MELBOURNE | All you can eat Korean isn’t something that’s new to Melbourne, but it tends to be centred around BBQ. At Kim Soju, which I recently visited for What’s On Melbourne, owner Areum Lee and the team are doing things differently.
It’s a cosy space, welcoming with a kind of lounge room college dorm feel. To the left, there’s a long multi levelled counter filled with constantly and freshly replenished maries filled with all sorts of interesting and delicious things. Several of the team hail from Busan, and the chef’s grandmother, who comes in to help with the cooking sometimes, used to run a food stall at one of Busan’s produce markets.
The focus is on market style street food, keenly priced so that everyone can afford a feed here. There’s favourites like garlic fried chicken and kimchi dumplings, and dishes like japchae (glass noodles), odeng (fish paste skewers), and soondae (Korean blood sausage). The latter can be enjoyed ‘Seoul style’ or ‘Busan style’. It’s one of the many ways that Kim Soju gives Melburnians the chance to try some regional twists they may not have encountered before.
DIY ramen is a popular option, and if you don’t want to go for the all you can eat option, there’s also a cooked to order a la carte menu. At the front, there’s a pastry and grab and go counter filled with things like pat (red bean) and Korean corn dogs.
To drink, there’s espresso and filter coffee, Korean sodas, beers, and if course, soju.
Kim Soju
408 Queen Street
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia
Telephone: 0402 344 369
E-mail: n/a
Website
Open
Mon – Sun: 11:00am to 11:00pm