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May 13, 2004
Inside the secret garden
Chinese cuisine won the hearts of Pakistanis decades ago, so much so that today, people from practically all stratas of society have acquired a taste for it. In fact, slowly but surely, Far Eastern cuisine has been making inroads into the wide range of epicurean offerings available locally, what with Japanese and Thai restaurants catering to a die-hard niche market. The latest to join the bandwagon is a Korean restaurant. Although admittedly, one or two have been around for a while Bee Won seems to have what it takes to make a mark on the gastronomic scene in Karachi.
Located within the premises of the Railway Club, it seems to be unfortunately getting known more by the name of a popular health club established there than by its own name, which incidentally has a very sweet meaning — secret garden. With the well-maintained garden overlooking the beautiful colonial building forming the better part of the restaurant facility, its name seems to be very apt.
The ambience is quaint and attractive, with both outdoor and indoor seating available, although it seems that the indoors will be catering more to foreigners eventually. So far, the bulk of the outdoor seating is spread over the concrete flooring flanking the garden. Covered by a black canopy supported by bamboo sticks, with artificial leaves and grapes adorning it, there is a festive and informal air about the place.
Rectangular wooden lamps on either side of the tables and stained-glass effect windows overlooking the dining area within, and revealing marble torch-shaped lamps decorating the window sill add to the ambience of the outdoor section. Indoors, a huge tree decorated with apples and leaves sets the informal tone of the eatery.
Five types of vegetarian appetizers are served complimentary as soon as guests make themselves comfortable, the idea being to tax the stomach gradually, rather than all in one go. Ranging from radish, cabbage and imported mountain leaves to bean sprouts and potatoes dressed in traditional flavourings, it is the last that is probably the closest to the Pakistani palate, tasting almost like ‘maasalwalla aloos’ but with red and green capsicums.
The food is served in a unique way. Instead of the soup being served first, it is brought last, to wash down the wholesome meal. Barbecued items, if selected, are brought first, followed by any other entree that might be ordered. And you eat out of quarter plates rather than the regular full size ones. As we had opted for barbecued prawns, chops and fish, we were served these piping hot, straight from the spit. All three items were delicious, tender and delicately flavoured, particularly the fish and chops.
Korean rice is served complimentary with the curried entrees on offer. We selected Chicken Sauce, which comes with a choice of two types of sauces: sweet and sour, and hot and spicy. We opted for the latter and were not disappointed, although the platter is far from spicy. While the portions of the barbecued items are not particularly large, the chicken serving is ample and eaten with rice is extremely filling. The owner rightly warned us not to order another entree, for it was difficult to polish off just this one, among the three of us.
The soup turned out to be a major disappointment, although I suspect it is likely to be a hot favourite with Koreans for it is overwhelmingly authentic-tasting. We had opted for the Kimchi Tuna soup at the owner’s recommendation, but might have been better off with the chicken and noodle soup also on offer. As it was, we tried to down it by consuming it with rice, which did help, but wasn’t the best way to end an otherwise delightful meal.
Eating ala carte at Bee Won comes to roughly Rs300 a dish. However, the good news is that the restaurant is planning on introducing the first Korean barbecue buffet in the country by the middle of this month, which will also be offering salads and other entrees at roughly Rs400 per head. That should be a definite treat for gourmands. Meanwhile, be warned, the restaurant is only open for dinner.
Those with a sweet tooth, unfortunately, will find that there isn’t anything exciting on offer to tickle their taste buds. So, unless desserts are introduced for the buffet, be prepared to satiate your desire for that delectable piece of chocolate-something, elsewhere.
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