Tae Yang Island @ Cyberjaya ~ Cooking Moment

By Aiman Azri

When wondering where to eat, Cyberjaya is probably not the first place that comes to mind. It's especially not where we were expecting to find some Korean cuisine - but that�s exactly we enjoyed at the recently opened Tae Yang Island.

We started with the Gim-mari (RM8) as an appetiser, deep-fried seaweed rolls stuffed with Korean glass noodles. This turned out to be almost an inverse of crunchy food - the exterior is soft and chewy, while the centre is crunchy. Texture aside, it's quite delicious for whetting the palate.

Next came the Spicy Chicken Wings (RM10 for 4 pieces). It was only mildly spicy for us, but our threshold for fieriness could be relatively high. The chicken was nice and tender, and the sauce was tasty. But some customers might prefer food that scorches their tongues with the heat of the sun.

The Beef Bibimbap (RM15) is served in a bowl that�s packed tightly with more food than the eye might behold. The beef is cooked well through, delightfully flavourful. All the vegetables taste fresh too, and the thick gochujang paste is delectably spicy. With all the rice layered beneath the beef and vegetables, this is a complete meal package for your money�s worth.

Finally, the Fried Chicken & Tteokbokki (RM48) is suitable for two or three patrons, coming with deep-fried chicken, rice cakes (tteokbokki), vegetables, fish cakes, chicken sausages and cheese, served in a pot that's filled with kimchi soup cooked at your table.

The outer ring of the pot features the chicken, cheese and kimchi soup, which meld together really well once cooked. The savoury flavour complements the meat�s juices and the soup's spiciness. We also just really like seeing the cheese melt and ooze. Mmmmm.

The middle of the platter offers up the rice cakes, noodles and an assortment of meat. The rice cakes are pleasurably chewy, while the springy noodles go really well with the soup.

As for drinks, we were highly recommended the Dragonfruit Longan (RM6.90), a refreshingly fruity and pretty drink.

Tae Yang Island has been operating since 15 May this year, and we hope it flourishes for a long time to come. Thank you to the restaurant for having us and our appetites.