Daegu Asian restaurant butter garlic shrimp lunch: Rama & Babana

I visited Rama & Babana Dongseong-ro Main Branch, a spot that's held down its corner of Dongseong-ro for a long time. It's on the 2nd floor of a building right at the entrance of Tongsin-golmok alley, a place I'd walked past countless times without ever going in. This time I ordered butter garlic shrimp, pu pad pong curry, and a mango lassi and took my time working through all of it. The butter garlic shrimp topped with plump shrimp and the deeply flavorful pu pad pong curry stuck with me the most, and the staff were really friendly too.

The butter garlic shrimp paired salty shrimp with a fresh salad really well, and the pu pad pong curry had rich crab-and-butter flavor with a touch of spice added in. This is a place I'd want to come back to.

• Name: Rama & Babana Dongseong-ro Main Branch
• Address: 3 Dongseong-ro 3-gil, 2nd floor, Jung-gu, Daegu, South Korea
• Parking: No dedicated lot for the restaurant

Where Rama & Babana Dongseong-ro Main Branch is, and where to park

Rama & Babana Dongseong-ro Main Branch sits on the 2nd floor of the building right at the entrance of Tongsin-golmok alley. It opened back in 2014, which is impressive considering how long it's held its spot in Dongseong-ro. The big Rama & Babana sign on the building's exterior made it easy to spot while looking for the place.

Following the stairs up, there was a clear sign pointing to the 2nd-floor restaurant, so finding the entrance wasn't hard. There's no dedicated parking lot for the restaurant itself, but I was able to use one of the two public parking lots right out front.

Inside the restaurant and how ordering works

Once inside, there were tables and chairs lined up along a big window. The space had a slight Indian touch but felt clean and tidy overall, with the window side feeling especially bright. Ordering is done through a kiosk. On top of that, the staff's service was extremely friendly, which left a good impression.

The three dishes we ordered at Rama & Babana

What we ordered that day was butter garlic shrimp, pu pad pong curry, and a mango lassi. With two mains arriving together, the table filled up pretty generously. On one side was the butter garlic shrimp plate with shrimp, salad, and rice, and on the other was the pu pad pong curry served with rice. The two dishes went in totally different flavor directions, which made switching back and forth between them fun.

Mango lassi: sweet and thick

I was especially looking forward to the mango lassi since I love mango. Drinking it, the texture was thick and sweet, almost like drinking yogurt. I sipped it between bites of the mains, and honestly I enjoyed it so much I'd want to order it again next time.

Butter garlic shrimp: plump prawns with a fresh salad

The butter garlic shrimp came topped with about 10 plump shrimp, plated together with rice and salad. The shrimp had a nice salty flavor that went well with the rice, but honestly the salad was what stuck with me most. The ingredients felt different from the salads I'm used to, and the vegetables tasted really fresh.

The sauce on the salad was unique too, and the whole plate came together better when I ate the salad alongside the shrimp rather than the shrimp alone. The shrimp were plump enough to have a satisfying bite, and with the salad and rice included, it was a dish I could enjoy in several different combinations off a single plate.

How spicy is the pu pad pong curry?

The pu pad pong curry came with rice to eat alongside the curry. The crab-and-butter flavor was deep and rich, with just a touch of spice cutting through what could have otherwise felt heavy. To me, the heat level was about on par with Jin Ramen. Even my mom, who can't handle spicy food well, said it was manageable.

The deep color and texture of the curry had me curious about what it would taste like even before the first bite.

Eating the rice and curry together let the rich flavor really come through.

The crab tasted fresh, and the way it blended with the butter flavor left a lasting impression even after the meal.

Scooping up the curry with the crab meat by spoonful, the flavor stayed rich throughout, and the light spice kept things enjoyable to the last bite. Rather than picking a favorite between the butter garlic shrimp and the pu pad pong curry, each had its own clear charm. The butter garlic shrimp won me over with the salad as much as the shrimp, while the pu pad pong curry stood out for its deep crab-and-butter flavor.

Final verdict on Rama & Babana Dongseong-ro Main Branch

I tried three dishes at Rama & Babana Dongseong-ro Main Branch.

The butter garlic shrimp, with its salty, plump shrimp and fresh salad, stuck with me, and the rich crab-and-butter flavor of the pu pad pong curry kept coming back to mind afterward.

The mango lassi was also thick and sweet, right up my alley.

The clean interior and friendly staff service made for a satisfying meal overall.

All three dishes had their own clear standout points, so this is a place I'd want to visit again.