Born Ga (Bornga)

Along Jalan Wolter Monginsidi, or as we would like to call it 'Jalan Korean Restaurant City', your choices are seemingly endless when it comes to enjoying a good Korean Barbecue with your friends and family. The new kid on the block is Born Ga (Bornga). As you enter this place, it is set up like a typical Korean barbecue joint with its wooden interior, high ceiling and the very distinctive copper exhaust pipes hanging on top of each table aiming straight at the built in grill. Although this distinctive homey and rustic yet commercialised theme is embraced by many International Korean food lovers, the key to the a good Korean Barbecue is not the concept of the restaurants, rather what makes each place unique is of course; one, the appetizers or free side dished they serve and two; the special sauces in the barbecue. At Born Ga,they surely realise the key importance of these two aspects and it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out why people just keep walking into the door.

As soon as you are seated, you could easily assume that you are dining in a Padang style restaurant instead, as an array of small appetisers are served. Then we see the wait-staff bringing the longest row of assorted fresh and raw vegetable platter of lettuce, carrots and Chinese cabbages. As soon as you are done gorging yourself with the free appetisers, their most sought after dish arrives, the Woosamgyeop Barbecue. The wafer thin slices of beef brisket is drizzled in their special homemade, one and only Born Ga special sauces and has been getting the thumbs up from their successful chains scattered all over Korea, China and the USA. I mean their recipe is so good that it has been patented. Yes, we are dead serious, their receipe is trade-marked.

It is evident though, as after you have had your first bite of Woosamgyeop why it is so internationally favoured. The soy based sauce is delicious on the thin meat as the sweetness and fruity flavours are definitely dominant in the sauces.

This noteworthy chain, thanks to their founder Korean celebrity chef. Paik who is also the man responsible for the secret sauce, has been on numerous Korean television shows displaying his skills in choosing the best meat, saucing it, grilling it and then slapping it on a bed of lettuce that directly is stuffed into the mouth. We also enjoy the other prime cut meats at Born Ga, especially the Kkotsal, the prime cut boneless beef and Saeng Galbi the juicy beef ribs.

A great place to seriously gorge yourself in quality Korean food and excellent service as well.