bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Susan Jung

17/F Lee Theatre Plaza

99 Percival Street, Causeway Bay

Tel: 2881 6823

Open: 11am-11.30pm

My South Korean friend was excited when she heard we'd be having lunch at Sorabol, which is part of a famous chain in South Korea. This restaurant (there's also a branch in the Miramar Shopping Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui) is known among expatriate South Koreans for its high quality food at expensive prices.

We were all excited when we realised that the brunch buffet, offered on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays at the Hong Kong branch, is only $98 plus 10 per cent.

The buffet has at least a dozen varieties of kimchee and pickles, both spicy and mild. We put together a large plate for the three of us to nibble on during our meal, then headed back for the main dishes.

At a price like this, you can't expect all the food to be perfect. The jap chae (vermicelli noodles stir-fried with vegetables) lacked seasoning, as did the rice sticks in a sauce that, from the colour, looked incendiary but turned out to be bland. But there was a good variety, including sushi, salads, steamed fish, clams in spicy sauce, fried chicken wings and sauted vegetables.

The best items were the grilled meats, especially the succulent short ribs and marinated chicken. We would have been content eating just the meat, kimchee and pickles. Unfortunately, the restaurant wasn't as generous with the meat as it was with the rest - there was often a line of people at the grills.

The buffet only runs until 2.30pm so we loaded up our plates before waiting staff cleared everything away, then took our time getting enough sustenance to face the Causeway Bay crowds. Although it's not the most comfortable place for a leisurely lunch (be sure to bring a sweater because the air-con is set on arctic), it's hard to beat the price. Lunch for three with one coke ($20) cost $345.



Sorabol Korean Restaurant