Dae Jang Geum Korean Restaurant @ Section 14 PJ - Best Kimchi Jiggae In Town!

It may look like I'm on a Korean streak here, knowing that I just went to Uncle Jang not long back. But, I was dying for some Kimchi and well - something hearty and soupy on that rainy night.

Having just recovered from a terrible sore throat, I wasn't too keen on having BBQ meats or my favourite tteokbokki, but rather a dose of hearty soup this time round.

The inherent thing about having soup-based dishes outside, is the obvious MSG overload. It could either end up being overwhelmingly flavourful or just plain salty. Lets see how DJG fair shall we?

Dae Jang Geum

Being one of the oldest Korean restaurants in town and presumably made popular from the mianstream Korean TV series, Dae Jang Geum has been around for ages, evident from the peeling orange signboard, hung high on the third floor of their corner shop lot.

A traditional Hanok (Korean designed door) welcomes you on the second floor. The restaurant has two levels and the main area was packed when I arrived. (Picture taken after)

We were then ushered to the third floor. It was nice to be seated on an empty level - free from the animosity of chargrilled aroma, loud chit chatter and never ending clicking of metal cutleries.

A tumbler of Korean rice tea was placed on our table almost immediately.

There were 7 varieties of banchan (side dishes) served. Unlike many Korean restaurants where banchan servings and selections are meagre, the ones here are lavish and delicious. They have all my favourites too!

Sometimes I wonder - why bother with the main course if I can get unlimited refills of these. Good enough to be eaten on its own, like a complete wholesome meal if you may.

Barbecued Pork Belly. N/A.

The barbecued pork belly was pretty good, though it could have bit a hint more juicier. 

Barbecued Chicken. N/A.

The barbecued chicken tasted a little off for me - choice of marination perhaps. 

Korean Steamed Egg. 

Nicely fluffed up bowl of steamed eggs that was calling out for me to poke through.

Kimchi Soup. Rm16.00.

This is one of the best Kimchi Soup I've had thus far! It had intense flavors, hot and spicy when it hits the tip of your tongue but it didn't stop me from going back for me - extremely addictive like that. I will definitely return for this again.

Beef Ribs Stew. Rm19.00.

My enticing bowl of simmered beef ribs stew turned out surprisingly - clear.

Many would've disapproved however, probably noting that it was lacking in flavour. I would've vetoed that, but was glad that it didn't turn out like one of those over-flavoured, over-rich stew that would probably get too salty midway and overwhelmingly salty towards the end. That said, if you'd ask me again on a bright sunny day, I may default from what I just said.

Nevertheless, there were quite a fair portion of beef ribs in this. The meat was moist, fell off the bones easily and with a few knobbly lumps of fat still intact. There were vermicelli noodles at the bottom too.

Complimentary Dessert.

Now, I can't exactly tell what dessert this is, as it was merely placed on the table in a hurry by a seemingly agitated waiter, midway through my meal. Bit too anxious for dessert don't you think?

What I can tell you is that it was amazingly good, undeniably refreshing and a great chilled dessert tea. It had shaved ice in the middle with a tinge of cinnamon and ginger flavours inside.  

Overall Rating: 7.5/10. Bypassing the unhappy server, I had a decent meal. The dishes that I sampled was delicious - the barbecued beef was scrumptious (missed the picture for this one), the kimchi soup fantastic and the banchan selection superb. A decent Korean restaurant in PJ definitely worth dropping by.

Dae Jang Geum is located at:
Address: 20B-2 & 3, Jalan 14/20, Seksyen 14, Petaling Jaya
Phone: 603-7957 2613

Located right above a corner Chinese hawker shoplot.