Korean

Suga Korean Restaurant

Tofu Canape

(pan fried homemade tofu topped with Suga’s seasoned rice balls and fried lotus chips, served with wasabi mayo)

★★★☆☆

Side Dishes

★★★★☆

Seafood Pajeon

★★★☆☆

Original Fried Chicken

Sadly dry.

★★☆☆☆

Handmade Kal-Gook-Soo

(knife-cut wheat noodles boiled with egg in fish broth, flavoured with seasoning, onions, garlic, topped with carrots and dried seaweed)

★★★★☆

Spicy Soft Tofu Stew

(soft tofu stew with seafood, mushrooms, zucchini, spring onions and onions in spicy hot soup topped with a cracked egg)

★★★★☆

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Soondae

(Korean style sausages stuffed with pork blood, sweet potato glass noodles, carrots, onions, spring onions, seasoned with ginger, salt, garlic and pepper)

With so many other ingredients mixed in, these didn’t taste like your typical blood sausage (ie. they didn’t have that livery iron-rich blood taste)

★★★☆☆

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Cold Noodles

(thin buckwheat noodles served icy cold in beef broth topped with cucumber, beef slices, half a boiled egg, served with vinegar and mustard)

★★☆☆☆

Tofu donuts with vanilla custard and ice cream

There was tofu mixed throughout the batter which made these donuts extra soft on the inside.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

You will find a huge range of traditional and contemporary Korean dishes at Suga, many of which I have not seen served anywhere else. The must try item however is their delicious home-made tofu which is prepared daily on site! Staff were friendly but service was slow. I just have to make sure that I’m hungry but not ravenously hungry the next time I come here.

Suga Korean Restaurant

269 Huntingdale Rd, Chadstone, VIC

(03) 9888 1001

http://www.sugarestaurant.com/

Sydney Madang

Marinated Pork and Bul Go Gi

★★★★★

Pork and Kimchi Korean Pancake

★★☆☆☆

Kimchi Jjigae

★★★★☆

Overall:

It’s easy to understand why this place is so popular. The Korean barbecue here is outstanding. We weren’t even hungry when we arrived, yet we managed to inhale our selection of barbecued meats within no time. Whatever the marinates were, they were fabulous. We arrived pretty late in the evening so we were seated straightaway and didn’t have any issues with the service. I’m looking forward to eating here again the next time I’m in town.

Sydney Madang

371A Pitt St, Sydney, NSW

(02) 9264 7010

ABC Chicken

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Original Fried Crispy Chicken

★★★☆☆

Sweet Chilli Chicken

★★★★☆

Soy Garlic Chicken

★★★☆☆

Seafood Pancake

★★★☆☆

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Corn Cheese

★★★★☆

Overall:

A large group of us ventured here for chicken and beer, and we were not disappointed. ABC Chicken offers a decent variety of boned and boneless chicken, the usual Korean sides, and reasonably priced beer. Service was prompt and the food was satisfying. Note that you get 5% off the bill if you pay in cash.

ABC Chicken

361 Queen St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9670 8881

http://www.abcchicken.com.au/

Bibimfresh

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Bibimfresh Signature Bowl

(kale, oak leaf, onion, pear, red cabbage, carrots and sashimi served with chojang sauce)

Fresh and healthy!

★★★☆☆

Kim Mari

(deep fried seaweed rolls filled with glass noodles)

I had never come across anything like this before so was curious to try these out. These little parcels of deep fried goodness had great crunch but needed the dipping sauce as they were quite bland.

★★★☆☆

Ddokbokki Carbonara

(rice cakes served with Korean style carbonara sauce, mushroom, prawns and bacon)

Small portion aside, I really enjoyed this carbonara dish! And the combination with the ddokbokki wasn’t anything extreme so this dish worked well for me.

★★★★☆

Spicy Seafood and Tofu Soup

(spicy soup with soft tofu, vegetables, and seafood served with white rice)

Mildly spicy with lots of tofu.

★★★☆☆

Kimchi Fried Rice

(kimchi fried rice, pork, fried egg)

The runny yolk mixed with the spicy fried rice made this really tasty.

★★★☆☆

Matcha Cake

This delicate sponge cake wasn’t overly sweet (which was nice), and had a distinctive matcha taste.

★★★★☆

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I loved all the awesome air plants that they had on each table.

Overall:

Bibimfresh isn’t your typical Korean joint. This place is bright and spacious, and offers a unique menu of delicious fusion food. From customised quinoa bibimbap and green juice to fried chicken and poutine fries, there is definitely something here for everyone.

Bibimfresh

Shop 9, 108 Bourke Street, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9654 2371

https://bibimfresh.com/

Chimac

Kimchi Carnitas

(shoestring chips, caramelized kimchi, spicy pork, fresh tomato salsa, mozzarella cheese)

★★★★☆

Aged Kimchi Pancake

(kimchi, onion, scallion)

★★★★☆

Bulgogi Quesadilla

★★☆☆☆

Fried Chicken – Bloody Sweet (chilli paste base) and Ultra Crispy (salt and parsley)

★★☆☆☆

Spicy Pork Burrito

(spicy pork, steamed rice, tomato salsa, crispy coleslaw, jalapenos)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

It was a bit of a shame that there were so many unavailable menu items on the night that we visited as the menu here isn’t that big to begin with. That being said, what we did manage to order was tasty and satisfying. So if you haven’t had Korean-Mexican fusion before (or you’ve had but are looking for somewhere decent), give this cosy little place a try.

Chimac

Shop 1, 39-47 Peel Street, West Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9939 5916

http://www.chimac.com.au/

Chickilia

Soy Garlic Chicken Wings

Crispy and well flavoured.

★★★★☆

Kimchi Jjigae with Ramen

(kimchi, onion, spring onion, tofu, garlic)

Comforting and mildly spicy.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

This tiny bright orange place offers a variety of typical Korean fare, but the fried chicken is what you should order. I was a bit disappointed that they didn’t have any original fried chicken on the menu, but the soy garlic was quite enjoyable so it wasn’t a big deal in the end.

Chickilia

259 Springvale Rd, Glen Waverley, VIC

(03) 9886 3851

http://chickilia.com/

Seoul Soul

Chargrilled Pork Belly

Dry and chewy.

★★☆☆☆

Stir Fried Beef Noodles

★★★☆☆

Kimchi Fries with Cheese

Spicy and delicious.

★★★☆☆

Seafood Pancake

★★★☆☆

Deep Fried School Prawns

Crispy and addictive, especially with the accompanying sweet chilli sauce.

★★★★☆

Bong Bong Grape Drink

I loved how this came with actual grapes in it!

★★★★☆

Overall:

Small place with quick service and tasty Korean fare. I’d visit again if I was in the area and was after a quick Korean meal.

Seoul Soul

323 Victoria St, Abbotsford, VIC

0478 768 760

http://www.seoulsoulgroup.com/#organic-korean-cuisine

Carnegie Korean BBQ

What’s better than Korean BBQ? The answer is all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ!

Pork Belly, Mushroom, Onion, Sweet Potato

Pasta Salad, Bean Sprouts, Kimchi, Fish Cake

Mandu

Beef Bibimbap

Soy Bean Soup

Green Tea and Black Sesame Ice Cream

Overall:

There are 2 all-you-can-eat options: the Standard Buffet ($31.90) and the Gourmet Buffet ($35.50). For a few dollars more the Gourmet Buffet offered a greater selection of meats, soups and dessert, so we ended up opting for this. We initially wanted to try all the different meats however this turned out to be impossible as there was simply too much food! The meats that we did manage to try included the LA Beef Ribs, Beef Brisket, Marinated Beef, Diced Beef, Non Spicy Chicken, Pork Belly, and Spicy Pork. The only meat that did not take our fancy was the Diced Beef as it was super tough and extremely difficult to chew. The staff were friendly however unlike some other Korean BBQ places, they don’t help out with any of the barbequing (which was fine with us). In any case, the all-you-can-eat options here are perfect for all you carnivores out there.

Carnegie Korean BBQ

Shop 2, 23 Koornang Rd, Carnegie, VIC

(03) 9563 6608

Darac Grill & Bar

Seafood Sausage Stew

This hearty stew compromised of a great selection of ingredients and was cooked right in front of us which was nice.

★★★☆☆

Ramen

I give this ramen one star because it costed $3. Ridiculous.

★☆☆☆☆

Gyoza

These prawn dumplings had an extremely soft filling and were not as crispy as I would have liked.

★★☆☆☆

Cheese Fire Chicken

Spicy Korean stir fried chicken with melted mozzarella cheese. Yum!

★★★☆☆

Seafood Spring Onion Pancake

Bland and underwhelming.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Good service, wide menu selection, relaxed atmosphere, sticky floors. I think my expectations were a bit too high so I was a little disappointed that nothing in particular stood out.

Darac Grill & Bar

51 A’Beckett St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9662 2441

Joomak

Peach Soju

★★★★☆

Corn with Cheese

★★★☆☆

Takoyaki

★★★★☆

Seafood Pancake

★★☆☆☆

Cheese Egg Roll with Fish Roe

★★★☆☆

BBQ Beef Rib (LA Style)

★★☆☆☆

Deep Fried Chicken Drumettes

★★★☆☆

Kimchi Pancake

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

I must admit that I am one of those people who didn’t even know that this place existed even though I walk past all the time. This Korean style pub has no signage and is located down a set of stairs on Swanston St. Once you are down the stairs you will find lots of cozy booths, friendly service and a variety of tasty traditional Korean fare. Note that Joomak has some awesome late night opening hours (they close at 3am on Wednesday and Thursday and 5am on Friday and Saturday!) making it the perfect place for a decent late night meal.

Joomak

Basement 407-409 Swanston St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9663 7123

http://www.joomak.com.au/