The innocuous spiral staircase tucked behind Kup Coffee Roasters in Nungambakkam now leads to ‘Chicken Shop’ neon signs, cans of flavoured Milkis, and Ba Da Bom.
We enter to pop music blaring from the speakers, a busy open kitchen, and a cooler stocked with cream sodas, K-Drama favourite Maxim coffee, and tiny bottles of Bacchus energy drinks.
Inside Ba Da Bom
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Special Arrangement
Jivesh Goenka, who calls Ba Da Bom a ‘Korean table’, launched Kup nearly three years ago. He speaks of his love for Asian food, visiting hawker stalls in Singapore and Vietnam, and how that influenced his decision on this new space. “On a trip to Pune, I spotted Ba Da Bom and walked in. A meal of mascarpone toast and soju later, I knew I had to bring this to Chennai,” he recalls.
Currently open for dinners alone, Jivesh says their reservations are being steadily booked out, and plans to open for lunch and takeaways, as well as introducing an exciting beverage menu are in the offing.
Mascarpone toast
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Special Arrangement
While Ba Da Bom functions as a bar and restaurant in Pune, the Chennai outpost, Jivesh says, captures his favourite part of dining at vibrant East-Asian street-side eateries; right from the commotion in the kitchen, the delicious smell of food being cooked, and the cooler laden with drinks. “I wanted to give Chennai something fun, whacky and different, a space with no inhibitions, and we call this space a ‘Korean table’. The focus was also on keeping the Korean food flavourful, and acceptable to the Indian palate,” he says.
We begin with the Shake Shake Kimchi Salad, a starter that requires our participation. A bag is handed to us, into which go crisp napa cabbage, cucumbers, spring onions and carrots, followed by a sweet-and-savoury kimchi dressing. The crunchy salad that emerges after a good shake is a refreshing start to our meal.
We then dig into gochujang black pepper beef, which has bits of meat coated in a wok-pepper glaze, scallions and sesame. The sweet hit from the gochujang, the pepper punch and perfectly cooked meat makes this starter a winner. A Korean table calls for fried chicken or bbq, and we pick the latter. The Belgian pork belly and spring onion barbecue, though coated in a delectably sticky glaze, could have been more tender. The mascarpone toast, which started it all, comes highly recommended and we see why. There is soft, fried brioche bread to bite into, topped with a cloud of mascarpone, yuzu and chilli oil.
There are Korean comfort food favourites including fried chicken, ramen, bibimbap and more to choose from
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Special Arrangement
Ba Da Bom’s menu is extensive in its categories; there are sandwiches (Korean-style, much like the Eggdrop ones you are sure to have seen in a K-Drama), fried chicken, noodles, rice and ramen, and yet it all does not feel overwhelming. The choices are simple enough, and the focus is on keeping the menu fuss-free and accessible, Jivesh says.
The noodle selection includes ramen, japchae and cold noodles and while cold soba noodles feel like an appropriate choice given Chennai’s never-ending summer, a yearning for a comfort dish takes us to the rice side of things. The Koreans thankfully love their rice as much as we do, and cast-iron kimchi rice fits the bill. The sticky rice is on the mushier side, and we mix in an over-easy egg, kimchi, scallions and crisp bacon bits. The rice makes comforting, though we wouldn’t mind an added hit of heat.
The visi cooler at Ba Da Bom
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Special Arrangement
We have been helping ourselves to drinks from the cooler all night; cans of flavoured Milkis (Korea’s famous cream soda), Chillsung cider, and Maxim coffee lattes. There is also a snacks counter next to the open kitchen with chips, cookies and ramen from Korean brands to pick up while leaving. An arcade gaming machine on the side has the younger diners jostling around. With the loud music, and the clatter of plates from the kitchen, this isn’t a space to head to for a quiet dinner, but the experience comes together exactly how Jivesh initially describes it; a whacky, fun space that does not hold back.
All of this, says Vidhya Vijay, brand head, are conscious design choices. “We wanted to recreate a typical food street from South Korea; right from the dusty, winding spiral staircase that seems to lead nowhere, neon light boxes, the wires hanging and the loud music you are welcomed with,” she says. “We wanted to have an abundance of everything; noise, colour and character. And the aim was not to front a single dish or a product, but fun,” she says.
Kimchi fried rice at Ba Da Bom
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Special Arrangement
For everyone even remotely Hallyu-obsessed, check out the pinboard which has posters (spot BTS or one from the K-Drama Twinkling Watermelon there). And to end the night, pick a fortune from the cheery yellow machine by the door. The post-meal satisfaction high feels like a good time to receive predictions, whether ominous or joyful.
Mine thankfully says, “The future owes you three pleasant surprises.”
Ba Da Bom is located above Kup, Nungambakkam, and is currently open for dinners. A meal for two costs ₹2000. Follow badabom.chennai on Instagram for reservations
Published – July 15, 2026 12:29 pm IST
