The New-ish Korean/Japanese Joints in Town

I was intrigued when my friend Melissa suggested that we organised a catchup dinner at this new place called Gangnam Pocha on Bourke Street a few months ago. "Gangnam… Now, why does that word sound so familiar? Heh". The place looked quite interesting when we walked in. 

Although, I couldn't help but notice that there was an interesting looking Gyoza restaurant next to it while White Tomato had just renovated across the road. I later found myself back at all 3 restaurants on separate occasions with different groups of friends. 

Gangnam Pocha

Tofu and Kimchi - $10

Korean Style Pork Terrine - $10

Crisp Tofu - $11

Deep fried tofu with stir fried kimchi

Pork Ssam - $25

Boiled pork with homemade kimchi

Warm Sake

Crisp Calamari and Prawn - $11

Gangnam Chicken - $18

Fried chicken with sweet chilli sauce, peanuts

Braised Beef Spare Ribs - $20

Braised beef spare ribs with honey, root vegetables in hot stone pot

US Army Stew - $28

Assorted ham stew with beef, kimchi, noodle and cheese

Rich Hazelnut Chocolate Semi Freddo - $13

Mixed Berry Heaven - $13

Coconut, Lemon and Strawberry Cake for the Birthday Boy!

Every single feature of the figurine (from the hair, to the camera, shoes, hoodie) is exactly like my friend Julian this cake is too cute!

Must say that I'm definitely a fan of Gangnam Pocha. The restaurant is spacious and service really friendly. They were more than accommodating both times that I went (when we had more than 10 ppl on both occasions). Not to mention giving my friend Julian a flaming shoju on the house when they realised it was his birthday.

As for the food, my highlights include the fried tofu with kimchi. I like that they've reduced the kimchi till it's sticky and full of flavour and placed on top of incredibly crunchy tofu. The fried calamari and prawns tastes more exciting than it sounds. Of course, we couldn't come to Gangnam Pocha and not order the Gangnam Chicken, which I really enjoyed. Even though the chicken was not as crunchy as Gami's, but the sauce was definitely better as it was well balanced and highly addictive. Finally, I also recommend you order the beef stew because it was top notch! My friend Ian liked it so much that the sounds that he was making was starting to become borderline awkward to be heard in public, but in a good way =)

Generally, all the other dishes were good and I've got no complaints about them. What I find interesting about this place is also how they serve desserts too, which is quite rare for Korean restaurants. Happy to report that they were pretty good too!

Gyoza Douraku

Sake - $9.90

Sake Harami Yaki - $11.90

Grilled salmon belly (most fatty part of salmon) with sea salt

Make your own gyoza dipping sauce! Awesome concept

Mixture of white vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, chilli oil, minced garlic

Pan Fried Gyoza with Wagyu Beef & Red Onion Filling - $9.50

Cheese Gyoza with Miso Eggplant and Duck Filling - $12

Prawn Gyoza in Spicy Miso Soup - $12

Popcorn Chicken - $8.50

Deep fried crumbed chicken mince and sweet corn

Soft Shell Crab Fried Rice - 19.90

Japanese fried rice topped with soft shell crab, shallot, garlic, dried scallop XO sauce

This place really caught my attention too when I was on my way to Gangnam Pocha as it was right next to the restaurant. Why? It had Gyoza in the name. And I like Gyoza.

I later realised it was more of an Izakaya kind of Jap restaurant, which I thought was fitting as I was catching up with two good friends that Friday night after work. Overall, I thought the menu is quite vast and unique. There were lots of great sounding dishes to choose from and I liked the concept they presented for the Gyozas. There was a page each of steamed, fried, cheese or soup gyozas; each with a variety very interesting fillings. Just read what we ordered and you'll see what I mean. They were quite tasty too. Also, it's great how we could make our own gyoza dipping sauces as well. Another good and unique concept to the Melbourne food scene.

Besides the gyozas, our highlights also include that seriously delicious grilled salmon belly. It was so fragrant and unctuous, definitely a delicious entree to order here and anywhere. Also, the soft shell crab fried rice was, again, interesting! I enjoyed how it came in a hot stone bowl, with the raw beaten egg poured straight into it before being mixed up altogether. A little bit too peppery but still pretty tasty and just a stunning looking dish to begin with.

Although I enjoyed the food here, must say that we weren't full as the portions weren't very big. But that's Izakaya anyway. Still, interesting concepts and worth a try. But only if you're not famished when you arrive and expecting to eat till you drop. There's a time and place for that, and it's not at Gyoza Douraku.

White Tomato

Individual portion banchan for everyone -- no sharing, how nice!

Beef Jabchai - $12.50

Pan fried potato noodle with seasoned vegetable

Stone Bibimbap - $15.90

Choice of beef, pork, chicken or tofu with seasoned vegetable and steamed rice

Bulgogi - $16.50

Beef marinated in soy sauce with vegetable

Grilled Pork Belly with Salad - $14.90

Kimchi Cheese Pancake - $13.90

Dak Hanmari (Ginseng Chicken Hotpot) - $38.50

Ginseng, onion, mushroom, potato noodle in chicken hotpot

My first encounter with Korean food in Melbourne was actually at White Tomato, back in 2008. I believe it was my third day of arriving in Australia and I had the Hot Stone Bibimbap for the first time. Ever since that encounter, I had been back many, many times to White Tomato that year. However, I did stop after almost a year because I was getting a little fed up that every time I ordered the exact same dish, it would turn out completely different from my previous visit and even worse for the matter. I don't think I had been back since 2009.

However, I did notice that they had completely renovated the restaurant a few months ago. Mum and Sis had gone to try the food after this renovation and mentioned that they actually enjoyed the food. Good.

After coming here for a farewell dinner with some good friends about 2 weeks ago, I was noticed that the menu, food, setting and even the staff were completely different. And the food turned out pretty delicious. Don't think there were any particularly "bad" dishes, per se, but it's not like I was looking for things to criticise anyway. I generally enjoyed the new atmosphere and every dish that they served.

Highlights include the kimchi pancake with cheese -- yum! Crispy on the outside and full of kimchi and cheese. I also thought the ginseng chicken hotpot to be pretty hearty, warming and satisfying. The broth was flavourful and had plenty of chicken to go around. But I also liked the little rice bits inside as well. Oh, oh and they give every diner their own individual serve of banchan -- yay for no sharing!

Anyway, I'm happy to see that White Tomato is now back on track after being derailed for a while. Glad to know that there's another option for Korean restaurant to host group dinners in the CBD. A knowledge that's always handy to have, me thinks =)

Spice Temple, Southbank

Stir fried Spanner with whole garlic, chilli and coriander -- $55

Handmade yellow noodles with Wagyu braised brisket, chilli and Sichuan pepper -- $24

Stir fried corn with smoked pork and chives -- $14

Stir fried quail and peanuts with steamed egg custard spicy, crunchy, creamy -- $38

Hot, sweet, sour and numbing pork with chilli, sugar, black vinegar and Sichuan peppercorn -- $38

Three milk cake with pomegranate and pistachio -- $18

Caramel, chocolate and peanut parfait -- $18

I was so excited about coming to Spice Temple after hearing so many people rave about it. It was a place I resisted for a long time because the price was incredibly expensive to me, especially for Asian food. I'm the same with true blue Italians who hardly ever pay for an expensive Italian meal at a restaurant for so many reasons I'd rather not say. That said, I finally decided to give it a go when my good uni mate who's moved back overseas was here in Melbourne that week for a short trip.

In short, I found Spice Temple to be very, very overpriced. Taste of the food was really underwhelming. We only enjoyed 2 out of 7 of the dishes we ordered, especially disappointing when we paid $75 per person for the meal (without drinks). It is so damn rare that I spend that much on a meal, but if it's a rare occasion (like my friend visiting from overseas) and the food is good, I'd say it's value for money. But in this case, it wasn't.

The spanner crab was clean, fresh and beautiful. But it was $50 for a tiny plate. Fair enough, as they shelled the crabs for you as well. Noodles was beautiful. Slippery and flavourful, but there was barely any meat/Wagyu in there. Corn was way too salty from the smoked pork and though the egg custard was smooth, I make egg custard like that at home almost every month. 

The famous numbing pork was the most disappointing of all as I feel like they didn't even get the basics right. Sauce was good, but the pork was so tough, dry and overcooked. Plus, the batter didn't stick to the pork at all and was completely separated from the meat. I'm sure it was just our experience that night as I believe other people when they tell me it was good when they came. In terms of dessert, the milk cake was ridiculously sweet and nothing else. I was looking forward to the parfait but was hoping it had more crunch, which I found it lacked.

Again, we struggled to enjoy 5 out of 7 of the dishes. Very shocking for a 2 Hatted restaurant. I really wanted to say that I enjoyed the food here as I think it's good to have a Modern Asian restaurant with a setting as nice as this in Crown but I didn't. Anyway, hope that this experience was a one time thing and others have better luck with it than me. Doubt I'll come back.

Opening of The Grain Store and Hero Sub

The Grain Store

A couple of months ago, I was invited to the opening of The Grain Store -- a new cafe that just opened in the Western end of the CBD. Opened by the same masterminds behind The Reading Room (another cafe which I LOVE), Michael and Eleena, I knew that it was going to be a hit. 

The place was buzzing when I arrived. The hosts were generous enough to let me bring my 3 mates along, which made for a good way to spend our Friday night -- woohoo!

They served an array of canapes that night. There wasn't much food to be had as I got there late after work but the mouthfuls that I had were DELICIOUS. 

Me alongside the wonderful team behind The Grain Store as well as my awesome #ttvn buddies Ashley and Adrian

Thanks for the great night, guys!

Soy Piccolo Latte -- $4

A few weeks ago, I finally went over to The Grain Store for brunch. This time, with the fantastic company of Daisy, Ricky and Jo.

Chilli & Fennel Sausage, Vanilla Parsnip -- $ 17

with poached egg, savoy cabbage, pear and cumquat chutney

Grilled Asparagus & House Smoked Salmon -- $19

with poached egg, goats curd, blood orange, crispy quinoa

Portobello Mushroom & Raclette Potato Rosti -- $18

with poached eggs, hazelnut hollandaise

Bacon Steak & Smoked Jalapeno Cheese Croquette -- $19

with egg sunny side up, pea salsa, whipped goat's feta, apple balsamic

Rosemary Polenta Chips -- $8

Lavender & Buttermilk Panna Cotta -- $12

with poached pear, earl grey, salted pepitas, sugar bubbles

The Grain Store really had become the talk of the town ever since they opened. From what I hear, it is CONSTANTLY packed out no matter when you go. What I appreciated about this place most is that it is finally giving the CBD what it has been severely lacking: which is another brunch option. At the same time, I think it's great that they have a nice, big, comfortable venue that allows you to take bookings, which is so rare for brunch places.

Overall, I think the menu is interesting in a sense that you are getting more than you realise on the plate. Not in terms of quantity, but the number of components and complexity that went into producing each element. 

In terms of taste, I don't think I was too blown away. It was good, but the overall dish didn't really hit home for me, unlike the brunch menu at The Reading Room. There was creativity involved, but some pairings were a little odd for my liking. The panna cotta unfortunately left us with a bit of a mixed and confused sensation in our mouths. My bacon steak was nice and salty on its own but together with the salted savoy cabbage on my plate, it was a little bit much. Although, my bacon steak as well as the dessert were the only 2 dishes that I found to be a bit off. Daisy, Ricky and Jo had much better luck as I found all their dishes to be quite delicious. 

At the end of the day, I'm just happy that they take bookings and it's a decent option if people are looking to grab brunch in the CBD. Oh, and they serve good coffee too.

Hero Sub

Not too long after the opening of The Grain Store (which has been thriving ever since), the same visionaries behind that establishment had invited my friends and I over to the opening of their latest venture: Hero Sub!

All photos taken with my iPhone as I was too much of a nuff nuff to remember to bring my camera. Although, do check out their website because the photos of their food seriously AMAZING!

1. #Catcher

Panko crumbed shrimp tossed in hero secret seasoning, slaw, finished with housemade thousand island dressing

2. #Throwback

Veal, pork, orange and fennel meatballs simmered in Nonna's homemade sauce with baby spinach & shaved grana padano

3. #KidRoyale

Smoked hickory rub, slow roasted beef with onion jam, honey dijon, baby spinach, finished with crispy onioin rings

4. #Brklyn

10 hour pulled lamb, shredded pickle beetroot, baby spinach & herb-whipped feta

Located just behind the new RMIT building on Swanston St, I LOVED the concept and vibe as soon as I saw it from the outside. Inspired by the streets of Brooklyn in NYC, Hero Sub serves up a mean selection of cool, grungy subs with a hip hop beat (literally). The staff were all decked out in their cap, sweaters and kicks with a bit of bling around their neck while they played old school hip hop in the background. It was way cool, I loved it.

I am happy to say that every single one of the subs we had was insanely delicious! No two subs were anywhere alike and they all had so much flavour and attitude. It was seriously good. Although, my favourite that day has got to be the #KidRoyale. The hickory smoked meat with the ultra crisp onion rings against the sweet onion jam was too good to be true! My mates and I deemed this our favourite of the day.

Overall, Hero Sub really is on to something here. It's a quick and affordable bite to eat in the CBD, perfect for people who want a quick lunch on the go. The subs are memorable, as you will find when you taste one for yourself. 

There really is no stopping Michael and Eleena as everything that they touch just turns to gold. Look at how well The Reading Room and The Grain Store are doing right now. They not only are so seasoned in the industry, but are also great people to be around and I'm very happy for their continuous success. Thank you again for inviting my friends and I over to try your delicious food, I'm sure that Hero Sub is going to be another sure fire hit!



Disclaimer: Winston and friends dined as guests at The Grain Store and Hero Sub. All opinions are honest and based on own personal experience at the time.