Wazwan in Itaewon, Seoul

The word Wazwaan is actually a combination of two words Waza’ and ‘Waan’. The first means “Cook” while the second translates into “Shop” and therefore the combination means nothing else but a restaurant. In olden days the kings in Kashmir used to be pampered by the Royal Wazwaan meaning the Royal Feast. A restaurant in Seoul has named itself the same and in some websites I did read up some good reviews. A friend had recently been there too and I was quite eager to pay a visit. So last Friday a colleague cooked up this plan of having an Indian meal out, and all roads led to Itaewon.

This restaurant is located just after you cross the Itaewon Mosque on your left and I am sure you will not miss it. Typical to South Asian restaurants in Seoul there was a television broadcasting a song and dance routine from a Indian Film The décor was typically Islamic with the table cloth having a silver bead work and the wall hangings. The propaganda of religion was all quite evident, but that’s a different story. It was neat and clean, the welcome was warm and that’s what matters. In size the restaurant was not too big, but I don’t seem to mind homely atmospheres.

Our main agenda was the food and I was not too disappointed that did not have a buffet. This would mean that we could choose a la carte and therefore not get stuck with a fixed set. Before I could blurt out any choice I heard my fellow colleagues rambling out their preferences where they had considered me too!! Taking opinions perhaps was not on their agenda. We had a vegetarian amongst us and I realized that he too was absolved from making any decisions except for the Nan and Rotes (Indian Breads).

The first that arrived on the table was a plate of rounded onion slices. They were juicy and cold and the ideal way to take off after dousing them with some lime juice and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper.
My vegetarian friend was sitting in front of me and therefore I had the added advantage of easy access to the vegetarian numbers too as they arrived. The first entrée was a Dal Makhani (Lentil/Pulses in a Butter and Cream based gravy) and that was reasonably good along with the Butter Nan. The Kadhai Paneer (Cubed Cottage Cheese in a spicy concoction of onions and capsicum) was delectable and the cheese was soft. The Nan was soft and nice but the Roti was no good and would require major improvement in terms of the proportions of mix, the mixing process for the dough to come into being. The baking controls also would need to be monitored unless they continuously want to serve large round crisp cookies!!

The Mutton Masala (Spicy Mutton/Lamb Curry) was not bad and I enjoyed the quality of meat served. The taste of the gravy was also good and was going well with the Nan. The Chicken Kadhai was good, and it tasted the same as the Paneer Dish as it was supposed to in any case. The only Kashmiri item in the menu ironically is the Rogan Josh that we had not ordered for!! The Gosht (Mutton) pepper fry in the menu could be termed as one but not for the Kashmiri experts!! The Seekh Kebabs (barbecued minced meat with herbs) were good too!!

At the end of the meal my friends embarrassingly asked for a discount and even tried calling up the owner. I was feeling a bit out of place but I attributed that to an over dose of Korean alcohol, though not condoning the activities. The Kulfi (Indian Pista based Ice Cream) at the end instead was a quick response by the restaurateur and we consumed the same.

If somebody asks me whether I would like to go back to Wazwan, it would be a “Yes”. For one, I could not try out the items of my inclination (and more since I was supposedly visiting a Kashmiri joint). The food was overall good and each dish was definitely different in taste and look. However, perhaps due to local taste adjustments there is a bit of sweetness in their dishes that should be avoided. Overall I would rate it with a 5 on 10 and I am being very liberal. Hope you agree!!

Related links:
1. http://seouldays.blogspot.com/2006/02/indian-restaurants-in-seoul.html
2. http://seouldays.blogspot.com/2006/02/lazy-sunday-talk-sunday-has-arrived.html
3. http://seouldays.blogspot.com/2006/03/friday-evening-at-chakraa-itaewon.html Sphere: Related Content