Category: Korean

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Korean

Dragon Palace Galbi Korean Charcoal BBQ – Campsie NSW Restaurant Review

One of my fondest memories from 2015 was having Korean BBQ, possibly for the first time, with my then-best friend and current fiance at Se Joung in Campsie, next to Woolworths Campsie on Evaline St. Though almost all mention of this restaurant has been scrubbed from the internet in the seven years since, long time internet food people like Grabyourfork’s Helen Yee and Aimee Chanthadavong still maintain primary evidence that our boozy KBBQ meal here, where we sat cross-legged on floor mats and had our food cooked for us by Koreans who only meant to protect us from our own incompetence was not merely a fever dream.

Alas, on our recent visit the restaurant space had been renamed into Dragon Palace Galbi Korean Charcoal BBQ and revamped, and probably not for the better.

Perhaps as a holdover from past uncertainties where there were two extremely similarly named Korean BBQ restaurants in the same suburb, the woman who picked up the phone at Dragon Palace Galbi Korean Charcoal BBQ answered with “Dragon Palace Galbi Korean Charcoal BBQ Restaurant next to Woolworths Campsie.” Having customers intending to go to your restaurant Se Joung but ending up at local competitor Se Jong must have really left a mark.

There was nothing particularly bad about our meal, but probably at least a little due to nostalgia, the experience of dining just didn’t feel the same. We ate close to closing time, and there were only two staff left by the time we were there. If there was still traditional mat seating on offer, it was in an area that we couldn’t see from where we were.

Helpfully though, ordering was online via a scanned QR code. We had this vague wagyu beef, not-further-characterised, which was pretty good.

We also had some pork jowl, inexpertly cooked by us on this grill. They offered to bring us the pork cooking grill to avoid flareups, but we wanted to maintain variety throughout the course of our meal. There was sadly not much greenery offered with the pork. It would’ve been nice to get some perilla and some lettuce to wrap it in.

This short rib soup was also alright.

OVERALL THOUGHTS
Our experience was confounded by nostalgia so difficult to rate accurately, but I do think that the meat was of a higher quality (though more expensive) than Se Jong on London St (the extant one, not the one that was where this current restaurant is).

Dragon Palace Galbi Korean Charcoal BBQ
Shop 3/68-72 Evaline St, Campsie NSW 2194
(02) 9789 1588

Categories
Dessert Korean

Siroo Rice Cake Cafe – West Ryde NSW Restaurant Review

This songpyeon is a rice cake dessert with variable filling, slightly salty and sweet but not too sweet on the inside. I had never had these before, but they are a candidate to have again in the future.

The green tea and red bean bingsoo (medium – $25) was different to all other bingsoos I’ve had with its dusting of injeolmi. I don’t really know if I’m at a stage where I can differentiate between the nuances of different bingsoos. This post serves only as evidence that I ate it. Adequate sizing for 4 adults post Korean BBQ.

Siroo Rice Cake Cafe
981 Victoria Rd, West Ryde NSW 2114
(02) 9807 8718

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Korean

GongJang Korean Deli – Ashfield NSW Restaurant Review

I saw this Korean deli from across the road, which had only recently opened in the past week or so.

Inside were a number of foods already prepackaged in single-use plastics, laid down on a wooden bench nicely labeled with prices and names for the Chinese-majority population of Ashfield who may not be able to identify such delights by eyesight alone.

I purchased this bulgogi beef with rice set ($13) for my partner to take to work for dinner, but of course had to try each element while it was still fresh (to ensure it was non-poisoned, of course). The rice was nice and soft and fluffy, and the beef deliciously moist (and absolutely better than the bulgogi beef I had eaten recently at La Lune Market. Importantly, the juiciness and sauciness of the bulgogi beef was well proportioned to the amount of rice, meaning that no bite was too bland, nor was any bite too flavoured. The mixed shredded salad I honestly didn’t taste, but the potato salad was yummy and creamy, and the marinated kimchi was also quite a tangy and refreshing addition. Overall I felt this set was quite good value with quite a few different flavors and textures in one box each of which was appealing. I’m sure she’ll enjoy her dinner tonight at work.

I also had a original kimbap ($8). which was also pretty good – nice and crunchy, with the flavours from the daikon, fish cake, carb stick, carrot, egg and cucumber tasty but not at all overpowering. Similar to the bulgogi set, this is also quite a suitable to-go meal for a good price.

Overall
A number of other variations of kimbap (including onigiri-style triangular), set boxes, and bibimbaps are on offer, which I have yet to but may eventually try. Hopefully these this place will see success in their new endeavor.

GongJang Korean Deli
1/261 Liverpool Rd, Ashfield NSW 2131, Australia

Categories
Korean

Mapo Galbi Korean BBQ – West Ryde NSW Restaurant Review

We had a pork based meal at this West Ryde Korean BBQ restaurant allegedly known for its beef ribs.

The banchan offering was diverse for 4 and included marinated raw crab, which neither I nor my Indian gastroenterologist friend were game to eat. Our Korean gastroenterologist and intensivist were game. Banchan was not refilled through the meal.

We had 3 servings of marinated pork rib ($29 each) between the four of us. Cooked skillfully by a Korean born Korean, I have no complaints.

Perhaps the only thing is that when I eat with these guys we only ever get multiple orders of the one meat. See related review of Stoneage BBQ, also in West Ryde.

The miso stew ($17) with a bit of clam inside was a nice thing that I never get to eat when I eat with my partner, because she just hates anything clammy. I’m told not bad with rice, but it was also not bad without rice.

Mapo Galbi Korean BBQ
999A Victoria Rd, West Ryde NSW 2114
(02) 9807 2278

Categories
Café Korean

Little Couple Cafe – Campsie NSW Restaurant Review

Unlike Rockdale’s former Angry Gnome (RIP), a café named in keeping with the appearance of its owner, Little Couple’s small but cute space near the train station in Campsie is staffed by two seemingly extremely normal sized people.

I rarely post photos of spaces or decor on this blog. I’ve always felt that food always comes first, and that no amount of flowers or lit up branded signage can make up for bad food. However, I really liked how Little Couple was able to maximise the usage of their fairly small space, by providing a nice elevated seating area overlooking the kitchen, above what I presume is their pantry. The airconditioning was a nice reprieve from the 40 degree sun, and it was just a nice place to be. Sadly the mango smoothie ($7.50) pictured in this interior design review we honestly didn’t love. It felt a bit too sugary.

In terms of food we had this LC Beef Wrap ($15), a very reasonable sized toasted wrap with a large portion of bulgogi beef, spinach, tomato, cheese, and aioli. Each bite was juicy and yummy, and based on the quantity of meat supplied as well as the location of their shop, one local Korean internal medicine specialist we discussed the wrap with believes that they must be losing money on each wrap.

The K-Toast ($7) featuring buttered bread sandwiching a cabbage omelette and sugar and tomato sauce I loved less, mostly because I had misread it as a crab omelette. Taken on its own merits it was fine, but not something I’d get again.

Overall thoughts That bulgogi wrap, with this cafe’s prime location, has got to make a great grab and go for train commuters. I only hope their business model can sustain it, because local internal medicine specialist CJP thinks it might not be able to.

Little Couple Cafe
1/199 Beamish St, Campsie NSW 2194, Australia
+61 416 302 724