Our Food
Dahra is a Korean bistro with food based on the traditional styles of the city of Seoul. Our dishes range from mild to spicy and step outside the box of current mainstream Korean dining. We’ve returned to the more subtle, natural flavours still quietly favoured by the old families of the Seoul region.
A feature of our bistro is the handmade pottery of Kim Ji-Young of Seoul. On our tables you will see her beautiful pottery pieces, which she has created especially for Dahra.
We hope you will come and enjoy the ambience and food of Dahra Korean Bistro. We look forward to serving you.
What does Dahra mean?
The word Dahra is from one of the oldest ancient Korean songs, a song which was sung by minstrels of the Baek Jae Kingdom more than 1,500 years ago. "Dahra nopi gom do da sha", they sang. "Dear Moon, please rise in the sky and shine down on the earth, to brighten the homeward journey of my beloved."
When Leo decided to open a bistro in Wellington, he thought about his hometown, which is in the heart of ancient Baek Jae. This song from his ancestors felt close to his heart, and so the name Dahra Korean Bistro was born.
Also, Dahra's logo has been styled from a symbol for the moon, one which was festooned to the eaves of houses in the Baek Jae Kingdom. It was believed that these symbols motivated the moon to rise.
Dahra's Pottery
White dishes
We will use white pottery for serving food to our customers. These items are made in a traditional korean way. You will be able to see the difference between normal bone china and Dahra's china. Actually, bone china is stronger than Dahra's dishes (having been invented to improve upon the strength of traditional ceramics). However, Dahra's bowls are pretty strong too.
Green Pottery
The green-grey pottery items at Dahra are all hand-made in Korea by Kim Ji Young (a Korean hand-craft artist and also Leo's friend).
Her style is practical (i.e. not only for decoration) and neither too busy nor too simple.
Actually, that summary very much describes traditional Korean style: natural and balanced.