Between the empty streets of Road 218 and 233 of Maadi lies a secret K-Town that is home to many Koreans; an area where you can get the complete Korean experience thanks to the growing number of food businesses that have made sure that this place is governed by them. You can’t just stumble upon this town, you literally have to know of its existence beforehand as some of the restaurants don’t even have any signs or indications to what they are.
After visiting a few of their establishments and conversing with some of the locals in Koreatown, you find out that most Koreans aren’t into marketing or even taking pictures. None of their eateries have a social media presence, and some don’t even exist on Google Maps — which makes the process of finding them very rewarding. Upon walking into any of these hideaways, you will instantly feel warm because their setups seem as if you’ve just entered someone’s home.
A set of banchan, Korean side dishes that are eaten as appetizers — Via Ugly Delicious
Believe it or not, some of the Egyptian workers in the area speak Korean, which is solid proof of how Egypt is steadily growing to become a diverse country and a home to people from all over the world. International cuisines are very appealing to Egyptians, since the love for food runs in our blood.
Kimchi eaten as part of the banchan — Via Scoop Nest
I learned, in the best way possible, that Korean cuisine is to die for. I have completely fallen for their popular kimchi, not just in how it tastes, but in how it truly is a big part of their culture. You know how we always like a little bit of makhalil (pickles) on the side — that’s basically every Korean’s kimchi! The dish consists of sliced pieces of cabbage that are fermented with red chili sauce. Amid being Dora the Explorer in this part of Maadi, I stumbled upon Gaya, an eating house that has been dominating the area for 18 years. The place is filled with Korean and Egyptian customers, all gathered for barbecue — more specifically, bulgogi. If you don’t know what that is, it’s fine. Let me take you through a very short crash course. It’s pronounced buul-goh-ghee, and it’s marinated meat that is prepared in a sweet and savory sauce made of soy sauce, sugar and Korean pear juice. The meat is then slowly grilled on a barbecue, and voila!
Sizzling bulgogi meat during a Korean barbecue — Via Giphy
In search for other gems, I was exposed to a place that makes the best stews (AKA jjigaes) in town. Tucked away inside a small shop with no sign, no logo, no anything, is Tomato. I had a nice chat with the Korean owner, a friendly old man, whilst munching on banchan and devouring a kimchi jjigae. He revealed to me that he sells Korean products — from spices, noodles and such — at the store, and that I had to try Korean fried chicken whilst I was in the area. How could I refuse?
Chicken Kokio in Maadi — Via Cairo Scene
If there was one word to describe Chicken Kokio, it would be happy. This, indeed, is a happy place with bright colors, friendly people and great chicken. You get to pick the sauce, whether it’s spicy, soy, garlic or even just the basic original. Oh, and I cannot obsess enough over how crunchy the food is. I knew, as soon as I walked out of the place, I will be a different woman; one that might not necessarily order from KFC anymore (sorry, not sorry).
Korean fried chicken in a takeaway box — Via Scoop Nest
Koreans have a mind-blowing restaurant etiquette, but most importantly, they are extremely organized and clean. Take your favorite person and explore this Koreatown because it is absolutely amazing that we can have such an experience in Egypt.
