Melbourne Dae Jang Geum Korean BBQ

For a friend’s surprise’s birthday, we headed into Chinatown to dine at one of many restaurants. We were relatively early so the place was still quiet when we got there, but we still had to wait for a table until our reservation time ticked around. The warm, brightly lit restaurant was a nice respite from the late-autumn chill all the same.

When our group of 11 was finally assembled, food and beer orders were promptly taken. After forgetting where each of the six beers were to be delivered (just the one end of the table please!), the rice and the appetisers were brought out:

The appetisers were rather small to say the least, and not as tasty as other restaurants I’ve been to, but that’s not really anything to complain about. I was a little disappointed at the lack of chilli, but perhaps these appetisers weren’t supposed to come with any spice even though their appearance would suggest otherwise.

The meat platters ready for the grill were very generous however with a large quantity and variety of meat. The waitresses place the meat on the grill for you and cut it up as required. This is great, except for the fact that there’s really not that much space between the seats to allow them to work comfortably, or for the diners to sit comfortably. I was squished against the wall, hoping that I wouldn’t get an elbow to the face. Still, I quite enjoyed myself, but it’s hard not to with the amount of food on the table.

BBQ Meat

I forgot to mention that the food is more than affordable, so you can eat until you’re bursting. Not a bad way to spend a cold Tuesday night with friends. If you’re after really good quality Korean food though, try somewhere else.

Melbourne Dae Jang Geum Korean BBQ
235 Little Bourke St, Melbourne
Sun-Thu 11.30am-10.00pm, Fri-Sat 11.30am-11.00pm

Red Spice Road

Having eaten at the popular Asian fusion restaurant Red Spice Road for a work function roughly two months ago (and thus being denied the opportunity of taking photos) I have craved going back again in order to do a proper review. Both times I was there for the lunch banquet (three dishes for $25 pp or five dishes $30 pp) where appetizers are provided and diners can choose from a five-item menu that changes every month.

As there were three of us dining this time round, we couldn’t get the five dish option which requires a minimum of six people, so we had to choose three dishes between us. The menu offered a pork, chicken, beef, fish and a seafood dish, with the option of changing one to a vegetarian dish if required. The appetizer however was set and came out first.

Betel Leaf with Chicken, Smoky Eggplant, Coriander and Lemongrass

I can’t remember if this betel leaf with chicken, smoky eggplant, coriander and lemongrass dish (what a mouthful!) was the same as last time, but it was certainly tasty and whetted the appetite for the dishes to come. Being a fan of eggplant I was a little disappointed that it didn’t have much prominence in the dish, but all was forgotten when the waiter appeared with our three mains, and a bowl of fragrant, steaming jasmine rice. So what did we have? First up: Lap Khmer – a Cambodian beef salad with basil, mint, snake beans, roasted rice powder and chilli. The beef slices were tender and cooked to perfection and was a stable counterpoint to the refreshing greens and herbs.

Lap Khmer

The barramundi sour orange curry with silk melon and potato wasn’t actually sour, but we can forgive them because it tasted so good with the rice.

Barramundi Sour Orange Curry with Silk Melon and Potato

The highlight of course was the pork belly with chilli caramel, black vinegar and apple, cabbage, mint salad. Red Spice Road knows this all to well, with this being the only dish that remains on the ever-changing menu. It’s no wonder really seeing as no self-respecting Asian restaurant would fail to offer pork belly when Melbourne is currently so obsessed with the dish. And oh my what a dish. Having two pieces per person seemed like a glorious indulgence, it was just that good. I only managed a single picture of this before it was ravenously attacked, by me.

Pork Belly with Chilli Caramel, Black Vinegar and Apple, Cabbage, Mint Salad

For $25, this was a very good meal and it’s no wonder that even when diners are forced to sit side-by-side, sharing tables, that this is a hugely popular restaurant with the CBD lunch crowd, I’m not sure that this would quite be the venue for an intimate date night, but if you’re just after good food, then this place is definitely somewhere you should visit. The decor with the huge light shades are also sure to get people talking.

Red Spice Road
27 McKillop St, Melbourne
Lunch: Mon-Sat 12-3pm, Dinner: Mon-Fri 5pm-late, Sat 6pm-late