 In Delhi, thousands of kilometres from Seoul, Gung – The Palace offers not only delectable and authentic Korean food, but presents through the ambiance, a slice of Korea. Established on 11th June 2007 as a part of YJ Exim Restaurant Pvt. Ltd. by Mr. Baekkyu Kim (President and CEO), Gung – The palace has captivated the taste buds of many food fanatics.
It offers a fabulous eating out choice for the upscale urban population of Delhi. While other oriental options, like Chinese and Thai are a dime a dozen, Gung – the Palace has carved for itself a niche in the culinary map of Delhi. What makes the Korean food stand out from the crowd is that unlike Chinese or Thai food it cannot be ‘Indianised’ with a localized string or ingredients.
The secret behind the meteoric rise of this three floor restaurant can be attributed largely to Mr Kim’s mother, Ms Suk Hee Kim, who keeps a tight control over the kitchen. An accomplished painter, her work embellishes the walls and panels of this restaurant that is spread over 7000 square feet. In a bid to maintain the freshness of the food, nearly all the ingredients including pork chops and tenderloin steaks are imported directly from Korea.
Mr Kim reveals that a bulk of the restaurant’s clientele comes from the eight thousand and counting Korean ex-pats in Delhi. Apart from the diplomatic personnel, many of the ex-pats work for Korean multinationals like Samsung, LG, Hyundai, etc. Even the up and coming Indian politician Rahul Gandhi swears by the Gung platter. Such is the presence of Gung – The Palace in India that when the South Korean president - Lee Myung-bak visited the country on the occasion of India’s Republic Day on 26 January 2010, his entire retinue gathered at the restaurant for a mega banquet.
There are two kinds of seats available – traditionally Korean floor-seating and a level of regular tables. The floor seats are enclosed in rice-paper partitioned cabins, to enter which one needs to take his/her shoes off. The menu is mostly in Korean with explanatory photographs of the dishes alongside them. Waitresses – dressed in pink hanbok are courteous and helpful and you might also solicit the manager or owner’s inputs when ordering your dish.
If you are a wine aficionado, it is recommended that you try the Soju, a Korean wine prepared from rice and/or sweet potato Baekkyu. The restaurant also offers karaoke facilities on the first floor in Korean, English and Hindi where one can eat and sing but after 10 p.m. What further sets Gung apart is their eclectic range of barbecue items. They have private cabin style room settings which has BBQ system inside the table. The entrepreneurial skill of Mr. Kim has not stayed limited to restaurants. He also runs the Gung Gallery in the stylish Hauz Khas Village.
So, head over to Gung if you want an authentic flavor of Korea.
Gung – The Palace
Delhi: D-1B, Green Park, Tel: 46082663, 9871295093
Gurgaon: Plot No 27-28, Sec 29, City Centre, Tel: 0124-4383101, 9811911925
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