[NON-HALAL]
Its bright blue doors are hard to miss, and the restaurant faces the main road, occupying a strategic spot near the foyer.
With see-through screen doors and windows, it is easy to tell that the restaurant is comfortable and inviting enough.
“Ticket to Korea” serves well… Korean food! And, it is run by a South Korean couple who have lived in Malaysia for about a decade.
Jeff Yoon, 38, takes care of business in the front, while his wife, Soo Nam, 39, cooks up a storm in the kitchen.
If the restaurant was given a five-star rating, Yoon’s excellent customer service would definitely be worth half those stars.
With his infectious smile and jovial personality, it is nigh impossible to leave “Ticket to Korea” without a good impression thanks to him.
He is ever ready to suggest which soju to pick or which dishes will best suit your taste. By the way, the food here is more of a modern-day take on traditional Korean fare.
One such dish is the Cheese Pork Ribs, a mouth-watering appetiser featuring pork ribs coated in sauce served with hot mozzarella cheese.
A famous dish back in Korea, here it is served atop a portable stove which is left burning to keep the cheese melted. The pork ribs are a delight to enjoy by themselves, with the spicy, sweet meat fall-off-the-bone tender.
Yet, don’t let the cheese go to waste though! With a pair of chopsticks, you can coat each rib with a layer of melted cheese before nibbling away every last morsel.
And to give the cheese a smoky taste, Yoon will show up at your table with a blowtorch in hand, to put on a bit of a fiery show.
Also, do expect to be served a few plates of banchan, customary Korean side dishes. Having a Korean meal without kimchi is unthinkable!
Korean fried chicken has long been popular in Malaysia, especially when dining in a big group.
The fried chicken here is served boneless, perfect for the lazy diner. Only the best chicken thigh is used for this fried delight, which has an incredible crunch preceding the taste of tender meat oozing with juice.
Aside from the classic flavour, there’s the soy garlic alternative which gives the already addictive snack an additional sweetness. Beware the sticky fingers!
FMT Lifestyle also had the opportunity to savour a relatively new addition to the menu – Sous-Vide Pork Belly Steak.
Served on a hot cast iron platter, you can smell the sweet scent of pork wafting in the air long before it shows up at your table.
The pork belly is delightfully fatty, dripping with juice and melting almost immediately on your tongue. The portions are large which mean that there is enough to go around.
The Mushroom Bulgogi is yet another treat. In Yoon’s own words, bugolgi is essentially teriyaki but Korean.
A steamboat dish perfect for parties of two or more, it will likely keep you stuffed with its array of vegetables, mushrooms and glass noodles. You can also request for sliced beef or pork, giving this savoury dish a meaty twist.
Speaking with FMT Lifestyle, Yoon said: “We wanted to introduce ‘trendelicious’ food when we first started the business, which you don’t often see from other places.
“Our goal is not only to sell food; we want to sell ‘a good time’ to every customer.” And in that regard, “Ticket to Korea” succeeds in spades.
Ticket to Korea [NON-HALAL]
10, Level P-G
Persiaran Tropicana
47410 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Contact: 013-453 8819
Business hours: 12pm-11pm (Closed on Tuesdays)