Sae Ma Eul @ Solaris Mont Kiara KL - No Fuss Korean BBQ Restaurant

This thing - this unmindful thing - on complicated naming conventions. Never makes my life easier.

Sae Ma Eul

"Korean barbecue at Mont Kiara for dinner?"
"Sure. Which one?"
"Can't remember the name. Its in Korean and its complicated. Will send you the address later."

For this purpose, I shall call this place the open-air Korean barbecue restaurant at the corner in Mont Kiara. Forget about the actual name. Irregardless, I was there on a Sunday evening and the place was crowded. This could only mean one thing - the food must be really good right?

If I were to drive pass this place unknowingly and without peering up at the signboard, I would've mistakenly thought it to be a Chinese hawker or steamboat restaurant. The way everything looked disorganized, with plastic chairs and tables arranged on the walkway incongruously, would only imply that interior comes secondary. To top that, this open-aired restaurant spans two shop lots, both carrying different signboards but with the same name.

This time, it didn't take long for me to place my order. A peeped around the restaurant and noticed that everyone orders the same thing! Sae Ma Eul Menu Here.

Real charcoal is used for barbecuing meats here. No wonder this place is so popular.

Side Dishes and Sauces.

Kimchi Jiggae. Rm13.

One word - fiery. But then again, its probably due to my intolerance for spicy food. To give you a feel of my level of receptiveness - I take Lemon & Herb sauce in Nandos. Good but not as good as the one at Dae Jang Geum.

BBQ Set. Rm55.

Don't worry, its not blood, its just the sauce. The BBQ set comes with pork belly, pork shoulder and baby octopus.



For me, the meats were a tad disappointment. The pork belly was alright but the pork shoulder felt dry and lacked flavors. Perhaps it was way overcooked by the time we ate it, but that was also because we did most of the grilling on our own, not knowing what to do next except by copying our neighbors. We requested for help, twice, before a waiter came to our aid.

Spicy Rice Ball. Rm20.

A compulsory order here - these addictive Korean rice balls, good enough to make 10 rice balls. You would have to roll your own, then leave it on the grill for a charred and crusty finish. What a brilliant creation!

Watch my 4 second blooper. Ma-Sa-Gee. I really wasn't ready. We did a second take but I wasn't happy with the outcome either. I'm still trying to get the hang of short vlogs, will try to be more au-naturale next time. So here - enjoy my 4 second blooper. 

Overall Rating: 8/10. Somehow I think I was more excited to play with my food than to eat the barbecued meats. The supposed highlight of today's meal, the barbecued pork felt mediocre, though the grilled baby octopus tasted fantastic. The spicy rice ball  turned out to be the rockstar of my meal. It was spicy no doubt, but the combination was terrific - spicy, sticky, charred and crusty. Oddly, I tasted sambal and anchovies in there somewhere. There's just something special about the vibe here - the casual and no fuss atmosphere perhaps. I think I will be back real soon!

Sae Ma Eul is located at:

Address: No1, GF 1-1,1-2,1-3,Jalan Solaris 4, Solaris Mont Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur.

Phone: 016- 209 2100

Opening Hours: 3pm to 2am Daily