Alas, the hunt for new Korean places never ends! Though many restaurants in the city are already packed with loads of food options, there’s one special café quietly tucked away right under our noses. It’s where you can find authentic Korean dishes like never before, all made with Ajumma’s recipes!
Arete Cafe Is Where You Go For True Korean Food In KL
Helmed by Korean owner Sandy, this café is all about art and good, satisfying meals. Sandy herself is an artist, thus came along the idea for Arete- home to a good number of her own drawings.
The café exudes a warm comfort when dining there, especially with the team’s hospitality. Personally, it felt like having a meal at Ajumma’s home! As aforementioned, the dishes are not only authentically Korean, but they’re also affordable for the portions you get. Its style screams “sharing is caring”, where each dish is made to be eaten with friends and family.
Here’s what we tried:
Wolnamssam
This healthy yet delicious platter is a signature dish of Korean-style Vietnamese spring roll. It comes with brown and white rice paper, grilled pork and thirteen types of vegetables and fruits! It’s for a minimum of 2 people, where you can make the rolls on your own (the way you like best). Absolute must-try!
Mango Bingsu
One simply can’t go wrong with a bingsu finale. You get a generous helping of sweet mangoes atop creamy shaved ice, which makes for a refreshing treat!
Budae Jiggae
If you’re familiar with K-dramas, then you’ll probably recognise that this dish is none other than Army Stew. Consisting of ingredients such as tteokbokki, sausage, tofu, long beans, ramen and homemade spicy sauce with a fish soup base, this stew is big enough to feed two people! It’s sumptuous, hearty and made with lots of love.
Tteokbokki with Kkoma Gimbap
Who else loves tteokbokki? We know we do! This classic Korean appetiser is best had with kkoma gimbap, a rice roll with sesame, egg, pepper and carrot! Dip the kkoma gimbap into the tteokbokki sauce for a guaranteed scrumptious experience.
Hot Stone Pot Bibimbap
What’s not to like about bibimbap? It’s a comforting rice-based dish with a side of minced pork, vegetables, mushrooms and homemade kimchi. This dish also comes with a spicy sauce which you add to the bowl before mixing it all up!
Princkle Chicken
Oh my goodness, words don’t even begin to describe how indulgent this was! It’s essentially six pieces of Korean Fried Chicken covered in sweet cheese, onion and garlic powder. The best part- it’s not greasy whatsoever! A highly addictive dish indeed.
Sweet Potato Pizza
In an interesting twist to your usual pizza, this one consists of steamed sweet potato with cheese! It pairs brilliantly with the princkle chicken, as both are sweet yet manage to balance each other out. Don’t miss out on this one!
Injeolmi Waffle
Served with vanilla ice cream, this waffle is not something you’ll see everyday as it is made with Korean sweet rice cake! It’s texture is akin to mochi, perfect for curious sweet-toothed diners.
Adding to the authenticity of Arete Café, Sandy also makes fresh kimchi twice a week!
A Must-Visit Korean Spot
Besides food and art, there’s also a photo shop at Arete Café where you may get passport photos done (with a touch of Korean-style photo editing)! Every so often, Sandy also draws portraits of her customers and hangs them up on the wall.
What are you waiting for foodies? Save this hidden place and be sure to visit with your loved ones!
Arete Cafe
Address: B-G-13, Gateway Residences, Jalan Desa Kiara, Mont Kiara, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur
Opening Hours: 8.30am-8pm (Mon-Sat), 9am-5pm (Sun)
Contact: 03-64118335
Status: Non-Halal
Link(s): Instagram
