A Budget Korean Restaurant in Paharganj

How I found a budget Korean restaurant in Pagarganj area of Delhi and how I went in search of it...

Being from the Northeastern states of India makes it easier to fall in love with all things South Korean. The craze and popularity for South Korean dramas/movies/KPop/fashion/cuisine
is much more among the youth of North East as compared to the rest of India. Many Korean words have slipped into our vocabulary such as unni, oppa, noona, ajushi, aajumma, etc.

So it was quite natural for me to be always on the search and lookout for events related to South Korea happening in Delhi during the years I worked and stayed here. The same goes for Korean cuisine. There are not many Korean restaurants in Delhi. There are just a handful of them. A few of these high-end restaurants are quite expensive. These restaurants serve to the needs of the Korean expatriate. I have already visited some of them. One day while Googling randomly related to Korean interest in Delhi, I stumbled upon an article mentioning about a small South Korean eatery in Paharganj. I searched more on the Net on this particular eatery to be sure that it exist. After authenticating, I was ready to finally make my way to this South Korean eatery in Paharganj.

I have been forewarned in the articles/blogs on the Net I have read that it was a bit tricky to find the exact location of the eatery since it is located in the labyrinthine and maze of crowded Paharganj and if one was unfamiliar with the area it becomes further more tricky. So as not to end up going in circles, I looked up at Google Map for the location.

I got down at RK Ashram metro station. The area was new to me and I couldn't find my way to Paharganj from there. I enquired around by asking passersby. It is always better to ask 5/6 people about route/direction. In this way you can be certain that all are giving the correct direction. I always do that. Otherwise there is the chance for people taking you for a ride or giving wrong direction.

I hopped into a rickshaw and headed towards Paharganj. It was a sunny afternoon. Lots of people, vehicles, and animals coming and going in every direction. It was chaos at its best. The irritating honking of the vehicles was getting on my fragile nerves. The streets of Delhi are never empty. It is always choc-a-bloc any time of the day. The rickshawalla manoeuvred through the crowded street carefully dodging people, vehicles, and animals. As the rickshaw cycled along the Main Bazaar Road, I took in all the sights and flavour of the place. In one way or the other, Delhi never failed to amaze me or amuse me or stress me.

The rickshawalla stopped near a landmark in Paharganj. I got down. The rickshawalla waited for me to give him further directions regarding which way or lane to proceed next. I again enquired about the Korean eatery from the nearby shopkeepers. They suggested to enter the alley and then to take a left turn. I was still unsure as to whether to go as directed. Typical me! So I asked a cobbler nearby about the direction to the eatery. He pointed to the building on the left. I paid the rickshawalla and entered into the building.

Here's the thing. Inorder to go to the Korean eatery, one has to first enter the reception of a hotel and then take the stairs to go to the top floor where the Korean restaurant is located. Oopsie!!!😀

The basement and the stairs of the building were filthy and dinghy.  It nearly freaked me out. It looked almost like a den or a hideout of some criminals. The reviews on the Net also mentioned the same. 😆

While climbing the stairs, I kept hoping I was at the right place. When I finally reached the top floor and sunlight hit my face, I was relieved. The door of the Korean restaurant caught my eye. The door was nothing special. It was just like any ordinary door that one sees in Indian household. A good looking guy came out of the door.

I greeted, "Hello is this Shim Tur,  the Korean restaurant?"
The good looking guy responded smilingly, "Yeah, it is. Welcome!"

The relaxed nature and friendly vibe from the stuff made me instantly happy. I felt welcome. I got ushered into the Korean restaurant. It is a small eating place run by a Korean. The place had minimal decor with wooden tables and chairs. A bookshelf is stacked with Korean novels, magazines, and comics along with some Lonely Planet edition. A huge map of India was hand drawn on another part of the wall. It's being a Korean restaurant, half of the people present were South Korean visitors (backpackers and tourists).

I took a seat in a big elongated table. The menu was immediately handed to me. The menu is in Korean, but it has English translation next to the Korean names. So it's not difficult to read the menu. Since before coming I had already decided what I would be ordering and so without wasting any time I gave my order. In the meantime, I was joined by three elderly South Koreans (two men and a lady). They were obviously on a visit to India. We got into a lively conversation. It felt good to chat with the elderly members from another country. I pointed out to the map on the wall when I was talking about Assam, the Indian state I came from. I guessed they wanted to see it on a book map. So one of the men and the lady got up and walked to the bookshelf to look for a travel book that had map of India. They found a travel book and returned to the table. They flipped through the pages. Finally one of them found the page where a picture of map of India was given. I pointed out "Assam" and even mentioned the names of the other Northeastern states.

They said in unison, "Assam is connected to the rest of India by such a narrow piece of land". I explained to them that it (the narrow stretch of land that connects the Northeastern states to rest of India) is called the Chicken's Neck. I shared many interesting tidbits about Assam with them and they also shared theirs about South Korea.

...and at last after a bit of waiting my order arrived on the table. I ordered Kimbap. It is Korean rice rolls. The Korean rice is wrapped with a weed and filled with assorted vegetables. It comes with many side dishes as well such as kimchi, omelette, etc. O Jing Oh Dup Bop is a roast squid with spicy sauce on it.
The elderly Koreans mentioned the names of each item.😊 I was relishing Kimbap. I asked about the weed that wraps the Kimbap. The man who was more chatty and outgoing than the rest informed, "It is a sea weed. It is green in colour." When I further enquired whether the weed is long or small in size, he drew a picture of the weed on a paper and showed it to me. Bless him!

kimbap, Korean rice rolls at Shim Tur 

oh jing oh dup bop at Shim Tur  

It was my first time having squid and I was somehow taking my time to eat it. The same man asked, "How are you finding the squid?" I laughed and replied, "It's chewy." There were different parts of the squid on my plate and I had no clue which part belonged to which part of the squid.😂 The same man helped the clueless me by drawing a picture of the squid on a piece of paper and then informed me which part of the squid I was eating. How thankful I was of him!🙏

I will cherish this beautiful moment spent with the elderly South Koreans. They were kind and full if charm. The man who drew the pictures knew perfect English and so it was quite a breeze chatting with him. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon spent with them at Shim Tur, the Korean restaurant.

Do you guys like South Korean cuisine?Have you visited this Korean restaurant, Shim Tur in Paharganj, Delhi? What other Korean restaurants in Delhi have you visited? Do let me know in the comment section.
Bon Appettit!

Thank you for stopping by!
Happy Travelling feet!

Nom nom nom: March 2014

©All content and images are copyright of Hema Hazarika (thehaflonggirl).