The review was done after paying for the meal

We admins of Gurgaon Foodie find Korean food among our most favourite cuisines for lunch. The reasons are many. The food is light. It is spicy. It has tons of variety, most of which one does not have to pay for. It is not too expensive. And two of India’s best Korean restaurants are in Gurgaon itself.

The last time we had our lunch meeting was at Hahn and this time we decided to go to Gung for two great reasons – one was the fact that it was Korean food and the second was the clinching reason that Shefali was treating.

So we enter a somewhat dated looking restaurant, and settle into one of the private dining rooms, with a barbeque pit right in the centre of the table. Korean barbecue or gogi-gui is quite popular and Gung is one of the few Korean restaurants equipped with gogi gui, where beef, pork, or chicken are prepared on grills built into the dining table itself. The most representative form of is bulgogi, usually made from thinly sliced marinated beef sirloin or tenderloin, which alas is not available so (after struggling quite a bit with a staff that cannot speak English), we order pork belly.

Banchan is a collective name for small side dishes served with rice at the beginning. We start with some nine different small plates which include a superb kimchi (best in Gurgaon), steamed spicy beans, bok choy, potato, spring onions, egg roll, potato pancake and more, all of it free of course with the dishes. The starters are quite a treat.

Kimchi Jigae (Pork and Kimchi Stew; Rs 650) arrives first and it is delicious.

 Next comes Gochujang Samgyups (Spicy pork belly grilled; Rs 1200) straight on the grill. It is something we had ordered at Hahn too and it was cheaper and tastier there probably because of a better cut of meat, despite it being grilled fresh on the table here. Also for some reason Gung has discontinued serving the traditional broths with the starters and mains.

Gung also has lunch time specials called Set Menu with a main and a side for a pocket pleasing Rs 599. We decide to give it a try, though as it turns out, it is not such a good idea. Yang Galbi or marinated goat meat, in a sweet and savory sauce containing soy sauce, garlic, and sugar is far too sweet tasting and Yaki Mandu or Korean dumpling that look a lot like Chinese pot-stickers, is devoid of any seasoning so no fun.

We end the meal with a traditional Korean dessert called Patbingsu (Rs 120) which is shaved ice dessert with sweet toppings of chopped fruits, condensed milk, fruit syrup, and red beans. It tastes a bit like chilled sweet rajma chawal though the taste does grow on to you if one persists in eating it.

Gung is a viable option for lunch in Gurgaon. The Kimchi and Banchan small plates are great and the table barbeque adds to the fun.

Ratings (Out of 5)

Food: 3.5 | Ambience: 3.5 | Service: 3.0 | Value: 4.0 | Overall: 3.5

Meal for two: Rs 2500 | Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes | Wheel chair friendly: No

Address: SCO 28, Main Market, Sector 29, Gurgaon -122001. Tel: 0124 4383101; +91 9811911925