Authentic Korean Cuisine at Hyu Restaurant

Annyeonghaseyo! :) 

I was again on my foodie trail with a mission to find more authentic, not-so-popular and not crowded, specialty restaurants in Dubai. My restless feet and my "always hungry" tummy lead me to Hyu, an authentic Korean restaurant tuck in a secluded area in Oud Metha. 

On a weekend, Ed and I went out before dusk and embarked on a quest to find Hyu in Oud Metha. We have only heard about the Korean restaurant days before our visit. We actually didn't know that a certain restaurant exists in the area! I didn't want to spend so much time searching for the restaurant on Google map, so I used a Lifeline (phone a friend) for directions. :) Hyu is a short walk from Oud Metha metro station, the station where we leave or ride the train whenever we go to St. Mary's Church. It is located at Garden Home building which we always see from the main road, but Hyu is hidden at the back side; away from the busy streets of Oud Metha.

With the directions given to us, Ed and I easily found Hyu. We were early for dinner; in fact, the restaurant was completely empty when we arrived. Hyu is a very simple restaurant, nothing fancy! There is a grill station built in every table for Korean BBQ, and that's what I was looking forward to.       

Upon placing our order, a Korean wait staff gave us five complimentary side dishes and a  bowl of  soup. We devoured the little servings of spicy tofu, kimchi, pickled peppers, strips of fish cake and a creamy apple-cucumber-carrots salad. 

We were halfway through the starters when the thin strips of marinated meat was brought on our table. I was too excited to place the meat on the grill station, but my bubble burst when the wait staff politely told me that it should be her job! While she was doing "her job", I asked her again if I could take over. Stubborn eh? Nah, I'm just too fascinated with live-cooking stations. And so, the appetizers were completely  forgotten as I focused on our Korean BBQ! :)

As the staff assigned to assist us prepared our Bibimbap, another Korean wait staff took over with the grilling. Everybody were so attentive, probably because we were the only diners that moment or it could be their natural way of serving their customers. 

Bibimbap is a Korean dish which means 'mixed rice'. In Hyu, it was served in a traditional way; white rice topped with meat and vegetables in a hot stone bowl. A special sauce was poured over, thoroughly mixed and was handed over to us when it was ready to eat. Hyu's bibimbap was filling and very satiating! It was meaty, tasty and loaded with veggies. My dinner was complete with bibimbap alone! 

When the grilled meat was already cooked, the thin strips were cut into bite size pieces. Since it was our first time in a Korean restaurant, we asked for "eating instructions". We were told that the traditional way is to wrap the meat with lettuce, add the pasty sauce, slice of garlic and hot pepper. I prepared my Korean lettuce wrap with less sauce, no hot pepper and it was perfect for my liking! The sauce was tad spicy and the fresh-off-the-grill meat was a bit greasy, yet I still couldn't stop myself from munching! 

Just as we were about to finish our Korean dinner, three large groups of Koreans came. Hyu must be their secret dining spot that other nationalities discovered and loved! I would describe our dining experience at Hyu as totally authentic. All the staff are Koreans, most customers are Koreans and dishes are prepared in a traditional Korean way! 

The Bill:

Bibimbap: 50 AED

Samgyubsal (Korean BBQ): 50 AED

Cola: 5 AED

Water: 5 AED

Location:

Hyu Restaurant

Garden Home Building, Ground Floor

Oud Metha, Dubai