Korean – ohdenny

Miss Korea Kitchen

May 26, 2017 Posted in Camberwell, Food Reviews, Korean, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a comment

Miss Korea Kitchen located along Burke Road in Camberwell, serves fresh, healthy and authentic Korean cuisine. They offer the typical Korean dishes such as Korean Fried Chicken, Bulgogi, Bibimbap, Korean BBQ with customers being able to choose their protein (e.g. chicken, beef, pork or veg) with many of their offerings.

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The Japchae at Miss Korea Kitchen is one of the better Japchae’s in Melbourne. It’s closest competitor and reigning champion is Don-Udon‘s flavourful Japchae. Here, the Japchae has that subtle work flavour with fresh vegetables and crispy lotus root on top. The flavour is a bit more subtle overall as compared to Don-Udon’s version but it’s tasty nonetheless. You can order their Japchae with Beef, Pork, Chicken, Tofu, Veg or Seafood which are pretty much all the options you could think of.

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The best Cheese Buldak or Chicken and Cheese Bulgogi Hotplate is CJ Lunch Bar‘s offering. Here, I found the chicken to be overcooked and the seasoning unbalanced with the sauce being overly salty and needing just a bit of sweetness and more depth in flavour to match CJ Lunch Bar’s. The richness of the cheese though, helps complement the spiciness so that’s a definite plus.

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I’m going to again, compare Miss Korea Kitchen’s Stone Pot Bibimbap with Don-Udon (Box Hill) where their Don-Udon has such amazing flavour to it from how they cook each of the components and the addition of the chilli paste. Miss Korea Kitchen’s Bibimbap isn’t bad, each element has flavour to it but it’s definitely not as flavourful as it could be.

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I saw this Mini Patbingsu on the menu, which is basically a Korean version of an Ice Kachang or Japanese Kakigori. Their Patbingsu comes with chopped fruit, red bean, fruit syrup, condensed milk and wafers. For $8 it’s actually quite small and flavour wise it’s quite lacking. The shaved ice is very coarse with not enough condensed milk to add that richness it needs. The whipped cream topping lacks flavour as well so the overall result is a pretty bland and expensive dessert.

Last words

Ignoring the Patbingsu dessert, I found Miss Korea Kitchen to have overall tasty Korean dishes and it’s one of the better ones I’ve been to in Melbourne.

Miss Korea Kitchen

845 Burke Road
Camberwell VIC 3124

CJ Lunchbar

August 19, 2016 Posted in Food Reviews, Korean, Melbourne, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a comment

CJ Lunchbar situated on the corner of Little Lonsdale St and Hardware St is a popular little eat out for those wanting a taste of Korea. CJ Lunchbar doesn’t just open for lunch like its name suggests, so you can get your Korean fix for dinner as well. What’s great about this place is that the food is good, very good and the servings are generous and value for money and their menu offers bento boxes, rice dishes, and a wide selection of hotplate and soup dishes to choose from.

Their Stonepot Bibimbap has all the ingredients for a tasty Bibimbap but it doesn’t come with the chilli paste that you’d often find provided with other Korean restaurants. Sometimes you find that the Bibimbap can be very bland, but fortunately this isn’t the case here.

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One of their popular items is the Cheese Chicken Bulgogi, one night I saw like the majority of tables order it. It’s a little bit spicy, but the combination of melted cheese and marinated chicken on a hotplate is one of the best dishes you’d find around. So good.

Last words

CJ Lunchbar won’t win awards for being a relaxing dining experience, the tables are small and service is so-so but the food here is worth it.

CJ Lunchbar
Shop 2/391 Little Lonsdale Street (entrance on Hardware Street)
Melbourne VIC 3000
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Gami Box Hill

June 17, 2016 Posted in Box Hill, Food Reviews, Korean, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a comment

In Box Hill, there’s actually quite a few Korean eateries to choose from and although Nene’s Chicken made it’s mark first in Box Hill for Korean Fried Chicken, impressions haven’t been that great. Gami, on the other hand, has a number of outlets across town and positively received among many so it’s nice to see make its way to the east.

Gami is located in the newly refurbished office building next to Box Hill Institute’s Whitehorse Campus. It’s quite a cozy little joint but with great natural lighting that comes through. Of course we had to try the fried chicken, and of course, we had to try the spicy variety.

//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.jsI love the crispiness of the exterior, and the slightly sweet but mainly spicy coating is delicious. You’d probably best eat these at a quicker pace as the sauce tends to soften the crispy chicken a bit but it’s still enjoyable nonetheless.

The Soy Garlic variety, is a great complement to the spicy option. Having one spicy and then a sweeter one balances it out. The chicken was also well cooked, not dry and still tender inside.

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All Fried Chicken comes with Cabbage Salad and Pickled Radish. The tomato mayo dressing is interesting.

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We were recommended to try their Potato Heaven, which is basically mash potato plus cheese, sour cream and wedges and with sweet chilli sauce drizzled on top. I must say, this is so addictive, you can’t stop at one mouthful. So incredibly rich, but so tasty.

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You also can’t go wrong with their G Beer Pale Ale (Gun:Bae), which is exclusive to Gami. The “hoppy” ness and fruitiness reminded me of Hoegaarden a bit, but don’t take my word for it. I don’t actually know my beers that well!

Last words

Gami, Korean Fried Chicken done right.

Gami Box Hill
Shop 1, 990 Whitehorse Road,
Box Hill VIC 3128

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BBQ Code

April 1, 2016 Posted in Food Reviews, Glen Waverley, Korean, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a comment

//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.jsBBQ Code on Springvale Road, Glen Waverley offers Korean cuisine, specifically, Korean BBQ but they also offer the more commonly known Korean dishes such as Bibimbap, Korean Fried Chicken and Kimchi Soup. There aren’t many Korean restaurants in Glen Waverley, so it’s presence in the area is much welcomed. The Bibimbap is flavourful with fresh vegetables and tasty seasoning. It’s quite good value!

Their Pork and Beef BBQ items comes with complimentary condiments like Korean pancake, Kimchi and Potato salad and the staff look after the cooking for you; unlike some Korean venues.

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Their Pork and Beef items are nicely cooked, seasoned well and they come with a seasoning salt and chilli sauce for you as well. Though, price wise it’s definitely on the high end of things.

Last words

I’d probably recommend Korean BBQ places like ChangGo or Wooga in the city for taste and good value. BBQ Code is nice, but not worth the price to pay.

BBQ Code
249 Springvale Road
Glen Waverley VIC 3150

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Gangnam Station

August 7, 2015 Posted in Box Hill, Food Reviews, Korean, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a comment

Gangnam Station is one of the few Korean restaurants in Box Hill. Located on Carrington Street, it’s just across the road from Box Hill Central and from the notorious parking lot. They serve your Korean resaurant staples such as Bibimbap, Bulgogi, Korean Pancakes, and of course KFC (Korean Fried Chicken), however most dishes do lean towards the pricier side of things but I believe they also offer a few special dishes for lunch on weekdays.

Gangnam’s Stone Bowl Bibimbap, has all the ingredients for a tasty Bibimbap. I love the stone pot cooked rice, with it’s crispy and crunchy exterior. Flavourwise, it was severely lacking and the chilli sauce accompaniment was much needed to bring it all together. Don-Udon’s Stone Pot Bibimbap is excellent in comparison, with just enough seasoning and flavour.

I haven’t found a Korean restaurant that can do a Jap Chae like Don-Udon, or even close. Here it lacks the that certain “wok flavour” that is much needed for the potato noodles, otherwise it tastes just like a simple soy sauce stir fry. This was probably one of the more disappointing versions (the overpriced Guhng is another) I’ve tried.

Their Spicy Chicken Broth was probably one of the better soups I’ve had. However, haven’t come across a bad one yet! On a cold winters day, this will be very satisfying.

Impressions
Gangnam Station is probably not one of the best Korean restaurants but I’ve had a few decent meals here apart from their Jap Chae and Bibimbap. However, there are a few other Korean restaurants in Box Hill that are more bang for the buck and tastier like Don-Udon and Yami Yami.

Gangnam Station
5 Carrington Road
Box Hill VIC 3128

Oppa Kitchen

June 26, 2015 Posted in Food Reviews, Korean, Melbourne, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a comment

Oppa Kitchen minutes from Melbourne Central is one of the many Korean eateries popping up all over Victoria. Located on Swanston Street, it offers a range of dishes such as Bibimbap, Bulgogi and of course KFC (Korean Fried Chicken). Stylistically, I like Oppa Kitchen with the wooden tables and bright colours but of course it’s the taste that counts.

Their Sweet and Spicy Boneless Chicken is quite tender and moist, and the slightly spicy coleslaw is probably one of my favourites, the dressing is delicious.

Original Korean Fried Chicken (Gong Dak) on the other hand, I found to be crunchy but dry and deep fried too long. A miss

The Spicy Pork Bulgogi Dorisak comes in this cute Meal Bucket with salad and potato croquette, with a very spicy pork bulgogi which I loved. Great combination!

Impressions

Taste wise it has its positives and negatives, I probably like the venue more than the food though. However, I find their meal buckets to be great value and would definitely try their other offerings when I get a chance.

Oppa Kitchen

271 Swanston Street
Melbourne VIC 3000

Arisoo

March 27, 2015 Posted in Food Reviews, Korean, Restaurant Reviews, RichmondLeave a comment

Arisoo on Victoria Street, Richmond is one of the few (but increasing) number of Korean restaurants around town. Towards the Hoddle St end of Victoria Street, the type of Korean cuisine is quite similar to many other Korean restaurants such as By Korea or Seoul Soul. One of the things I like about Arisoo is service is great, and definitely value for money with their lunch specials and of course, delicious Korean food.

Their Spicy Tofu Soup with rice is one of my favourites, it’s not overly spicy and has just enough sweetness to balance. Dishes here are usually served with complimentary side dishes.

Arisoo’s Chap Chae (Jap Chae) is also a winner in my book. Some restaurants just can’t seem to do it right, but here it comes close to my all time favourite Chap Chae from Don Udon in Box Hill although just lacking that certain kick in flavour.

Impressions
Having dined at Arisoo on numerous occassions, I haven’t actually found something I hadn’t liked! With great tasting dishes, lovely service and often or not seating always available. It’s one of my go-to’s for Korean food in Richmond.

Hanbat Korean Restaurant Box Hill

February 13, 2015 Posted in Box Hill, Food Reviews, Korean, Restaurant Reviews1 Comment

Hanbat Korean Restaurant recently opened its doors in Box Hill, in the predominantly Korean side of town (on Bank Street). According to the owners, Hanbat is from a famous franchise in Korea. Only doors down you can find Yami Yami and Korean BBQ as well as a Korean grocery store and hairdresser. It seems like the Korean community is certainly growing in Box Hill, much to my liking!

I love Don-Udon‘s Jap Chae and that’s the standard I will uphold all other restaurants too. Here the Jap Chae just lacks that oomph in flavour, as well as being overly wet. It beats Crunch Box but no where near as delicious as Don-Udon.

Their Pork Bulgogi isn’t too bad either, but again I find the flavour just lacking a tiny bit compared with the other Korean eateries around.

Their Hot Stone Bibimbap adds numerous fresh ingredients, and with the chilli sauce gives it the much needed kick. My only negative is probably the egg being slightly overcooked.

Hanbat’s Spicy Seafood and Tofu soup again isn’t my favourite, that award lies with By Korea in Richmond but taste wise it’s actually quite decent with the soft tofu and flavoursome soup base. Nothing to write home about but again I’d say a good dish.

Impressions

Overall, I wasn’t too impressed with the quality of the dishes served here. Which is unfortunate as you never want to dine at a place that disappoints and I want restaurants to succeed. However, it seems the food aren’t up to the standard of Yami Yami or Don-Udon in the area. I’m just hoping we were just unlucky and didn’t select their standout dishes.

Guu Sakabar – Toronto Series

December 5, 2014 Posted in Food Reviews, Japanese, Korean, Restaurant Reviews, TorontoLeave a comment

Guu Sakabar definitely has an interesting atmosphere and if you haven’t dined at one of Guu’s locations in Vancouver or in Toronto, you may be surprised as you walk in. For all guests that arrive, you are warmly greeted with cheers from the employees as well as when you exit. So it can get quite noisy on a busy night but that’s all part of the charm.

Guu offers a Japanese-tapas style menu some options having a bit of Korean influences. What I like about tapas menus is that it’s great for sharing and trying a bit of everything from the menu.

The Okonomiyaki here is deep fried with squid tonkatsu sauce and karashi mayonnaise. I haven’t tried a deep fried Japanese pancake before as I only have found the pan fried variation in Melbourne (Australia) before, however the pancake certainly left an impression on me.

Probably my favourite dish was Guu’s Kinoko Bibimbap in a stone pot.With mushrooms, cheese and a seaweed sauce, the combination of flavours worked a treat together. Packed full of flavour, can’t go wrong with it and even for me who would prefer not to have mushrooms in anything!

You can’t leave Guu without trying their drinks, however being a non-local and wanting to do a tapas drinks, we ordered the Sake Sampler that came with 6 different types of sake. As a non-expert in Sake, I can’t really offer my opinions on them but the cloudy ones were more memorable than the rest for sure.

Guu also offer Japanese Vodka, Beers, Wines and Cocktails and your non-alcoholic beverages as well.

Impressions

Guu is definitely for those seeking a good night out with friends and/or family and the atmosphere at Guu allows for that. Food-wise, most of what we tried was great, but on the smaller side of things. Though, I certainly hope a restaurant like this pops up in Melbourne to enjoy.

Guu – Sakabar

559 Bloor St W
Toronto ON M5S1Y6

Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu – Toronto Series

October 17, 2014 Posted in Canadian, Food Reviews, Korean, Restaurant Reviews, TorontoLeave a comment

When we visited Korea Town, I was amazed at how expansive it was and compared to our China Town in Melbourne, which is our largest Asian inner-city district, I loved walking down the streets of this bustling community, but I digress. My sister and her partner recommended we try this place out, and it seemed to be a local favourite. What Buk Chang Dong is known for is their Korean Tofu stews, served with a complimentary assortment of Korean pickled dishes and what seems like an unlimited supply of this Korean mixed grain rice that has this purple tinge to go with the stews.

While Buk Chang Dong primarily serves stews (soups), they also offer Stone Pot Bibimbap, Bukbegi Bulgogi and Broiled BBQ (Beef) among their wide selection of stews such as Beef, Seafood, and Kimchi stews. Not only this but you can select your preferred spiciness from the weakest “white” to the the extra spicy. I’ve always liked a spicy meter for restaurants just suited for your own liking.

We ordered the Broiled BBQ (Beef) which they certainly know how to do it well, steaming hot and marinated well. How a sizzling hot plate should be.

Their sides also come with eggs to crack into your soup once it arrives, this is so the eggs aren’t already cooked once they arrive on your table because the soups are definitely hot to the touch.

The Seafood Soon Tofu + Dolsotbab which contains oysters, prawns and mussels and pretty much all their soup dishes are absolutely delicious. Spicy, rich in flavour from the ingredients used to the stock all add to the depth of flavours and having this with the “purple rice” is just the best thing on a cold day.

Impressions

Buk Chang Dong excel in their stews and it’s evident why this place is a favourite amongst the locals. Why, I’d even make a special trip to Korea Town if I was in Toronto just to have another meal. If only I could find a place that does it so well in Melbourne.

Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu
691 Bloor St W
Toronto ON M6G