Seoul Barbecue: a must-visit eatery in Cairo

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Nuran Sami 

Photos = Nuran Sami

As time passes and methods of transferring cultures develop, Korea gets increasingly planted into Egyptians' hearts. That which we used to consider strange at some point is now perceived solely for its true value, received with love and deeply-rooted respect. As Egyptians are pretty content with their cuisine, their acclaim for Korean flavors, though newly discovered, is noteworthy. Recently, I finished a phone call with the owner of a really distinguished Korean restaurant in Cairo to get further information about a special place that should be your eating destination next time you're in the Egyptian capital. 

Seoul Barbecue is the spot. This restaurant is located in Maadi, Cairo, and was founded 14 years ago, a while after the owner's other branch in Haram, Cairo, was launched 25 years ago. Seoul Barbecue's taste is truly authentic and identical to what you may taste in Korea. Kudos to the Korean chef who's responsible for preparing and monitoring how the food is done there, in accordance with the original Korean taste.

The place is nice and neat. It has a few Korean decorations and pictures hung on the wall, and a TV that always has KBS World turned on, whose target is international fans of Korean pop music, in order to satisfy the desires of the passionate K-pop lovers who come to the restaurant. 

The menu is well-varied. It has a diverse collection of Korea's most popular dishes and types that might cause a bit of culture shock to Egyptians in Korea, yet it's observable that Egyptian people tend to be really open about trying anything Korean in the sense of craving and belonging to the place they love the most. For instance, the cow tail soup and tongue meat sound very unfamiliar to Egyptians. Egyptian traditional cuisine, nature and habitual eating routines impose that. Yet, everything gets ordered since the prices are reasonable to a fair extent, based on Egypt's currency. The menu has a Chinese food section since that cuisine is widely admired in Egypt. There's a soup that's very close in taste to an Egyptian soup, which makes this section of the menu attractive to both Egyptian and Chinese people alike. Concerning the ingredients used, 80 percent of the culinary components are imported from Korea, and the other 20 percent is basically local vegetables.

It's a great choice for non-Egyptians who don't use Egypt's currency during their stay in Egypt to get groceries or day-to-day homemade meals. The prices are pretty similar to prices in Korea or the U.S. For example, a full-course meal like bibimbap costs EGP 95, which is equal to KRW 5,834 or USD 5. Korea's most popular alcoholic beverage, soju, is EGP 130 (USD 7), gimbap is EGP 50 (USD 2) and bulgogi is EGP 125 (USD 7). Seoul Barbecue offers six side dishes free-of-charge that vary between soybeans, mung bean pancakes, soybean sprouts, seasoned spicy spinach and cucumber salad, to name but a few. They can change from time to time, but the number is static. Free complimentary dishes or appetizers are rarely seen in Egypt's foreign or indigenous restaurants, so that's a plus. The best part relating to monetary concerns is that you only pay for what your order, there's no value-added tax (VAT) or implied tipping added to your bill. Tips are optional. 

The bill comes in a little box that seems pretty interesting to me. Thus, I asked the owner about it. It was the owner's idea, and the source of her inspiration is the fact that when Koreans come to Egypt, they usually buy souvenirs from Khan el-Khalili, a traditional market in Cairo that attracts a lot of tourists. Such souvenirs and bric-a-bracs are of historical and cultural heritage in Egypt. The boxes in which your bill comes look similar. In addition, she's come to notice that the most loved item by many diners is a handmade box. Therefore, she managed to simulate the original antique boxes in order to broaden clients' perspective, enhancing their love of Egypt by the functionality of this small tool, as a keepsake from Egypt. 

I have tried three dishes off the menu there so far: bibimbap, gimbap and tteokbokki. It was a very pleasant experience for me, so I decided to have an in-depth look into it and share it with all the Koreaphiles who come to Cairo! 

See you there.

wisdom117@korea.kr

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