Sonamu delivers up Korean delights

It's not often that I wholeheartedly recommend a restaurant, but for Sonamu, a Korean place at the relatively new five-star hotel Asiana in Deira - yes, Deira - I'm more than happy to make an exception. That's not to say that the restaurant is perfect, just that a meal here will surely offer a new experience, as well as the chance to sample some really cracking flavour combinations and ingredients. The authentic menu features a number of set meal options, salads, a selection of Korean pancakes and specialities, meat and seafood grills, noodles, hot pot dishes to share and various cuts of meat (primarily beef), which are cooked in front of you on a brazier grill. Soon after settling ourselves at a sunken wooden table at the back of the room, we were presented with a little bowl of chilled seasoned water swimming with slices of chilli and cucumber. I was sceptical when we were instructed to drink it, but it was fantastic - cleansing, refreshing, hot and sour with a lasting vinegary tang; a really welcome precursor to what was to be a great meal and the perfect primer for our taste buds. No sooner had we slurped the last of this and placed our order than a tray containing a pretty array of condiments - spicy kimchi, tart soused bean sprouts, wilted spinach and salted, crisp fried fish - was placed in front of us. The idea is that you use these items to tweak and customise dishes to your liking, but they looked so appetising that we couldn't resist digging in and trying them on their own. Selected from the list of Korean specialities, a large bowl of stir-fried kimchi arrived next and immediately impressed. Slices of meat, spring onions and vaguely crunchy kimchi were served steeped in a spiced tomato sauce and topped with slabs of quivering, white tofu. The plainness of the bean curd provided the perfect foil to the assertive, hot, slightly sweet sauce and we finished off far more of the dish than I'd initially expected us to. Far less robust but just as interesting was a delicate bowl of hwe salad, which featured slivers of raw fish tossed together with tangles of raw cabbage, radish and carrots, all bathed in a lime, sesame and soy dressing. It was as light and restorative as the previous dish was hearty and filling and we liked them both very much. Following our Filipino waitress's recommendation (who told us that although she'd never tried Korean food before working here, she had sampled the whole menu and now loved the cuisine), we ordered the "dolsot" bibimbap as one of our main courses. Her advice was spot on. A sizzling hot stone pot filled with unctuous, soft rice topped with mushrooms, shredded vegetables, eggs, nuts and sesame seeds was quickly presented to us before being discerningly mixed together at the table, with a spoonful or two of fiery chill paste added for good measure. The first mouthful of this rice concoction was delicious, but for me, the very best bit came at the end, when we scraped away at the crispy, crunchy golden brown crust that had formed along the bottom of the bowl.