#ewew tries Ottogi Instant Noodles

I recently came to be acquainted with this particular brand of instant noodle after our first visit to Don Dwae Ji Sam Gyeob Sal where we had a super enjoyable Korean BBQ meal.

Since our meal was so satisfying, not to mention great value for money, it was easily predictable that we would return again at some point (and we did...and this time my husband came along too).

The All-You-Can-Eat Korean BBQ was still at a great price of RM29.90+ (drinks not included) on our second visit.....and still as good too.

The same banchan was served but instead of the usual ten, one was noticeably missing...the Korean-style hard-boiled (or soy-marinated) eggs (must be due to the shortage of eggs we had at one time...lol).

Oh well, as long as our favourite banchans, the sweetish, fragrant nuts and exceedingly juicy pickled radish are still among them, we're content.  These two, we asked for refills, of course.  In fact, these are the very two banchans that are bottled up for sale.  So you can get a jar and bring the flavours home with you.

We managed one refill of each type of meat...the non-marinated meats (of pork belly and pork shoulder loin except the sausages) and marinated meats (of pork and spicy chicken) coz my husband was present to help this time).

We also made sure we got refills of onions, garlic and green chillies coz those (when grilled) are great accompaniments to the meats.

My husband's favourite meat was the spicy marinated chicken (coz meats that are marinated are so much tastier, he said) while my son and I prefer the fragrant, charred pork belly.

Not only did we manage a refill of each type of meat, we also asked for a refill of the ramyeon (Korean-style spicy instant noodles) which we loved the first time round.  And that brings us to the subject matter (or focus) of this post...the instant noodles!

When settling the bill, we were able to take a peek and noticed that the brand of instant noodles used was none other than the Spicy Jin Ramen by Ottogi.

They can be found selling at Family Mart sometimes....and I'm sure they're in some supermarkets too but I find it most convenient to buy them from Shopee.  They come in a packet-of-five and retails for around RM15.90.

Its net weight of 120g means it's a bigger portion size than our Maggi (Big) instant noodles.  I find the portion just right (on its own) as a supper snack and even enough as a meal replacement when we feel like eating something light.

Of course, even more convenient is to get them in the cup noodles packaging but this we have to fork out more lah...about RM5 for one.  I stock both versions in my pantry.

Each packet of noodles comes with a (dehydrated) veggies mix (of green onions, shiitake and carrot) and a (powdered) soup mix.  For the cup noodle form, the dried veggies are already in the cup with the noodles, so you just need to empty the soup mix.

Pour hot boiling water up to the level indicated in the paper cup, close the lid, let it steep for 4 minutes...and your noodles will be cooked just right.

This is obviously for the nights when you're hungry for a supper snack and the words "washing up" is not in your vocabulary.

On days when I don't feel like cooking and want to make this as a meal replacement, I would cook it on the stove top so that I can add extra ingredients.  Cook the noodles as per instructions given on the packet and you'll end up with a noodle that's slightly chewy in texture.  I don't even bother to loosen them up with chopsticks while they're in the pan and it still comes out great.

This bowl of noodles I made with added fried egg, (restaurant-quality) fried fish cake and bok choy.....a pretty complete bowl of goodness that's super filling and satisfying.  I love the deep, rich and spicy flavours of the broth (made from beef bone stock reportedly).

This one is more simple with just (restaurant-quality) fried fish balls and daikon radish, finished with a spoonful of (store-bought) fried shallots.  I've actually never thought of adding radish before but since that was the only veggie I had in my fridge, I had to make do.

Surprisingly, it turned out to be a great choice as the softened radish soaked up all that lovely flavours of the spicy broth.  Since discovering this, adding radish to instant noodles has become more of a regular practice for me (plus radish can also keep way longer than greens).

The first time I made this, I held back on the soup mix and didn't put all in just in case it was too spicy...but it wasn't.  After that, I put everything in....it's actually quite spicy but a spiciness level I'm willing to tolerate.  Lagi pedas, lagi syiok...plus when it's pedas, it'll stop you from drinking up all the soup...which is a good thing, right? ;)

I love it for its chewy noodles and the deep, spicy flavours of the soup long before BTS' Jin's endorsement. Well, this instant noodle now has a legion of fans (obviously) and was reported to be sold out everywhere in Korea at one time (a predictable outcome when you have someone like a member of BTS as its brand ambassador!)...lol.

Now this Ottogi Instant Noodle is one of only two brands of instant noodles you're more likely to find in my pantry cupboards these days.  If you enjoy eating instant noodles in a spicy broth (like I do once in a while), you might want to consider giving this brand a go. ^.^

Don Dwae Ji Sam Gyeob Sal @ Sri Petaling

With a name like Don Dwae Ji Sam Gyeob Sal @ Sri Petaling (that one can hardly pronounce), it sounds like an authentic Korean BBQ already (I'm assuming it is since it's run by Koreans).

Although I really enjoy eating any type of BBQ (be it western, Japanese or Korean), I don't enjoy the heat associated with a BBQ experience.  That's because when we have Korean BBQ, most of us would choose a BBQ over hot coals to gas or electric for a better charred flavour imparted by charcoal.  The intense heat from the coals can really get to me even when the place is air-conditioned.

So, for once, we decided to try a Korean BBQ that uses an electric grill pan hoping for a more comfortable dining experience (without a free sauna...kekeke!).  Moreover, 3 things attracted us....the words "unlimited" and "refillable" (on their signboard) and the "attractive price" of RM29.90+ per pax (drinks not included).  We had Iced Korean Green Tea @ RM1.50 each (other choices include other flavoured teas, orange juice, soft drink, Korean beers and liquors like soju & rice wine).

Not long after we were seated (be early at dinner time if you want to secure a table immediately as there's usually a long queue during weekends), the banchan arrived.  I certainly wasn't expecting a variety of 10 types of banchan.  The quantity of each banchan given is based on the number of pax (it was just the two of us for dinner this time).  It may seem little here but know they're all refillable (refills are done by the servers).

Stir-Fried Potatoes (soft & tasty)

Seasoned Cucumber (well seasoned & crunchy)

Peanuts with Sweet Sauce (this was good, fresh, fragrant & sweetish...my son's favourite)

Soft Tofu with Korean Soy Sauce (very refreshing, nice tasting soy)

Stir-Fried Sausage (this is the same sausage in the meat platter except this one is coated in sauce)

Stir-Fried Green (or Long) Beans

Seasoned Radish (nice crunchy bite)

Korean-Style Hard-Boiled Egg (I've always enjoyed soy-marinated eggs)

Pickled Radish (this was excellent...not tart, not sweet, just very juicy and so thinly sliced...my favourite)

And, of course, Homemade Kimchi (ah, I finally found a palatable kimchi!)

There were also side dishes given.

Kimchi Pancake (this I didn't like)

Vegetable Basket of Green Coral (or Lettuce), Onions, Garlic & Green Chillies

Then came the meats.  You basically get 3 types of non-marinated meats of Pork Belly (sam gyeob sal), Pork Shoulder Loin (mok sal) and Sausages (so sae ji) and 2 types of marinated meats.

Marinated Pork (yang nyeom dwae ji go gi)

Spicy Marinated Chicken (dak gal bi)

For the non-marinated meats, you cook them on the cast iron grill.  Note that the meats come frozen, so it takes a bit more time to cook them.

As they defrost and cook, water seeps out from the meats, so make sure you scrape away the water (and discard it into the openings you find on the grill pan), otherwise your meats will boil/steam and you won't get a nice charring.

After we realised that, the meats achieved a better charring.  The pork shoulder loin is lean, so expect it to be a little on the dry side and chewy.  The pork belly (as usual) turned out the best (coz fat is flavour!) with a fragrant, smoky, charred finish and taste.  The so sae ji (so cute lah this pronunciation by Koreans) taste like any commercialised hotdogs.

And don't forget to grill the condiments of onions, garlic and chillies too.  The onions were especially good after grilling...soft, charred and sweet....and the addition of grilled garlic and chillies further perked up the taste of the grilled meats.

As for the marinated meats, you're supposed to put them on a piece of waxed, non-stick brown paper provided on a section of the grill pan.  This is to ensure that the marinade doesn't stick on the pan and blacken the whole grill pan.

When I first saw this method of cooking, I thought the marinated pork won't achieve the desired grilled marks seeing that they weren't in direct contact with the grill/heat but I was sadly mistaken.  As you can see from the photo, the grill marks were evidently achievable.

The same applied to the spicy marinated chicken.  They were well marinated and tasty but note that they use chicken breast.  I suppose breast meat is much easier to prep without the arduous task of removing the bones if other parts of the chicken were used.

This All-You-Can-Eat Korean BBQ also comes with unlimited ramyeon (Korean spicy instant noodles).  I really enjoyed this piping hot noodles and, not to worry, it isn't spicy.  I could see that this was a favourite with the patrons as many tables ordered refills (even a couple next to us ordered a second helping).  We were tempted too but didn't want to stuff ourselves with the noodles.

Of all the meats, we enjoyed the pork belly the most.  It tasted extremely good especially when wrapped in lettuce with a slice of pickled radish with the lettuce providing the freshness and the radish the juiciness.  I'm actually not fond of wrapping stuff in lettuce (like how some would eat sang choy bow, jiu hu char and arrowhead with pork belly in red fermented beancurd paste) and I've never eaten Korean BBQ this way (though I see it commonly done by most patrons).  I was already feeling full towards the end and there was still some meat left, so I finally experimented eating it this way and found it to be really good.  I think the extremely juicy pickled radish was the reason why I loved it as it took away the meatiness of the pork belly. It was so refreshing it opened up my appetite and I found myself able to eat a bit more than my usual quota!

Unlike other Korean BBQs, there's only one dip offered here...a bean paste chilli-type dip to go with your meats.  I don't really like nor need any dip unless it's my favourite sesame oil + salt dip.

The pickled radish was so good I thought they should bottle it and sell....and indeed they do (RM10 a bottle) along with their peanuts with sweet sauce (RM13) for those who can't get enough of these.  I think their homemade kimchi and seasoned cucumber are also for sale.  I was very tempted to get a bottle of pickled radish to take home but decided against it in the end since anything pickled means there'd be sugar to balance out the tartness.

Dining time is limited to 2 hours which is more than sufficient for a fulfilling meal.  You won't believe it when I tell you that we could probably be the only diners who didn't ask for any refills of anything! :O  When the price charged is so reasonable, we don't need to stuff ourselves silly just to get our money's worth...and that allows us to eat in moderation which is good! ^_~

My Personal Opinion

This is one Korean BBQ we know we'll be returning to for its decent taste, super reasonable price (when other places easily cost twice as much) and pretty comfortable dining experience.

Of course, because of the lower price point of around RM30 per person, the meat choices are limited and the quality isn't the greatest but judge it based on what they offer for that price and I believe it's excellent value for money with unlimited refills of everything from delicious ramyeon to pretty decent meats to 10 types of tasty banchan (but no to the kimchi pancake).  I don't think one can ask for anything more for that price! ^_~

On the way home, we were already making plans for our next visit.....and I already know what I want to focus on (or refilled...there'll be second helpings for sure when my husband comes along!)...the pork belly, pickled radish, ramyeon, vegetable basket (more lettuce for wraps and grill more onions, garlic & chillies) and some of the other banchan too (tofu, hard-boiled eggs and sugar-coated peanuts). ^o^

Don Dwae Ji Sam Gyeob Sal

No 91 77 Jalan Radin Tengah

Bandar Baru Sri Petaling

57000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-9056 2573