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MELBOURNE | Hidden in a basement behind a heavy wooden door down an unmarked set of stairs off Swanston Street you’ll find one of Melbourne’s CBD food gems, Joomak. Owner Youn Joon Nam, who hails from Seoul, opened Hwaro Korean BBQ in 2006 with his mother, and in 2010 struck out on his own with Joomak.
It’s a casual, extremely low lit Korean eatery popular with nearby students and hospitality workers in the know, who flock here for the delicious, well priced food on offer. There’s familiar items like Korean fried chciken, barbecue meats, and bibimbap, alongside lesser known stews and offal based dishes.
Lauren and I first visited a few weeks ago with a friend of a friend who was in town from Wisconsin and hadn’t tried Korean food before. Accordingly we didn’t go all out on the offal and unfamiliar dishes like usual, instead opting for a more introductory selection of dishes. Sweet and spicy fried chicken, bibimbap, and kimichi pancake. All very tasty.
The kimichi here is one of the spicier versions I’ve encountered in Melbourne, and it’s wonderful as part of Joomak’s kimichi pancake. The super crisp crust has just the right level of oiliness to it, while the interior is beautifully creamy. The fried chicken is tender on the inside and nice and crispy on the outside, and the bibimbap also hits all the right notes.
The familiar dishes impressed, and I’m definitely making a return visit to try some of the offal dishes like the popular chicken giblets, Joomak’s take on Los Angeles style Korean BBQ ribs, and their jjigae, a kimchi, pork, and tofu soup.
Joomak can get busy, even in the wee hours of the morning (it’s open past midnight every day except Sunday) so if you want one of the booths and have a group, try and book ahead.
Joomak
Basement, 407-409 Swanston Street
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia
Telephone: (03) 9663 7123
E-mail: [email protected]
Website
Open
Mon – Tue: 5:00pm to 1:00am
Wed – Thu: 5:00pm to 3:00am
Fri – Sat: 5:00pm to 5:00am