Ranajit Dam
GIVEN how short Shenzhen’s own history is, Arirang Korean restaurant could claim to a be a veritable city institution. Situated across the road from Shanghai Hotel in the Huaqiangbei area, the restaurant has been serving local Koreans and fans of Korean cuisine since the 1990s, long before Coco Park, Central Walk and their ilk appeared on the scene. No doubt readers are wondering why it had not been reviewed previously, and the reason behind this probably lies in its familiarity; having been a fixture of the Futian landscape for so long, it was never “new” and therefore not considered particularly review-worthy.
Determined to right this wrong — at least on the better-late-than-never principle, if nothing else — we finally made it to Arirang for lunch earlier this week. Located on the second floor, the restaurant is spacious and surprisingly empty for lunch. When we arrived, the only other diners appeared to be Korean businesspeople, one sign that the restaurant was authentic enough. Another sign is that in Arirang, food is eaten using stainless steel chopsticks and a long-handled shallow spoon — similar to the Western spoon, and different from the Chinese soup spoon — Korea having used spoons for eating since at least the 5th century. This is all very good, unless the diner is a novice user of chopsticks, in which case he or she runs the risk of causing serious self-inflicted injury with the pointed steel chopsticks.
Just a quick note on the name of the restaurant: Arirang is named after arguably the most popular Korean folk song, both inside and outside Korea. The name of the song, indeed the first line itself (Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo...), has no meaning, but the restaurant helpfully provides the first verse in case you want to learn it.
On to the food: An essential part of any Korean meal is banchan, the collective name for the small side-dishes served along with the main courses. Banchan is set in the middle of the table to be shared. The most famous banchan is of course kimchi, which comprises fermented vegetables, usually napa cabbage, seasoned with chili peppers and salt. Arirang also serves other kinds of banchan in the form of assorted marinated and stir-fried vegetables, tofu simmered in soy sauce, stuffed and pickled cucumbers, and “noodles” of white radish in a sweet vinegar sauce.
As for the main courses, Arirang offers a wide variety, albeit slightly on the expensive side. Soups start from 38 yuan (US$5), stewed or roasted mains can set you back by about 98 yuan if you choose the prawn option, and the oyster hotpot is 179 yuan. Looking for a quick and affordable lunch, we ordered two different kinds of stone pot rice, or bibimbap. The word “bibimbap” literally means “mixed rice” or “mixed meal.” It is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with sautéed and seasoned vegetables, meat, a fried egg, and chili pepper paste. Just before eating, the ingredients are stirred together thoroughly, making for mixture of tastes guaranteed the excite the senses.
The stone pot rice (48 yuan) is certainly recommended, lighter and more delicate than you’d expect, although it is a little low on the meat. Also getting the thumbs-up is the goldongban (68 yuan), the Korean royal court version of bibimbap, comprising boiled rice mixed with steamed vegetables and roast beef. While it’s true that we did go for uniformity of choice, the two bowls of stone pot rice were good enough for us to contemplate a return to try other options on the menu.
So, in short, here are the reasons why should visit Arirang: Food authentic enough for it to be popular among Koreans, a large menu with lots of options, and of course the fact that its been open for so long which means it can’t be all that bad. Oh, and if you’re not great at handling chopsticks, you might want to ask for the disposable wooden variety.
