Short eats like kimchi, squid rolls, yogurt smoothie and pork belly cutlets have arrived in Chennai. Ride the Hallyu wave and step into these Korean cafes in the city.
Cafe Dokeby, Inco Center
Dokebee, In Korean mythology, there are mischievous spirits with supernatural powers that surprise humans. Like its playful name, the cafe promises its patrons a delightfully equable menu and atmosphere. Quietly located in the left corner of Inco Center on Adyar Club Gate Road, the recently opened Cafe Dokebi offers visitors a fresh menu of Korean beverages and short meals, along with colorful shelves filled with popular Korean snacks. With its cozy atmosphere and shelves lined with souvenirs, this is the perfect gateway to Korean café culture.
Food on display at Dokebee Cafe at INKO Center in Chennai. , Photo credits: R. Raveendran
“Indians love spice, but Korean food tends to be more spicy,” says Miseo Ryu, who set up the cafe in April 2023. noodle dishes like ramen are one of the dokebi’s The most popular dish, though Ryu laughs that not everyone can handle the heat. “I do my best to serve authentic Korean food. Most of the items we serve are firmly rooted in Korean cuisine, and many ingredients such as plums and citrus syrup for drinks come from there. Another popular dish is their triangle shape. gimbap, A dish made of cooked rice, vegetables, fish and meat wrapped in seaweed, which comes in vegetable, chicken and pork variants.
Cafe-goers who don’t enjoy spice can add the latest cheeses to the menu: banjo-papong, A fish-shaped bun filled with sweet red bean paste. The familiar sweetness of the bun, combined with the slightly nutty Korean red bean flavor, makes this a pleasantly surprising dish best enjoyed with a cup of coffee. But what exactly does Cafe Dokeby establish?What sets it apart from other Korean cafes is its drink menu.
Dining at Dokebee Cafe at INKO Center in Chennai. , Photo credits: R. Raveendran
Dokeby, with a range of hot coffees and teasAlso offers refreshing crisps, iced matcha tea, Korean yogurt smoothies, and a variety of fruit drinks, including the amazingly tart yet sweet Korean Green Plum, mixed into cold sodas. These iced drinks are more popular than their hot counterparts and are perfect to combat the sweltering heat of Chennai.
Another Kitchen, Adyar
as soon as you step into another kitchen, The enticing aroma of classic Korean barbecue wafts in the air, inviting you to indulge in a cacophony of flavors that will transport you to the streets of Seoul. Other Kitchen, Adyar, is a restaurant that specializes in Korean cuisine, baked goods, and barbecue. It is spread over two floorsIt offers visitors a variety of seating arrangements, including special tables decorated by a fireplace specially designed for their famous Korean barbecue.
“This is our favorite Korean restaurant,” says Suji Lee, who recently moved to Chennai with her family from Korea. “The authentic Korean food served here makes us feel right at home, and no bad day ends with a big bowl of jjajangmyeon Can’t fix it!” jajangmyeon It is a noodle dish made with black bean paste, shredded pork and vegetables and has its own unique, earthy and wonderful flavor. This remains one of the other kitchens‘S It is one of the most popular offerings owing to its homely taste and delicate balance of spices.
Food on display at Other Kitchen Adyar in Chennai. , Photo credits: R. Raveendran
but as long as itBoasting a wide variety of Korean cuisine, the thing to watch out for here is the side dishes that come with your order. full of flavor, legs, or side dishes, are served with every main dish and are an essential part of a Korean meal, shared by everyone at the table. You’ll rarely find the same side dish twice, and they make a refreshing sweet and spicy break between otherwise rich dishes. Our favorites include the Sweet Potato Browns, Pork Belly Cutlets, kimchisquid roll, oi muchim (a spicy cucumber-sesame salad), and a sweet and tart apple cider-pineapple sauce, served with shredded cabbage.
Straight out of a K-drama, Other Kitchen’s in-house bakery is definitely worth a visit. Visitors can choose a gift to enjoy with their meal – be it yummy Goroke (a bun filled with spicy Korean glass noodles) or enjoy the quintessential sweet red bean and fresh cream buns. Other popular baked goods include turtle bread, soboroMatcha soboroand Walnut Cheese Bread.
Food on display at Other Kitchen Adyar in Chennai. , Photo credits: R. Raveendran
These pastries are lightly sweet, not very heavy and are best served warm. Many items on display, such as soboro and walnut bread, are popular Korean snacks, giving patrons a taste of Korean street food culture. Restaurants and bakeries are busy with regular customers who can’t get enough of their food. “In the beginning, I was interested in K-pop and K-drama, which inspired me to try ‘K-cuisine’ too, but the dishes are so different from the usual Indian and Indianized Western cuisine that I was forced to come back It was lying This.”, says Anusha Kumar, a student.
Another Kitchen’s unique charm as the ‘Korean Restaurant Next Door’ lies in its innovative and peaceful atmosphere where people can share food with friends and family along with conversation. It invites us to be at the center of Korean food – even if it’s only for a few hours. Certainly, this isn’t just another kitchen.