Situated on the corner of Murray Street and Ariapita Avenue, SONATA KOREAN RESTAURANT is a no-frills spot delivering authentic Korean dishes and a fun table-side grill experience.
Bibimbap, Sonata Restaurant (Trinidad)
We recently trekked to SONATA on a weeknight and were pleasantly surprised to have the restaurant and Gabriela, the chef/waitress, all to ourselves. On our last few SONATA visits, it’s been all about the lovely Gimbap — the Korean version of sushi except the rice is lightly-seasoned with sesame oil and there’s no raw fish involved.
This time we decided to change it up and enjoy a full meal at the restaurant. We started with a fresh salad and the classic Bibimbap, which turned out to be the most texturally interesting and flavourful rice bowl that we’ve ever had. (Bibim=mixed and bap=rice).
Gabriela explained that the sticky white rice was the base in Bibimbap, vegetables and a fried egg were added and then it was finished off with a hefty dollop of spicy red sauce. Once our metal chopsticks were poised and ready, Gabriela added the sauce and “bibimed” it all together with a long-handled spoon, and then we attacked our bowls of Bibimbap.
Link to all our pictures of meals and menu at SONATA KOREAN RESTAURANT.
Next up was the live Korean BBQ experience via the built-in grilling stations at every SONATA table. We chose the Sirloin Steak, quickly grilling it tableside and at Gabriela’s suggestion reluctantly dipped it in a sesame oil (seasoned with salt and pepper). After that first tentative dip, we were totally sold on this seasoned sesame oil and steak combination. The steak (and all the grilled/BBQ entrees) are served with the sticky rice and five small sides including kimchi, steamed watercress and an intensely flavourful deep-fried seaweed, which all paired beautifully with the grilled dishes.
We’ll be back to try the Spare Ribs and the Pork Belly (both are grilled tableside) and will keep you posted! In the meantime, we hope you get to check out SONATA KOREAN RESTAURANT. It’s a nice spot for group dining/liming with the built-in grilling stations at every table and Gabriela does a wonderful job explaining the food and giving tips on what dishes and sides should be paired together.
Address/Phone/Facebook Page - # 34 Murray Street, Woodbrook, Trinidad; (868) 628-1237; Sonata Korean Restaurant’s Facebook Page.
Serving/Hours – Lunch & Dinner: Monday-Sunday, 10am-10:30pm.
Features/Good to Know - Full service; Full bar; ; Link to pictures of the menu.
Other Korean dining establishments in Trinidad:
- Golden Bell Korean Restaurant, Maraval Road, Port of Spain
- Shabang Shabang Bakery, Western Main Road, St. James; (868) 628-4307
