Saturday, November 16, 2013

Homey Korean food cooked by your next door Ahjumma

Sushi Bar Dehnheide

Note this name. I'm sharing a secret here. This is a place to go when you are not in the mood for cooking and just want to have a cozy meal prepared by an aunt. Operated in a run down Korean Imbiss,  Don't expect fancy fusion sushi a la Stefan Henssler or some high grade Korean BBQed rib eye and pork. No! this is all about the side dishes; imagine all the tasty Korean ban Chan, like Spinach salad, radish kimchi, bean sprout salad, stir fried green beans, Jap Chae, All those simple but so time consuming Ban Chan that Korean mothers made daily. 

I was there for lunch and ordered vegetarian Bibimbap. The Bibimbap is different and much simpler, no hot stone bowl, no rice underneath, no runny egg yolk, no mixing. But I love this version too, I got to eat all the element by themselves and got to appreciate their own unique taste. The scrambled eggs are fluffy, the green beans are crispy and nutty, the spinach are marinated only with sesame oil and salt and shine through the minimalist marinade. the bean sprouts are sour and sweet. The jap chae are succulent and absorb all the soy sauce taste. The Kimchi are fresh, spicy and a bit sour. Oh the rice, the star of the meal, succulent and sticky, love every bite of it. For €6,00 this bowl of bibimbap worths its every cent. 



I was there more than once and ordered a lot of bibimbaps. Everytime there're new surprises. The components are similar but the Ahjumma add or exchanged her side dishes often depends on what's in season. Talking about regional cooking here :-) 

One more thing, here's another hush-hush. I don't even want to write this. Otherwise we all the Barmbeker need to wait in line every Tuesdays and Saturdays. Because on these two days, the Ahjumma prepares her buffet meal. For dirt cheap €8,50 you got to eat to your hearts contents. It's of course rough and homey cooking. But they have enough selections e.g. kim bap and sushis, all these Korean ban chans, miso soup, deep fried chicken wings, bulgogi, my all time favourite zucchini and veggies fritters, fruits, deep fried bananas. 

One more tip, be on time! On 12 o'clock sharp they start their buffet. Even before that, people stand in line to stormed the buffet. A lot  of times we come a bit later and we really do need to queue waiting other people to finish or to share a table with other guests. Now, got an Idea, how loved they are by us the Barmbekers?

Sushi Bar Dehnheide

Barmbeker Markt 37-3822081 Hamburg040 297188