extra flavours. The chicken wings was decent as I prefer the pork more.

And then Mr. Sherchan whipped out the bowl of Gurkha Pork Curry. I swear that everyone was salivating at the sight of this bowl of pork curry. It’s his recipe and he cooked it a lot while working abroad. The curry is dry and boasted of aromatic spices cleverly harmonious together. The color is also enticing. The pork is not overly soft and has a good bite. The control of heat and spice is just right here. Kudos to Mr. Sherchan…

Thakali Thali set is very popular in Nepalese cuisine. Served on brass plates and bowls, it’s basically a full meal on its own with rice, meat or fish curries, daal, vegetables and pickles. Since they haven’t gotten their brass Thali serving ware yet, we had ours on regular plates. Since then, I heard that they have gotten their brass Thali sets now so you lucky diners are going to enjoy the Thakali set on the beautiful brass ware.

The Sherchans really go all out. Look at the lovely platter of colors! I am hungry just looking at this Thali again.

Kukhura Ko Masu is Mrs. Sherchan’s chicken curry. Unlike our creamy version, this one doesn’t have any coconut or cream in it but uses a myriad of spices to make up the flavours of the curry. Despite the lack of cream or coconut, I do find the curry very enjoyable. It has delicate spice flavours of cumin, fennel, chilies and other aromatics in the sauce and the chicken is tender and tasty.

What I really enjoyed was the Machha Ko Jhol or Nepalese fish curry. The gorgeous tang and moreish flavours of mustard shined with the fish. There is such robust notes of umami flavours with the tender siakap as I kept lashing the gravy onto my rice happily.

Daal, something Nepalese eat a lot, is also unique. It doesn’t taste like our Indian daal but has nuttier notes and spices with the creamy lentils. I also enjoyed this daal a lot with the curries and rice.

Other yummies on the Thali are Alu Ghobi, Sabji, Mula Ko Achar and a special Plum Pickle that Mrs. Sherchan’s mother-in-law makes. That Plum Pickle is superb. I hope she won’t run out of that anytime soon because that pickle is so good with rice.

Alu Ghobi, potato and cauliflowers are also nice cooked with spices. Tender cauliflowers with creamy soft potatoes with green peas goes well with the rest of the dishes and rice. The Sabji of sautéed greens balance up all the other proteins while the Mula Ko Achar, a spiced radish pickle is quite tasty and unique.

Mrs. Sherchan also makes a superb chunky Tomato Achar so you’ll never know what you might get for your supperclub.

Dessert was something simple, homemade yoghurt with almonds. This is so refreshing, creamy and milky. Every spoonful was luscious with bits of nutty notes that made the yoghurt even better. More of this yummy dessert Dahi please…

I must say, this is definitely a lovely Nepalese supperclub not to be missed. It’s cooking from the heart and the Sherchans did a delicious job with their dishes. For now, its RM70 per pax for 3 starters, a Thakali Thali Set and a dessert. Should you have any allergies or preference, do let them know. The menu for the supperclub can be customized as well to include additional dishes.

Reservations are required few days in advance with a minimum of 6 diners and a maximum of 12 diners.

For more information and reservations, contact Cheng Yi at 012-3240988 or John Sonam at 012-4152512.