A royal repast

Dr. Eom Hie Yong who runs the Soo Ra Sang, a Korean restaurant in 6th block Koramangala, is as affable a lady as you'll ever meet. And a rather straight business woman. And her general awarenes, particularly about Chennai - a city where she did her doctorate in Sanskrit -, leaves you gaping.

The restaurant is decorated to give it a touch of Korea. The illumination is white & the walls are full of artifacts. Dr. Eom said that apart from the dining furniture, everything else is Korean. There is also a low barbeque table on a small platform for families to sit around & dine. One can also book a room, separated from the dining hall, for group parties.

The food is a trifle pricey. I could not find anything priced less than Rs. 250. And you cannot share it, like we normally do in other restaurants. It’s a bit like a Thali system. You place one order per head, & along with your order - served in a big wooden bowl & not china -, you get other dishes. We got fourteen of them. And though I could not identify too much more than brinjal & potato, each one of them was delicious. And the water is served chilled mixed with fried corn. I drank lots of it.

Though the majority of the dishes contain meat, the choice for vegetarians is ample. I cannot recollect an exact count but the last page of the menu is pure vegetarian stuff.

The food, in my opinion, is colourful and tasty. The sauce has a strong flavour, but the meal is not really spicy & did not leave me feeling heavy.

Dr. Eom, however, herself is a great reason for going to Soo. With her own Korean lilt, she pronounced Jayalalitha as 'cheap minister' of Tamilnadu. And as we mowed our wallets for cash, she said that we could always pay some other time, if we were running short. And she said a tally ho to Venkat in what he thought was flawless Tamil.

You can make a booking by calling at:

Landline: 5130 3435
Mobile: 98801 49611