A brand new King’s Bakery now adorns Purna Das Road and My Kolkata took the first walk-through on a nippy winter evening before the Korean restaurant and cafe officially opens doors on December 10.
“As everyone knows, Hindustan Park is a happening place. King’s Bakery needed to expand to this part of Kolkata,” said owner Jung Seok, whose hometown is Seoul. Jung Seok opened the first King’s Bakery in 2018 at 3B, AJC Bose Road (next to The Conclave) and the brand became a regular favourite for Korean food buffs in the city, soon expanding to New Town and Jodhpur Park.
The Hindustan Park outlet, with 45 covers, is the largest King’s Bakery in Kolkata
Seok is on a mission to expand King’s Bakery outside Kolkata’s perimeter too, taking it to other metropolitan cities in India with a strapping love for K-Pop and K-Dramas. “This outlet in Hindustan Park will be the base of my operations, it’ll be my central unit,” said Seok, elaborating that this is the first of the four premises that he owns, instead of renting. Some of the branches also house Korean grocery shop Seelamart, which stocks popular Korean snacks, drinks and ready-to-cook foods.
K-culture on a plate
The 45-seater Hindustan Park outlet is done up in shades of black and white, lending it a chic and ultra-modern look. The menu remains the same as the other outlets, the only exception being the availability of pork. “Koreans love pork. So, King’s Bakery’s menu needed a few pork items on it. I’m introducing three pork items on the menu to start with and will hopefully add more items as we grow,” explained the entrepreneur. The three pork dishes are Shabu Shabu (a steaming pot of vegetables and pork, dressed in a tangy home-made sauce), Samgyubsal (grilled Korean pork belly, which is made from Korean staples gochujang, a chilli sauce and joseon ganjang, soya-based sauce) and Jeyukdeopbap (Korean-style fried rice with minced pork).
(L-R) Shabu shabu and Jeyukdeopbap
Since the Hindustan Park outlet is open from 9am to 10.30pm, Seok looks forward to a bustling breakfast crowd and late-night diners. “I hope to see many coffee-lovers walk in and the younger crowd of the city,” said Seok, who is a certified coffee barista himself. His picks? Dutch on the Rocks (a smokey coffee with a surprising element — sprite!), Einspanner (an upgrade on the traditional Vienna coffee) and the Tiramisu and Ginger Cappuccinos.
The bakery will also see an exciting festive menu! Stay tuned for more details.
