A lot of restaurants in Karachi have dabbled with Korean food in recent times because of the popularity of K-dramas and how it has influenced even picky eaters to wanting to try things like kimchi, beef gulgogi, ramen and more. However, not every place has done it right. Most either just introduce korean fried chicken on the menu or localise the recipes so much that it pretty much starts to resemble the noodle bowl you make yourself at home at midnight.with fridge leftovers.
However, Banchan has really broken through the clutter by offering a menu that not only offers the more familiar Korean food items like Korean Fried Chicken, bibimbap and ramen, it also has gone the extra mile in perfecting flavours for other innovative dishes like corn tempura, tuna pizza and more (which are considered more Korean fusion).
Here’s the low down on what to expect from Banchan and its menu.
Location
Banchan is currently located right next to BBQ Tonight, Clifton, Block 5.
Banchan - What's on the Menu?
This is the menu of Banchan in Karachi.
Banchan - Ordering Guide - What To Order - What To Skip
The menu at Banchan actually offers a lot of variety. There is sushi in the menu too! And it’s important to know what to order so you can have a good experience. We are listing our favourites first.
First up, the corn tempura. This has to be one of the best appetisers we have had in recent times. Sweet corn fried in batter and drizzled with sauce and it’s just really pleasing in terms of both flavours and texture. This is a must-order at Banchan.
Our second favourite is the tuna pizza. We know it sounds weird. However, the combination of fresh tuna, cream cheese with the crispiest flatbread just works and it completely surprised us in a good way. This will now be a must-order for us at Banchan.
The third – is obviously the main – which is Korean BBQ. We got the local meat – beef bulgogi and just 150 grams of it (which is the minimum you can order) and it just completely floored us with how buttery it was. In a bowl with all the sides (kimchi, sauteed broccoli, eggs, dipping sauce, rice) you will just keep having it and simultaneously wanting more.
In Korean BBQ, the meat is cooked live in front of you. You can either do this yourself or the servers will come to your assistance to do it for you. If it’s your first time we recommend asking the servers to help you.
Now for the skips. Since you are already ordering beef gulgogi in Korean BBQ, we recommend you skip the bibimbap in which the sides are pretty much what you will get when you are ordering Korean BBQ anyway.
Another thing we didn’t quite like was the Korean Fried Chicken for some reason. It had a brothy flavour to it when we really wanted a mix of sweet and spice.
The sushi is also something that will make you say you have had better and so will the tiramisu.
However, the things that Banchan does well – it does perfect and it undeniably makes it one of the best dinner places to go to in Karachi. We’d rate it a 9.5/10.
For reservations, Whatsapp them at 0307 2262424.
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