Recently in Korean Category

Did the title catch your attention? Well, that's exactly what you will get from eating Stra Pocha's chilli chicken. It is definitely not for the faint-hearted.

While we are spoilt for choice when it comes to Korean cuisine in Sydney, it's not always possible to find a place which hasn't lowered the heat intensity of it's chilli foods to cater for the general non-chilli-eating population. At Stra Pocha, the chilli chicken ($35) comes with a warning of three red chillis on the menu. Back before this new menu was introduced, the warning used to come in the form of "It is very hot, okay? No return if too hot..."

Preempting a burning tongue, we order a bottle of Korean black raspberry wine ($22) which is sweet until it hits your throat. We also have a bottle of chilled water ready.

Soon enough, our star dish arrives on a burning hot plate with a tray of condiments. There's kim chi, pickled daikon, pasta and bean sprouts.

The secret chilli paste coating the chicken and rice cake tastes a bit like gochujang, which is made from dried chillies, salt, water, fermented soybeans and sweet rice powder. It leaves us panting and numbs our tongue, but is tremendously addictive. We eat on, trying not to think about the painful side effects tomorrow. A sore throat? A burning bum? Aww, but it's so good right now.

Thankfully our egg soup ($5) is served bubbling hot not too long after. I find that it combats the heat much more effectively than the water or wine.

We also have the spicy sliced pork belly with cheese ($35), stir-fried in a cast iron pan at the table. The cheese oozes with the chilli paste and pork belly, creating something quite special that words cannot describe.

And because I was here with four other hungry foodies, we add the spicy hot pot stew with assorted sausages ($35), spam, baked beans and vegies. Topped with a block of ramen and cheese, it is pure comfort food.

If you're a fan of charcoal BBQs, then Stra Pocha is also the place to go. There's a wide menu of beautifully marinated meats and seafoods. It's an one-stop-shop for all things Korean, delicious and hot.

Stra Pocha
19-21 Everton Rd, Strathfield NSW
(02) 9534 8117

Last Monday would have been just another girly catch-up dinner at CeCi in Strathfield had I not discovered Hello Happy (to which I squealed with excitement).

As you may have noticed, I'm a regular at Strathfield. With a growing South-Korean, Chinese, and Sri Lankan population, it has become a trusted suburb for authentic Asian cuisine. However, there has always been a missing piece to the culinary puzzle when it came to dessert. There was waffles at Beauty & The Beast cafe on the corner of The Boulevarde, Gelatissimo just outside the plaza and now, there's Hello Happy, offering a cute selection of cakes, pastries and good coffee!

The interior featured hand-draw graffiti characters across some walls and had a really calming and welcoming jungle touch. Hello Happy is only in its second month of operation so everything looked brand-spanking new. It was a breath of fresh air in an aging street.

New to Strathfield: Hello Happy patisserie

My tart was fruit paradise! The thin glaze made each piece look plastic and perfect. It consisted of blueberries, raspberries, grapes, a strawberry, a slice of kiwi fruit, 3 generous slices of sweet pineapple and a quarter of a peach. Beneath the fruit was a beautiful sweet pastry crust which held together, a classic custard.

Mixed fruit tart

Tracey has the strawberry mousse dome which looks more like a work of art. It is sponge cake coated with a light fluffy mousse and wrapped in strawberry slices then strawberry jelly, and last but not least, adorned with crushed pistachios. It was a blissful taste of heaven.

Strawberry mousse dome cake

Our chai lattes were fantastic too. They were frothy and sweet, but not sickening sweet, allowing the natural spiced aromas of cinnamon, cardamom and ginger to stand out.

Chai latte

Korean-chic interior

Hello Happy is a lovely new find that I hope many will appreciate.

Hello Happy
22 The Boulevarde Strathfield (next to NAB)
Phone: 9715 6259

It has been well over 4 weeks since I was released from hospital with severe gastroenteritis and placed on a strict diet of bland foods. Boring, it was. But now that I'm skipping around as though I've never been sick, my taste buds told me it was time to take revenge... and eat lots of the golden fried foods I had been craving for.

Ginza is a big and bright Japanese/Korean fusion restaurant that sits on a corner site which many restaurants had previously failed at. Being opposite the park and Burwood Westfield, it gives tired shoppers a chance to refuel with a decent meal... away from the food court of course.

I was pleasantly surprised when a complimentary cup of brown rice green tea was brought out to us. Green tea is usually a priced menu item. What impressed me even more was when they carried a teapot around to each table, offering free refills.

Another goodie about dining at Japanese and Korean fusion restaurants are the complimentary condiments. I loved the caramelised sweet potatoes, kimchi and pickled bean sprouts.

Takoyaki balls ($5.90 for 6) are a favourite of mine. I was never fond of them until my trip to Osaka where I snacked on them every day. These were garnished with a generous load of bonito flakes and seaweed.

For just $8.90, we also couldn't resist to order the deep fried soft shell crab. There were four satisfying halves... a light crisp batter held together the spindly legs, juicy flesh and all. The accompanying sauce looked like a glossy soy but was sweet like heaven. There's something about eating the crabs whole that I simply love.

Zen decided to play it safe and ordered the teriyaki chicken bento box ($10.90).

Meanwhile, I was greedy and had the tonkotsu ramen ($11.90) as a set (additional $3.90) with mixed tempura and avocado salad.

The tonkotsu broth was flavoursome but not as good as Ichi Ban Boshi's. There was a stack of bean sprouts at the bottom of the bowl which padded out the noodles to look like more than it actually was... the egg was overcooked and the pork had bits of the fat trimmed? Or maybe it was just lean. Hmm...

Luckily I had the side dishes to change my mind about Ginza. For the extra $3.90 I thought it was a bargain to get a full size tempura and salad! Both were triumphantly good!

The small sashimi boat also crossed our minds but the photograph in the menu pictured tuna and salmon with a little too much grey bits. Ughh! Although when the table beside us ordered it, I saw nothing but brilliant slices of fish, glowing with freshness.

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There's plenty more to try here.

Ginza
35a Burwood Road, Burwood
Tel: 9715 5117

I feel like I'm right at the heart of Seoul. There's a lot of clatter as staff follow the ringing of table bells. It's such a lively room. Hungry people join the queue every couple of minutes. I scan the restaurant, and large majorities of the crowd appear to be Korean. Ah, perfect... it's going to be the real deal. Families, students, large groups and working couples all looked content with their meals. Food really does soothe the soul.

Without a reservation, we lined up for over 30 minutes. That was a long 30 minutes of eyeing everything that came out of the kitchen. So as soon as we were seated, the three of us girls knew what we wanted. A big and warm bubbling hot pot with some kim-chi pancake, please!

Within a couple of minutes, our supply of side dishes arrived:

Then the pot of goodness was served. Mmm... I didn't take a photo after the beef was cooked, so apologies for the raw meat! The hot pot was full of hearty warmth.

Starchy foods are great in Winter too. The Kimchi Pancake was thick and fluffy, and the outside was crisp... it was absolutely divine.

Seoul Ria is the place to be on a cold Winter night!

Seoul Ria
Cnr, George Street & Goulburn Street Sydney City
Tel: +61 (02) 9269 0222

I might as well try break the record and update this site with an astounding 4 posts in 1 day! So what if 2 of them have nothing to do with food?

You may recall, that a couple of weeks back, I went through an obsession with Korean food. Kimchi, soups, fatty pork rashers, BBQ marinated beef, salads of sweetened mash potato, bean sprouts and shallots are some of things I had craved.

CeCi is a small authentic Korean restaurant on The Boulevarde in Strathfield. The interior is adorningly cute with pink walls, floral wallpaper in shades of purple, blue and green and framed cartoon prints.

The pork and kimchi soup was deliciously spicy. Tofu, kimchi and slices of fatty pork floated in a vibrant red soup.

The seafood soup was the exact opposite. It was filled with delicate flavours of blue swimmer crab, red dates, pipis, water chestnut, tofu, prawns and mushroom. The broth was so light and cleansing. Yummo!

CeCi Korean Restaurant
37 The Boulevarde Strathfield
(02) 9746 7710

In welcoming the first couple of cold days, I constantly craved soup... or at least something spicy. It is no wonder there is such a high chilli consumption rate in Asia!

Strathfield is where I go when I want something local, quick and fast. There are Korean restaurants across every main street. Today, we decided to revisit Hyang Won, which is popular for the hot pots or barbeques. I love the spicy octopus, marinated beef, tofu and vegetable hot pot. Priced at $35, it is more than enough to feed 2 people. It is served piping hot with typical Korean condiments (kimchi, fish cakes, seaweed salad and caramelised potatoes).

Hyang Won Korean Restaurant
31 The Boulevarde, Strathfield NSW 2135
Ph. (02) 9746 5750

This is ultimately my favourite Korean restaurant! The service is excellent (I love how they cook the food for you), the staff are super friendly and they really care about their customers. I walked in on a Sunday afternoon after the lunch operating hours and they were more than happy to re-open for just a table of two!

Try the traditional floor seating, or the western tables & chairs at this homestyle restaurant.

Se Jong
68 - 72 Evaline St, Campsie
Phone: (02) 9718-4039

It is hard to miss Stra Pocha- a smokey red building opposite the Strathfield railway station (on the quieter side). At 6.30pm, this Korean BBQ restaurant was packed with locals. When we ordered the 'special hot sauce BBQ chicken' the waitress whom had limited-english, warned us that it was very hot and we weren't allowed to make a complaint if it was unedible. This was enticing enough for us to order without hesitation. I love my food fiery hot.

Stra Pocha
Everton Road, Strathfield (opposite Strathfield Station)