With food festivals finally making a comeback in the city, Kampai’s Korean food festival is not one to be missed

The one thing I had been missing, even after restaurants started opening their doors, were food festivals. It’s great to see food festivals coming back in full swing in our favourite restaurants across the city. Kampai – our go-to place for authentic Japanese is now hosting a month-long Korean food festival. 

Known for their delectable spread of Japanese cuisine, they surprised us with their small yet varied Korean festival menu. 

We were in for a blast of Kimchi for the night, but really how much kimchi is too much kimchi? From our drinks to the main course to the sides, we clearly couldn’t get enough of it. 

Not surprisingly, we started our dinner with the Pork Kimchi Soup. The broth was heavenly and just the right amount of tangy and spicy. With a good amount of kimchi and pork, this one is quite fulfilling and you do not even realize the when you have finished your bowl. 

This was followed by their Yachaejeon (vegetable pancake). I have been trying to master the art of making this at home, and I will admit that it was not even close to how crispy this was. Served with soya sauce, it adds to the flavour of the pancake. 

One thing that stood out for us was the order in which our food was served. They didn’t have any curated menu for us, so we wanted to try their entire festival menu. Instead of serving it in the order of their menu, they mixed it up, which gave us a variety of taste. 

We were served the Pork Tangsuyuk next which is saute meat in sweet and sour sauce. This one has a homely taste to it and is very comforting. The dish has pineapples and zucchini served with it, which quite pleasantly goes along with the pork. 

To gulp our food down we ordered two cocktails from their festival menu – Kimchi Bloody Mary and Makgeolli Cousin. 

Kimchi Bloody Mary is one sick drink. For those who like to experiment with their alcohol, this one is for you. As the name suggests this is served with Kimchi and topped with seaweed and makes for quite an interesting drink, just like it looks. Soju, vodka, balsamic, kimchi, tomato juice, this one surely had a kick to it. 

The Makgeolli Cousin on the other hand is a no brainer. There is nothing to dislike about this cocktail with soju, vodka, rice water shrub and tonic. With its mellow taste, it goes perfectly well with kimchi.

The bar is open and jazzes up the vibe of the interior. While they have outdoor seating as well, we chose to sit inside. One can enjoy their own private space as well with their varied different kind of seating arrangements. 

Next, we tried the Bibimbap, one of my go-to Korean dish. A meal in itself, this one was exactly as expected, perfect. The rice bowl is loaded with sauteed veggies and served with spicy gochujang. The sunny side up egg on top makes it even more flavourful. It’s as much fun mixing the rice bowl as eating it.

We tried the Lamb Bulgogi next. The marinated slices of lamb sauteed with onion mushroom carrots and spring onions is not as spicy as it looks. Served with lettuce, this one is easy to eat and perfectly blends tang with spice.

Perhaps the best dish of the dinner was the Jjampong. The spicy seafood noddle soup was soul-satisfying, to say the least. If you enjoy seafood, the aroma of this will leave you craving for more. The squid and the prawns with the spicy soup is a  treat that one shouldn’t miss. 

We ended our meal with their Pork Kimchi fried rice and Dak-galbi, both of which are popular Korean food. The kimchi fried rice is one of my comfort food and it delivered beyond expectations. The latter is spicy stir-fried chicken and went perfectly well with our last few sips of the cocktail. 

Review was done on  invitation

Address: Kampai, Aerocity