Korea Palace @ Tanjung Tokong, Penang.

** Korea Palace has renamed as Gangnam Style**

Ever since the launch of Korean Dramas, Korean Pop Singers/Bands, a lot of these K-fans are very interested to try on Korean cuisine and that explains why on the recent mushrooming of all these Korean eateries. There are a few of the more famous Korean restaurants in Penang namely Daorae, Bee Won Restaurat and the restaurant I am covering in this post- Korea Palace. Korea Palace has two outlets in Penang in total, one being stationed in Krystal Point (Bayan Baru) and the other one at Tanjung Tokong. Along with some friends of mine, we've visited the one in Tanjung Tokong, opposite to Precinct 10. From Jalan Tanjung Tokong, upon reaching Precinct 10 and Island Plaza, pay attention to the building opposite to Precinct 10, which has CK Furniture and some electrical appliances outlets, Korea Palace is located at the first floor of that building (colorful and huge banners will be there too). Korea Palace offers one of the most authentic Korean cuisine in town (the lady owner of Korea Palace is a Korean), price-wise, I would say average since I was expecting such range of pricing. Service was attentive earlier but when the restaurant started to flood with people, the staff tends to forget some of my orders (for refilling the side dishes). There are ample parking spaces right in front of the building itself too, but do watch out for peak hours and reservations are recommended to avoid disappointment.

All these side dishes or appetizers will only be served if you are ordering their Korean Barbecue set or their Hot Pot. Since we have opted for their Seafood Hot Pot, we get to enjoy all these (total of six) side dishes. From top to bottom (referring to photos), we had Kim Chi (Korean Pickled Spicy Cabbage), Stir Fried Potatoes, Stir Fried Vegetables with Garlic, Deep Fried Anchovies with Garlic, Stir Fried Bean Sprouts and Coleslaw. All these side dishes are refillable upon request. I personally adore the Kim Chi, it was savory and delectable to my liking, the Stir Fried Potatoes were decent either.

On Myeon/ Korean Clear Soup Vermicelli (Rm 17) was so-so in my opinion. Bibim Guksu (Korean Buckwheat Noodles) were used *correct me if I am wrong* and to my surprise, the noodles would not turn soggy despite the fact that they being soaked in the soup for a long period of time. It has some seafood and vegetables included, some egg was blended in the soup as well. It tasted very normal to me and does not even have a very distinctive flavor, just like those ordinary local Mee Sua soup which we can find anywhere. Not to say that it was bad, just that this dish is too normal to my liking.

Dolsat Bibimbap/ Korean Beef Hot Stone Rice (Rm 19) comes with various kinds of vegetables and some minced beef. A seaweed soup and a small plate of Korean Chili Paste were given to complement the rice. and the stone-bowl was piping hot, continue to provide heat to the rice. Instead of a raw egg, a fried egg was given instead, together with some chopped lettuce (topped with toasted sesame seeds), minced beef, carrots, mushrooms and some fresh Chinese cabbage etc. I find the rice was a bit bland if without their special Chili Paste, and I must say that the Chili Paste is a must, or rather, the soul of this whole dish. 

Japchaebab/ Stir Fried Korean Glass Noodles with Rice (Rm 18) comes in rather scary portion, it consists a huge portion of Stir Fried Korean Glass Noodles AND a bowl of white rice (a bowl of seaweed soup was given too). I find it a bit strange to have such a combination of both glass noodles and white ice together. Anyway, as expected, the glass noodles have a very springy and bouncy texture, the noodles were being stir fried with some chicken meat and vegetables, good to be eaten alone, but not with rice in my opinion. Moreover, it will be even better if they could use more ingredients, particularly meat in the glass noodles just to give the extra bite. Other wise, this dish will be pretty good and definitely a good value of money.

If you are looking for something more refreshing and unique, I strongly recommend you to try this dish out. This was their Mul Naeng Myeon/ Korean Beef Cold Noodles/ Buckwheat (Rm 20), as the name suggested, this dish will be served cold. Additional vinegar and mustard can be requested. The noodles have half of an hard-boiled egg, some beef slices, julienne cucumbers and carrots, along with a generous amount of toasted sesame seeds were added. The refreshing sauce has a good mix of sesame oil, vinegar and soy sauce, which has a very good balance of sourness and saltiness. This dish was very appetizing and flavorsome to me. However, more beef should be added just to put this dish on justice as the amount of the beef slices used was way too few in my opinion, barely seen them after I've started to dig into this dish. Nonetheless, it was a very unique and worth of trying dish. Recommended.

Haemultang/ Korean Seafood Hot Pot Stew (Rm 60- Small) is another dish not to be missed. There are two sizes available and we have chosen for the smaller one and it fits the four of us perfectly well (we had our noodles and rice set ordered). The portion was very big and it consists some fresh seafood and vegetables namely squids, prawns, crabs, clams, tofu, Enoki mushrooms, cabbage, spring onions, glass noodles etc.... The soup was extremely savory and sweet to my liking, with a well-balanced of spiciness and saltiness. However, I have some complaints on the prawns and crab (the crab was halved) as I find them were not too fresh as the texture from these (prawns and the crab) was mushy and lacked of the chewiness. Despite of these small little issues, I still recommend this due to its unique and awesome flavors, works well with white rice too.

A bottle of this Green Tea was served to us after we have seated. We were not charged for this Green Tea, however, additional drinks do count and the prices vary, depending on your orders. We were served with some Watermelon slices and a bowl of Korean Sweet Ginger soup as dessert too.

Ratings:

Taste: 7/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)

Price: 7/10 (1-3 expensive, 4-7 average, 8-10 cheap)

Ambiance: 8/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)

Service: 6.5/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)

Parking: 7/10 (1-3 bad, 4-7 average, 8-10 good)

Service Charge: Yes 10%

Government Tax: No

Additional Information:
Address: 28-1-2, Jalan Tanjung Tokong, Penang.

Business Hour: 12pm to 3pm, 6pm to 10pm. Daily.

Contact Number: 604- 899 7900