Do you know Dakgalbi? A well-known korean food made from chicken, cabbage and cheese? I’m going to tell you a place that you can have real dakgalbi in Hanoi.
I had been quite disapointed for Korean food in Vietnam for several times. Since most of Korean restaurant here is owned by Vietnamese and they dont have real Korean taste to cook Korean food. This time, My korean friends recommended a Dalgalbi restaurant to me and said that it was reviewed by a lot of Korean people. I saw the price. Oh the price is also “korean”. Haha. It is really high compared to other restaurants. However, it makes me feel that the quality is guaranteed with that price.
We are 4 people including me and 3 korean. We went to the Ssam Dak restaurant located in Trung Hoa - the place that can be called Korean town in Hanoi.
And here is what we got - the real Dakgalbi, as my Korean friends said. :”>
A big pan with chicken and cabbage. We also choose to add ramen in. There are also a lot of panchan (side dishes) such as kimchi, pancake, tofu, tomato, seaweed soup,... and the thing make me feel the real Korean style is service. The way they serve free cold water at the first reminds me the time when I was in Korea. Every restaurant in Korea is like that. You may think it is not special at all, but you know, it shows the thoughtfulness, the manner of Korean people. That is something that I couldn’t see during 2 months of traveling South America, and rarely see it in Vietnam.
When chicken and cabbage is cooked well, staff starts adding cheese. I love it the most. See the thick layer of cheese gradually melting and covering all chicken and cabbage. So mouthwatering.
This is an ideal way of eating dakgalbi with me. There muste be fresh lettuce, kimchi, add chicken and cabbage and cheese, then wrap it and eat it with just one bite. Take a korean green pepper and dip with a bit gochujang and take a bite to feel the crunchy and spicy. A cup of sochu also. Omg, the best ever.
When we almost finish the meal, the staff bring rice and cook fried rice directly on that big pan for us. The rice mix with corn, cheese, and chopped seaweed. We pay $10/person to have a super high-quality meal.
Ssam Dak restaurant, No.126 Hoang Ngan street, Trung Hoa ward, Cau Giay district, Hanoi.