Jang Gun @ Fahrenheit 88,
Lot G-27 (01-04), Ground Floor,
179 Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.
Business Hours: Noon to 3.00pm (lunch)
and 6.00pm to 10.30pm (dinner), daily
Tel: 03-2148 7333
Fax: 03-2148 0333
Website: www.saisaki.com.my and www.shogun.my
CAN’T seem to get enough of Korean cuisine?
If you cannot be satisfied with just a bibimbap (mixed rice) or ramyeon (noodles) in one seating, Jang Gun will satiate your request for variety with more than 200 items to choose from.
It is the latest brand by Grand Saisaki Sdn Bhd, which operates a chain of buffet concept restaurants.
Jang-gun (pronounced as Jang Goon) means “army general”, just like the company’s Japanese buffet restaurant Shogun.
Grand Saisaki managing director Datuk Seri Michael Chong said, “We are the first in Malaysia to offer the widest range of authentic Korean cuisine in a buffet setting.
“When we started, 98% of the food served were Korean. However, we noticed that families with senior citizens were not keen to be limited to only Korean choices,” he said.
The Korean offerings have been reduced to 70% while the other 30% comprises Japanese, Chinese and Western dishes.
Nevertheless, Chong said they hoped to educate Malaysians on the variety of Korean foods.
Now they see families with members from five generations dining in the restaurant.
Fresh: Jumbo oysters from Australia.
This buffet concept has four sections a grill section which features Korean BBQ meat and seafood, and uncooked food prepared a la minute; a fried counter featuring home favourites, kimchi and side dishes; a hot section which offers a wide variety of freshly prepared noodles, pancakes, stews, porridge, rice; and a desserts and beverages counter which serves fresh fruits, ice cream and hot and cold beverages.
Expect common Korean foods like dol sot bibimbap (mixed rice in hot stone bowl), japchae (fried glass noodles), and a variety of banchan (side dishes) such as sukju namul (bean sprouts), yongeun (lotus roots), gyeran mali (egg rolls), dubu (bean curd), uwong (burdock or its roots), doraji (dried mountain vegetables) and myeolchi (anchovies).
No Korean restaurant is complete without kimchi and here you can get a variety such as baechu kimchi (cabbage kimchi), oi kimchi (cucumber kimchi), mul kimchi (water kimchi), pa kimchi (spring onion kimchi), and kkakdugi (radish kimchi).
Chef Lee Bong Yo, who hails from the land of the morning calm, is very particular when is comes to the authenticity of the food, especially kimchi.
Not pleased with the kimchi sourced elsewhere, she insists on making her own.
Another Korean staple is jjigae (stews) and Jang Gun offers Seafood Stew, Kimchi Stew, Beef Ribs Stew, Tofu Stew, Bean Paste Stew and Seafood Stew.
There is a selection of jeon (pancakes) in varieties of kimchi, pumpkin, chives, potato and green bean.
Chong highly recommends their special secret sauce to go with the pancakes and any other dish you fancy.
I was looking for kimbap (rice rolled with seaweed) but sadly, it was not available at the time of the review due to the lack of positive response from its diners.
Oodles of noodles: Japchae, stir-fried glass noodles with sesame.
“Our local customers have yet to develop a taste for it,” Chong said.
There is a variety of noodles such as jajangmyeon (noodles with black soybean paste), ramyeon, bibim naengmyeon (cold noodles), kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) and imported Korean instant noodles (available in 10 flavours).
Fried items include fried octopus, squid, chicken, baby octopus and vegetables fried with garlic.
For seafood, take your pick from mackerel, eel, squid, and of course jumbo oysters from Australia and New Zealand.
Meat choices include Fresh Beef Ribs, Marinated Beef Ribs, Marinated Beef (Bulgogi), Marinated Chicken, Smoked Duck, Lamb Ribs with Chilli Paste and Lamb Shank.
Aside from Korean choices, there are also Japanese dishes which include sushi, tempura and sashimi. In addition, Jang Gun offers Chinese delights such as Spicy Sweet Sour Snow Crab, Herbal Steamed Chicken, Abalone Porridge, and Double Boiled Fatt Tiew Cheong (Buddha Jumps Over the Wall) as well as the all-time Thai favourite, tom yam.
This month, Jang Gun offers its diners a beer promotion, priced at RM15 per jug.
The restaurant has a seating capacity of 270.
The company, Grand Saisaki, plans to have a fast food chain ” Shogun Xpress” which will be launched by the end of this month.
VIP cardholders of Shogun and Saisaki restaurants now have an additional choice and all promotions offered by Shogun and Saisaki can be redeemed at Jang Gun too, such as the free buffet for a birthday guest who comes with three paying guests; the Senior Citizen Promotion that gives seniors aged above 55 a 50% discount on weekdays and 40% discount on weekend and public holidays.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
