Isn’t it interesting how just a few decades ago Korean food was seen as something of a novelty here? And now? Ramyeon and bibimbap are Malaysian favourites with Korean eateries aplenty. Among these, one restaurant worth checking out for genuine home-cooked food is Sot Bab.
An ajumma’s restaurant
Image Credit: Yong Jeong-Park on Google Review (Left)
Located in Sunway Geo, this restaurant opened just last August. Despite its young age, the homely restaurant has garnered a good reputation among the Korean expat community here. This has largely to do with Auntie Jun, the ajumma running the show here.
It’s hard to miss her, with her motherly looks and behaviour. She is quite the welcoming host, too, greeting and chatting excitedly with customers, locals and Koreans alike. If you chat her up, you may just learn why she started Sot Bab in the first place.
Raising the bar
Auntie Jun has been in Malaysia for some time now. In fact, for the past 15 years, she has been running the Korean supermarket in Sunway Geo. During this time, she found Korean food in Malaysia to not be to her standards.
What better way to raise those standards than by opening a restaurant? Hence, Sot Bab was born to provide local diners a truly authentic Korean home-cooked experience. As it stands, it looks like she is accomplishing her mission with flying colours.
What is a Sot Bab?
“Sot Bab” in Korean translates to “pot of rice”. The rice, which is accompanied by sides, is indeed cooked in special personal pots which are imported specially from South Korea. This means the rice is always served fresh and hot, perfect to enjoy meat and vegetables with.
Delicious rice sets
Image Credit: Yong Jeong Park on Google Review (Left), Park In-Geun on Google Review (Right)
One of the bestselling sets is the Beef Ribs Sot Bab. It is easy to see why this is the case. The beef ribs are cooked to tender perfection, with the meat oozing with juice. The umami is paired well with the addictive kimchi, made in-house by Auntie Jun.
An alternative set you can also try out is the Spicy Grilled Chicken Sot Bab. The chicken has a certain smokiness to it, courtesy of a good grilling. The spiciness is typical of Korean food, with a fieriness tempered by a sweet side.
A feast of plenty
Image Credit: Aram Lee on Google Review
If you are dining here with a big party, do try the Ssambapjeongsik set. This set is generous with its offerings and portions. The set includes pork bulgogi, grilled fish, soybean past stew, seafood pancake and banchan.
The bulgogi certainly deserves a mention here, with it being a cornucopia of flavours. Sweet, savoury and spicy meat which is also tender and juicy? Sign me up for another round! Eat it with rice, or on its own, and you will always be satisfied.
Raw crab, anyone?
Image Credit: Nathan Foo on Google Review (Left), Eddie Chan on Google Review (Right)
Fancy raw crab? Before you recoil, remember that sashimi is raw too and people love it. As it happens, Sot Bab is famous for its two variants of raw crab, Ganjanggejang and Yangnyeomgejang. These are dishes rarely found outside South Korea.
The former is served with light soy sauce and is fermented over two days before being chilled for a short period. Unsurprisingly, this is a cold dish perfect for swelteringly hot afternoons. Taste-wise, the sweet, slimy crab meat is enhanced with the salty soy sauce.
Should you prefer something even more flavourful, the Yangnyeogejang is a spicy variant. Instead of soy sauce, the crab comes with a bright red chilli paste. Sweet and spicy, it certainly has a more complex flavour profile than its sibling dish.
Worth your time?
If you love Korean food, you are guaranteed to love Sot Bab. It helps that the food here is made largely with imported ingredients and seasonings from Korea. Thus, without even leaving Malaysia, you can have a true Korean home-cooked meal on your plate.
Sot Bab
Address: E-01-03A, Sunway Geo Avenue, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor
Opening Hours: 11.30 am – 10 pm daily
Contact: 03-56113377
Halal Status: Non-halal
You should also check out: Check out this Korean spot in Sri Petaling where you only need to pay RM30 for freeflow pork BBQ
Feature Image Credit: Park IG on Google Review (Left)
