It’s no news by now that everything Korean sells big in Nagaland. Judging by the number of Instagram photos taken at Korean Uncle’s Café and the busy crowd even on weekdays, the Korean craze is definitely here to stay.
Korean Uncle’s Café or KUC located at 5th mile, NH-29, Dimapur is an unpretentious eatery serving classic Korean dishes. There are many popular Korean dishes priced competitively, which are not only good to eat but healthy too.
Before you even enter the café, there is a waffle counter on the side where the popular Korean street food “waffles” are served with a big dollop of cream! You could choose to have one on the go or order to compliment your coffee or green tea.
And if you are expecting only star struck Korean drama fans to show up at this café, you are wrong. Russian bikers on transit to Myanmar, foodies not only from Dimapur, but all the way from Kohima, Mokokchung and even Tuensang were seen gorging on bowls of Korean noodles and rice rolls.
Besides the wonderful food being served at this café, customers remark that the people working at KUC are welcoming and helpful. There is a special reason behind it! What most people don’t know is that besides the regular staff, KUC staff is mostly student volunteers from the Mission International (MI) India located at 6th Mile, Dimapur.
Andrew Park from Korea is the man behind this remarkable and charming Café. An excellent cook, especially in Korean seafood, Andrew has in the past trained several cooks at the MI India, Dimapur Canteen. With the rising popularity and demand for Korean food at the institute, he decided to set up a stall at the popular Nite Bazaar during the Hornbill Festival which was received successfully. Encouraged, he also set up stalls at the Dimapur Nite Carnival which was met with equal enthusiasm from the Dimapur crowd.
With many people expressing love for his food, Andrew was finally convinced in his food endeavour and decided to launch KUC. He says with pride that many people who are familiar with Korean cuisine or who have visited Korea have tried the food and said that the food standard is what one would get in Korea and even much better.
Andrew reveals that so far, even on a slow day KUC receives around 100 customers and on weekends it goes up to 350! He also reveals that the best selling items are Bulgogi (stir-fried bulgogi pork in a soy sauce marinade served with rice), Tonkatus (pork cutlets with rice), Bibim-pap (Rice mixed with vegetables and seaweed soup). He especially recommends Jokbal (dish consisting of pig’s trotters) which is another delicacy in Korea, and available only on pre-order basis. The menu here is limited but amazing. Andrew also shared that KUC menu was fashioned according to café food- easy and tasty food. He has more plans to launch a restaurant solely themed on classic Korean cuisine.
Emma, who is currently helping Andrew manage KUC is also a volunteer. She says that all the students at MI India lovingly call Andrew ‘Samchon’ which in Korean means Uncle. She attests to the fact that Andrew has trained and helped a lot of young students gain employment. She also slips in the little fact, which Andrew forgot to share. That the profits of KUC go towards the welfare of the students of MI India.
