Dubu Dubu

Anyone who has ever watched “Dae Jang Geum” or “Jewel in the Palace” will know just how health related Korean food is. I found the series very fascinating and engrossing because of the many ingredients that go into each dish in the Royal Kitchen.

Over here, Korean food can be quite expensive and perhaps even more so than Japanese food but at Dubu Dubu, anyone can dine on Korean cuisine at affordable prices. Dubu Dubu is “tofu” in Korean and people appreciate the fact that Dubu Dubu offers healthy Korean cuisine.

At a food review there a few days ago, I was introduced to all their bestsellers at Dubu Dubu’s latest outlet in Quill City Mall and had a chat with their very amiable Executive Director, Mr. Wong Kah Yong who is of course very passionate about all things Korean.

Let’s have a look at their bestselling dishes first.

I am not a huge fan of Korean cuisine especially kimchi (I can’t even pretend to like it!) but there are certain aspects of Korean food at Dubu Dubu that I like and appreciate such as the liberal use of sesame seeds sprinkled on food such as Bulgogi and Pa-Jeon and they balance meat dishes with vegetables, thus ensuring each dish is truly healthy. I really liked Pa-Jeon a lot as it’s a crispy pancake filled with seafood, meat and vegetables. It’s filling and wonderful when dipped into a soy sauce with sesame seeds (bring on the sesame!).

Unfortunately, I didn’t take to the Spicy Toppokki which reminds me of penne, I thought it has a bit of Italian influence. This bowl of noodles was too chewy and springy for me. The Seafood Soondubu Jigae is undoubtedly one of the most ordered dishes at any Dubu Dubu outlet and it’s easy to see why, it comes with a generous portion of Dubu Dubu rice. The Spicy Wings aren’t as spicy as one would expect, they are quite addictive but like all Dubu Dubu food, best consumed when hot. In fact, Dubu Dubu recommends all takeaway foods be consumed within 2 hours.

So I managed to ask Mr. Wong Kah Yong some questions about Dubu Dubu and his thoughts on Korean food in general.

How would you describe Dubu Dubu cuisine?

Our Korean food differentiates from other Korean restaurants. We are not a table top BBQ restaurant. We want you to smell the same as when you walk out of our restaurant. We specialize in stews but we do have lots of other varieties like spicy wings, stir fries like Dak Galbi & Bibimbap. We like to think that we are providing value. Pricing is the differentiation factor. Korean food at RM40-50 per person is beyond the reach of most people. We want to make Korean food more accessible to people. (To this end), we have meal sets for 2 persons and 3-4 persons. They can have 2 mains, dessert and drinks, it’s a sampling of our most popular dishes.

How many Dubu Dubu outlets are there in Malaysia now and what are the expansion plans?

We have 8 in Malaysia now and we will be opening the next one in KK in mid-April. 4 more outlets will be opening in June.

Do you think Korean food is gaining popularity here as Malaysian are more aware of the benefits of consuming Korean food?

Definitely. Korean food is where Japanese food was 20 years ago. It has a lot of potential for growth. We like to cater for all in terms of pricing and our aim is to get ‘halal’ restaurant certification. However we are JAKIM certified. Some ingredients like Korean chilli paste are not ‘halal’ certified yet but we DO NOT use any porcine origin ingredients. 95% of the ingredients are sourced locally.

What’s your personal favourite Dubu Dubu dish?

Cheese Soondubu Jigae as I like the creaminess and it has a spicy and rich beef broth.

Who make up the majority of your customers?

We have a lot of college students to young working adults. We do have families coming in too but some children might find the food too spicy for them. We do have plans to come up with a kid-friendly menu.

Dubu Dubu presented the winner of its 3rd Year Anniversary wiggle and dance video contest, ‘Do the Dubu’, with her prize, an all expenses paid trip for two to Korea. The winner, Khuziatul Aifa binti Khairi will be going to Korea with her friend.

Dubu Dubu will remain a favourite Korean restaurant for all Malaysians of all ages and races for many more years to come. Watch out for more Dubu Dubu specials. For prices of the dishes featured here & more information on Dubu Dubu, please visit their website.