Welcome to Sydney Seoul Sister's first post. Hooray!
Helen and I decided to celebrate with Korean BBQ. We LOVE LOVE Korean BBQ. Watching meat grilling on a hot plate can be spellbinding, the combination of enticing aroma and the sizzling sound of meat cooking is impossible to resist.
Both Helen and I have been to Jonga Jip Eastwood frequently with our family and friends but this was our first time together. Jonga Jip is located on the 'Korean' side of Eastwood. There are two Jonga Jip restaurants in Eastwood. The original restaurant is on Rowe St and the other one is just around the corner on East Parade opposite Eastwood train station. Like all Korean BBQ restaurants, every table has a built in gas fuelled charcoal burner which gives that authentic charcoal flavour to the meat. As we walked in, we were quickly greeted by a young waiter dressed in a colourful uniform. We were presented with menus with photos and brief description of the dishes. When we were ready to order, we used the handy table buzzer and the waiter appeared and took our order in no time. The service at Jonga Jip is always excellent, the restaurant is like a well oiled machine, it's fast and efficient.
Both Helen and I have been to Jonga Jip Eastwood frequently with our family and friends but this was our first time together. Jonga Jip is located on the 'Korean' side of Eastwood. There are two Jonga Jip restaurants in Eastwood. The original restaurant is on Rowe St and the other one is just around the corner on East Parade opposite Eastwood train station. Like all Korean BBQ restaurants, every table has a built in gas fuelled charcoal burner which gives that authentic charcoal flavour to the meat. As we walked in, we were quickly greeted by a young waiter dressed in a colourful uniform. We were presented with menus with photos and brief description of the dishes. When we were ready to order, we used the handy table buzzer and the waiter appeared and took our order in no time. The service at Jonga Jip is always excellent, the restaurant is like a well oiled machine, it's fast and efficient.
Minimum of two BBQ dishes are required to be ordered. We decided to order the pork belly (samgyeopsal), and the marinated beef (bulgogi) for BBQ. Since it was a cold winters day, we ordered cod stew (daegu jjigae) as well. A typical Korean meal consists of many side dished called 'banchan'. Both Helen and I agree that Jonga Jip offers the best banchan in terms of variety and taste. We counted at least ten banchan and they were all very delicious. My favourite banchan was the mung bean jelly (cheongpomuk muchim) and according to Helen, Jonga Jip serves up the best pickled cabbage (kimchi) in Sydney.
Side dishes (banchan)
Marinated beef (bulgogi)
The great thing about cooking your own meat is that the meal does not feel rushed. We cooked the meat at a pace that we wanted eat and whenever the hot plate got a little bit too smokey, a waiter appeared and swapped it for a clean one. Jonga Jip is our favourite Korean BBQ restaurant, neither Helen nor I have yet to find a better one in Sydney. They seemed to use superior quality of meat, the pork belly (samgyeopsal) has the right balance of meat and fat. And pork belly dipped in salted sesame oil and wrapped in a lettuce leaf was just to die for...YUM. The marinated beef (bulgogi) is always tender and is often the best introduction dish to Korean cuisine.
As usual, we walked out of Jonga Jip very satisfied and feeling slightly guilty that we didn't share it with our family. But that's okay, because there would certainly be next time, probably very soon.
