Secret Garden Korean BBQ Restaurant

(Update: Returned for lunch Tuesday and the portions were smaller, pa jon cold and the kalbijim, which I asked not to be too sweet, was watery, pale and not as well-flavored. Go for dinner.)

It was drizzling and very cool last night. Ming and I love soups in such kind of weather. Wey loves Korean food (mainly for the samgubsal bulgogi) in any kind of weather. Hub generally goes with anything but doesn't quite like Korean or Japanese - the portions never quite satisfy him. Our favorite Korean restaurant is/was Arirang at Api-api, where the owner always gives us a free plate of pa jon (Korean pancakes) or japchae (noodles). Free dishes don't come free because for that she always hugs Wey and calls him "My boyfriend!", while I have to tolerate insinuation that Wey's father is Korean. The first time we walked into the restaurant, years ago when Wey was obese and had a puffy round face, she spoke to Wey in Korean, and insisted he's Korean. Since then we've become friends; the lady is motherly and nice. Her food is also very homey. The only thing I don't like about the place is when the diners start smoking. The restaurant isn't big, and I just can't stand tobacco smoke.

I asked Ming to check with Chris, a Korean, where his family usually go for Korean food. The reply was, "The restaurant in Api-api and P-won near Merdeka Supermarket." Really. We'd only been to 'P-won' once years ago.

When we got to P-won (much shorter than Secret Garden Korean BBQ Restaurant), there were two busloads of Korean tourists, no locals. We sat down eagerly and ordered whatever the Koreans were having.


Samgubsal set meals, RM30/US$8.80 each. There are two sets here.

This is the most generous samgubsal set we've ever tried (we couldn't move after the meal; I was full of regret for I need to loose some weight before Christmas), and we only had 2 sets of bulgogi for the 4 of us. The side dishes kept coming. We must've had 5 plates of pa jon, kimchi and salted anchovies. The kimchi was very fresh and yummy (they sell kimchi for RM17/kg if you want to take out), the way we like it, still crisp and new instead of over-fermented. I found the kimchi soup too sour (made from over-fermented kimchi). The pork bulgogi was teppanyakied (so they can handle the volume), not grilled, but tasted the same.

For those who have thin kids and want to fatten them up (very Asian thing), try feeding them samgubsal. My Wey was pitifully thin as a little boy. He refused most food and threw up easily. Then one day our church, Skyline, which is situated in Sutera Harbour Resort, provided special discount coupons for the Sunday buffet lunch. That's how Wey's bingeing started. And with his improved appetite, he also he discovered plain pork bulgogi or samgubsal. I was so desperate I cooked samgubsal a few times a week for a whole year! That's how he got so fat. This year I've decided it's time he learns to eat what we eat, so I've been cooking lots of fish, and he hates that. It doesn't help him that I only cook my fish two ways: wok-fried or steamed. When pity overwhelms me, I make battered fish fingers for him.


Kalbi jim (beef ribs stew), RM25/US$7.40.

This was very good, tasty with a strong beefy aroma.However, the portion seemed small for the price and the sauce was too sweet for my Chinese tongue.

P-won doesn't have a large menu. From what I saw, people go there for bulgogi and soups, both very standard everyday Korean food. P-won is in Taman Emas, the turning on the left before the turning into Merdeka Supermarket. The place has a mini-golf course nobody plays on, is open-air, casual and best of all, the service from the all-Filippino team is the best I've experienced in a long time. They even massage your arm if it's sore. Next time, I'll ask them to sing.