Did you know that there is a café serving Korean fast food in Delhi? It’s called Coco’s and it’s a recent addition to A-Mart, a predominantly Korean supply store that opened last year. The café mostly has burger-and-fries combos, momos and the like, but it also has a couple of Korean ramen and stir-fry options on its menu. Its bar-stool seats line a counter that looks out onto the underbelly of a flyover on the national highway and the gritty urban view is surprisingly interesting.
A-Mart itself is a glorious, air-conditioned, spacious supermarket, with everything from dried fish to an entire section for ramen. There are separate sections for sauce, tea, snack foods, as well as a frozen foods section stocking things like bread-crumbed shrimp, potstickers and chicken nuggets – all with Korean labels. There are bottled drinks, soaps, sundry toiletry items, cookies and completely unidentifiable packages. Though mostly catering to a Korean clientele, every item is helpfully labelled in English along with its price in rupees, and manager Jyoti Vardhan told us that they hope to cater to an Indian and international market – what with imports from Malaysia, Dubai, Indonesia and so on. Items are a bit expensive, and the store doesn’t stock much unusual fresh produce or seafood, but poke around in the shelves and you’ll find a world of food products you never knew existed. Canned silkworm pupae anyone? (Apparently, these babies are also a speciality in the Northeastern states of India). Sonal Shah
A-1 Mahipalpur Extension, NH-8 (2678-9999). On the way from Delhi to Gurgaon, take Exit 2 off the highway and keep an eye out for the big A-Mart sign on the left. Daily 9am-9pm.
Other grocers:
We saw an air freshener from Yamato-ya in the Restaurant de Seoul bathroom. This store in Safdarjung Enclave, with its endless aisles catering to the needs of the Japanese expat community, has items that can be used in Korean cooking as well. Frozen fish, packets of rice and wasabi tubes are stocked along with personal accessories and alternative therapy products, chocolates, biscuits and more.
Yamato-yaB-6/9 Local Commercial Complex, Safdarjung Enclave (4165-0164). Daily 10am-7.30pm.
Also, Ashok, Lucky and SK Stores in INA, near the vegetable market, stock basic Korean goods, like red pepper sauce and seaweed. Some of the owners claim to speak Korean as well. Ashok General Store, Shop 113, INA Market (2461-7561). Lucky General Store, Shop 120, INA Market (2462-4550). SK Store, Shop 111-112 INA Market (2463-1537). Daily 10am-8pm.
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