Wang Ga Ma is an authentic Korean restaurant specialize in Korean stew. As they call themselves “Royal Village, King of Hot Pot”. It is located in the same plaza as H-Mart, Coquitlam. It’s very close to Kimbab Cheonguk. Also, just across the street from Black Milk Water cafe.
My first encounter with Korean stew was the Korean Spicy Soft Tofu Stew. It’s usually a small pot of spicy tofu stew with a raw egg inside that cooks slowly, served with a bowl of rice on the side. Ever since I tried Wang Ga Ma, it has become my go-to place for Korean stew on a cold day.
Cozy Atmosphere with wood finishes
The interior finishes are heavy on wood. This gives patron a warm feeling. It’s perfect to go along with the stew. Customers come here in the winter to warm up. The table is seemingly web, but it’s just wood varnish to keep things clean.
Everything is placed on top of a thick wood coaster. The soup and rice are very hot. Be careful not to burn yourself. They give each table a large jug of water and a cup of tea for each customer. Utensil includes chopstick, a long spoon, a tong, and a pair of scissors.
Fresh Fermented Kimchi
Side dish is simple, consist of Kimchi and Kkakdugi (Cubed Radish Kimchi). They come in whole, and each table are provided tong and sharp scissors to cut them. It adds a sense of freshness to the kimchi. I know… how can fermented food be fresh. I think it’s an illusion from the crunchy texture.
Galbi-tang, the beef soup is full of flavour
I ordered #3 Galbi-tang. This is Korean soup made from beef short ribs and stewing beef. There are eggs, onion, daikon, and glass noodle inside. The soup tastes wonderful. It’s full of beef flavor.
There are two pieces of large beef in my soup. I took a shot to show the beautiful marble on the meat. The tendon on the side is very nice.
Biting into it, I can feel this solid piece of meat. It’s very thick and cooked to just the right tenderness. I can feel my teeth breaking each muscle strand. It was very satisfying.
This piece is the ribs. The bone shows the original thickness. We can see the meat shrunk quite a bit after cooked. We can verify the meat was cooked perfectly by biting the tissue around the bone. It only take one bite to break the link, and enjoy this entire meat. It’s effortless. Very nicely done.
Kimchi-Tofusoup
This kimchi tofu soup is made of soft tofu. Kimchi provide tangy taste. Moterate salt enhanced the sourness, which complement its spiciness perfectly.
Rice is also a big part of this meal
Every order of soup comes with premium rice in a stone bowl. They are served with a lid for patrons to open. Remember, the stone bowl is extremely hot. Do not burn yourself.
The rice has a good stickiness to it. I believe it when they say it’s premium rice. They are completely opposite from the non-stick rice they use for food court fried rice. If you just take a scoop of rice and chew it for 30 seconds, you will be able to taste the difference.
Interesting way to eat the rice
We mentioned the stone bowl is very hot. In fact, it kept cooking the rice as we enjoy our soup. When we at most of the rice in the bowl, the outer layer becomes burnt, and very hard to get off. This is when we pour cold water or tea into it.
The liquid softens the “over cooked” rice so they are easier to separate from the bowl. If you take a bite at the rice, you will know that the rice is intentionally burnt to give us more flavor. This is a very interesting experience.
Menu
604 Food Critic Assessment
If you go for the bare minimum, each soup (with rice) is going to cost you about $15 per person. The soup is very well made, so it’s way worth the price. The waitress was busy. Every time she comes to our desk, she apologizes for her lack of service. This is a down to earth authentic Korean restaurant just like Kimbab Cheonguk. This is not a Michelin 3 star restaurant. It is not fancy and has no gimmick. The price we pay goes towards good food. We really recommend this restaurant.
How to get in touch
Phone: (604) 936-6866
Address: 329 North Rd, Coquitlam
