Ahjumma’s Kitchen, Surabaya

It was my first visit to Ahjumma's Kitchen and I was thrilled. You know the standard of a Korean restaurant will not be the same when it is owned by a real Korean or when it has a real Korean chef, at least. The menu boasts a selection of familiar Korean food like ramyeon and bulgogi, to the less common finds like samgyetang and tangsuyuk. Set menu with rice is also available if you do not feel like sharing the main course. Fyi, it is not a KBBQ restaurant with smoke extractors - it still has stove on every table but the staff will cook for you instead.

Iced Ocha - IDR10,000
Sadly, the ocha is not refillable here.

They only gave free kimchi and lettuce. No other banchan, which I consider unfortunate in case of a real Korean restaurant :(

Boneless Pop Chicken with Sweet and Spicy Sauce (small size) - IDR42,000

The dakgangjeong sauce was not spicy but more on the sweeter side, unfortunately it somehow left a greasy aftertaste. The chicken meat was tender though, and it remained crispy after being untouched for some times.

Chicken Ginseng Soup - IDR80,000

I had never eaten samgyetang in Indo before. My first and last time eating it was at the famous Korea Ginseng Soup Restaurant in Seoul, thus I had set the bar high lol. The samgyetang at Ahjumma's was rather bland and I hardly detected ginseng taste. They put a whole chicken inside the pot, whose meat was so tender and easy to tear off from the bone. Still, the overall dish was delicate and warming.

Bulgogi Hotpot - IDR200,000

For those who are new to Korean food, I would suggest you to try this dish as you would find the taste suitable to your Indonesian palate. It is cooked before your eye, and unlike KBBQ restaurants, you can enjoy it smokeless. The beef was so tender and the bulgogi marinade was distinct. It also had some tteokbokki slices inside yayyy.

Coffee Bingsu - IDR43,000

Seeing the bingsu at Ahjumma's Kitchen got me reminiscing my Korean bingsu quest in Singapore 5 to 6 years ago. For sure, Ahjumma's bingsu is much more reasonably priced. The portion is big, enough to feed 4 people after the meal. The shaved ice was sooo smooth, even my mom and grandma who were first-timers to Korean bingsu got impressed. The coffee flavor was quite distinct and it matched perfectly with the sweet caramel ice cream.

In summary, Ahjumma's Kitchen is an authentic Korean restaurant worth returning to. The menu offers you the opportunity to try something more other than Korean barbecue. The staffs were also friendly and welcoming. Location-wise, Ahjumma's Kitchen is really accessible to where I stay, so I can imagine myself frequenting this place for bingsu or ahem, soju fix hehe.

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Jl. Manyar Kertoarjo 38

Surabaya, Indonesia

+6231-5946912

IG: ahjummaskitchensby

Opening hours: 11am - 10pm (Mon - Sun)