Sarang Korean café, Glasgow

I’ll have burnt through almost £32 in quick-fire ordering within about two minutes causing the nice man behind the counter to pause, raise his hands and ask: are you sure? Yeah, yeah I say, not really having a Scooby what’s coming but knowing that South Korea being the Galapagos of the culinary world it will be interesting.

Say five minutes later I’m tasting a white bread toastie oozing melted cheeses, spiced with gochujang paste and asking him: eh, peanut butter in this? “No, no peanut butter in it,” will come the reply. “Sweetcorn.”

Sweetcorn I reply, double taking it and seeing no sign whatsoever of a single sweetcorn amidst the two cheeses (mozzarella being one, the other being apparently un-translateable), onion and pepper. Maybe it’s Korean corn cheese, something I have read about, but never actually seen. Nor tasted (I think).

Anyway, sweet, savoury, oozy and certainly different, I’m thinking as I take a gulp of my Passionfruit Ada through one of these fat drainpipe straws, passionfruit seeds and some of those little texturey jello ball things rushing into my mouth to bolster it’s fruity sugary taste with every mouthful. Next …well before that let’s stop the music for a moment (Stay With Me: Chanyeol & Punch is currently being played here since you ask) to catch up on Sarang Korean Cafe. On Hope Street, slap in the middle of Glasgow.

(Image: Colin Mearns)

A mildly-mannered oblong of pop K-Culture; fake grass and mini trees in that alcove, pink walls, red striped wallpaper, cute slogans stencilled here and there, a neon sign saying in Korean and English: “It’s ok because I have you”.

And Korean corn dogs. What I actually came for but they’re sold out before I arrive hence this Yachae Kimbap (£8.60) I’m slowly working my way through. Known as Easy Kimbap, and popular in school-kids’ lunches (yeah I’m reading this from Google), these are vegetable, maybe, sushi. Kinda like California Rolls.

Except…I’m not actually sure if they are full-veggie. There’s something in the middle of each which could be micro omelette and could also be crab stick. My Korean Kitchen on the internet isn’t helping me decide if the crab is optional or not.

Easy KimbapEasy Kimbap (Image: Rom Mackenna)

Anyway, there’s also yellow radish pickle, burdock root, fine carrot, spinach and the whole thing, eaten in one moist mouthful, is beautifully scented with sesame oil and another ephemeral savoury, but unidentifiable flavour. Frankly, they’re light, faintly sweet, refreshing and completely and surprisingly delicious. I ordered a portion to try (and am surprised that there are ten pieces) and will end up eating every damn one.

Meanwhile, I have discovered one more surprising thing. Those cute little rabbit shapes on the Kimbap board are not actually handles, oops sorry about that, but shaped pickled radish, wobbly, sweet, sour and slightly sensational in their taste. Dang. Oh.


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Reeling from that K-Corn Dog disappointment earlier I ended up ordering the nearest thing available: the K-Dog (£6.80). This at least is easily recognisable: a croissant with a hot dog run through it, some cheese sprinkled over, maybe chilli powder and a sharper savoury, chilli paste undertone.

This disappointingly pretty much turns out like you would imagine a hot dog in a croissant to taste. Not meh, not special, just fine. A bit like those Pizza dei Giovanni with hot dog and fries you see in Italy.

K-Yachae toastieK-Yachae toastie (Image: Rom Mackenna)

Oh, the waiter guy has been back over and there’s incoming news: It’s omelette in the Kimbap, no crab stick at all. And, while he was here I got the recipe for that brilliant Green Tea Affogato I’ve just finished. 

Vanilla Ice Cream and Matcha powder. The powder mixed with water then poured over the ice cream. Really?, I’m saying on hearing this. That can’t be all. Given the flavours are so deep and complex, and well good, and therefore completely unlike the bitter-edge taste of matcha which I generally am not at all keen on.

“No that’s all that’s in it,” he says. So there you have it: Sarang in downtown Glasgow. Not really that much to it. But what there is, is pretty good.

 

 

Sarang Korean cafe, 183 Hope Street, GlasgowOpens: closes 6pm weekdays, 7pm Sat and Sun: shut Mondays.

Glasgow’s only Korean Cafe they say, I’m not sure about that, but what I am sure of is that the food is interesting: Green Tea Affogatos, Yachae Kimbap, K-Dogs and more from the country whose food is somehow familiar but somehow completely different. 4

Atmosphere: Cute little K-kitschy cafe right in the downtown, calm, comfortable and relaxing when I was in after the lunch rush. 4

Price: Yachae Kimbap: £8.60, K-Yachae £6.20, K Dog: £6.80, Green Tea Affogato: £4.70, Passionfruit Ade: 5.40 seems reasonable. 4

Service: One person on the counter; another in the kitchen through the back; nice people. 5

Food: They knock out a K-Yachae Toastie that will have you scratching your head to work out what gives it that flavour; a Green Tea Affogato that’s likewise, overall interesting and still a little bit different. 7