Korean Food @ Hwangsil Garden, Neo Damansara, Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya

manduguk or dumplings


Life ain't always about fine dining and when it comes to the ultimate comfort food, I often reach out for some Korean food with loads of kimchi. Strangely enough, kimchi was also what we turned to for a quick satisfying meal on Sunday. To celebrate Formula One's first foray in South Korea on Sunday (even though the race was delayed because of the rain), I whipped up kimchi fried quinoa - a mix of minced lamb, Korean eryingi mushrooms, kimchi with fluffy black quinoa.



1Msia/1Korea, pork belly time, fans, grilling takes patience


Strangely enough, that all familiar staple Korean item is now scarce in Korea due to soaring cabbage prices following a bad harvest. Hopefully an effort by the government to bring in Chinese cabbage will save the day. Luckily for us, cabbage is in abundance hence there's no chance we'll suffer from a kimchi shortage.


pork belly slices

I was introduced to this place by my friend S who works round the corner from this small eatery. Located at a maze of shophouses called Neo Damansara, there's a demand for Korean food as the Korean community is growing around this neighbourhood.

grilled beef ribs

I liked how this place seems to serve not the usual run-of-the-mill Korean items. There was manduguk(RM22) or dumplings on the menu, hence I ordered it being keen to try the dumplings. I was not dissapointed as I loved the hearty meat stuffed dumplings coupled with the garlicky soup. After consulting the waitress, we ordered her highly recommended pork belly (daepae samgyob for RM25) that resembled pieces of bacon. It's not marinated hence each piece is lightly dipped in soy sauce before being grilled on the hot plate. While it was crispy, it did lack much taste since it was not marinated. Instead, we fell in love with the beef ribs (L.A. Yangnyom galbi for RM40) - marinated with a flavourful sauce with a fork-tender texture. Simply gorgeous especially when eaten with the crisp lettuce leaves.





banchan selection: spring onion pancake, radish, jellied pork and kimchi

I also liked the side dishes - the banchan since it was unusual compared to what is usually served in Korean restaurants. Pink coloured radish cools down the palate, while kimchi cabbage adds spice and the cuttlefish adds a dash of sweetness. They also serve tiny spring onion pancakes, crispy edged flat cakes with lots of chopped spring onions. Also on the table was an unusual cold pork dish you dip in a sauce that kinda reminds me of the fermented taste of cincalok. Service was quick and efficient. This place definitely warrants a second and even third visit to explore further their menu. Lunch sets are also available and per my friend, priced reasonably to not burn a hole in your pocket.


Hwangsil Garden
Block F (F-1-1)
Neo Damansara
No.1, Jalan PJU 8/1
Damansara Perdana
Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-7724 2892

(Non Halal. Place is at the new shoplots opposite Metropolitan Condominums where Citibank is located. For more pictures, see my Flickr set)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur to the place later on that can affect this opinion. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.