The taste buds of the Koreans can tell better than most Malaysians do when it comes to picking which is authentic Korean restaurant and which is not.

I sought the help of a Korean lecturer, Dr Lee Chul Woo to help out with our Authentic Korean food trail.

With the background information that he is providing about the Korean culture, we hope that Malaysians can better enjoy it the way the Koreans enjoy their cuisine a few thousand kilometres away from home.

We kicked off the food trail with MIDO Korean BBQ in SS2 Petaling Jaya. Its managing director, Cho Youn Ho, a young 30 plus year old man, is in fact, an engineering graduate from Taylor’s University who now sees his greater passion in the food and beverage business.

With Malaysia as his second home, Youn Ho decided to return to Petaling Jaya to set up the MIDO Korean BBQ. When we met with Youn Ho, we were already half way through the meal; he had arranged for his staff to serve us with some of his signature dishes.

The evening started off with some cold Shikye, which is a traditional Korean drink. The drink is a great way to chill away especially after a hot day. The drink is simply rejuvenating and refreshing.

A fellow student friend of mine, Chua Eng Keong managed to join us to try out some of the Korean cuisine. Chua is also a foodie fan. He particularly finds the Ginseng chicken soup (RM48) to be one of his favourites.

The chicken leg and pork BBQ (RM28) is served alongside with the lettuce. Without Dr Lee’s guidance, we would have just taken the chicken leg and pork BBQ meat separately only to find out that the meat was to be eaten together and wrapped in the leafy lettuce. What a healthy way to eat!

Between the pork and the chicken BBQ, all three of us prefer the chicken portion of it. The way it was done and the sauce that comes with the BBQ meat gives it just a perfect taste to the taste buds, coupled with the freshness of the lettuce.

Since this is a Korean BBQ restaurant, its signature dishes are mainly BBQ signature dishes. However, what I like is that they also serve vegetable salad in the house and it comes along with any BBQ dishes. I particularly like the Korean sauce that comes with the vegetables. This is all about eating healthy.

Typical of Korean restaurants, the banchan refers to a variety of dishes served in small portions. This is unique in Korean cuisine which helps to whet the appetite.

The banchan and an ice-shaven dessert known as Bing-su are also on the house when you dine at MIDO. Bing-su is the equivalent of our Malaysian ice-kacang but it has a different sort of ingredients and worth trying out.

What I like about MIDO is that it is not only to enjoy the food but children get to expose themselves to the Korean culture. Unfortunately, during the food tasting session, my children were unable to make it.

Before the meal, Eng Keong managed to put on the Korean traditional costume for a photography session. As a special request, he was allowed to pose with the costume enjoying the Korean cuisine.

To make it a more enriching experience for Malaysians, I am suggesting to Youn Ho to get his staff to adorn the Korean costumes themselves and speak a few simple Korean phrases.