You would never know it just by looking at it, but in a small area down an old and unmarked stairwell on Swanston Street lies Joomak. Open until early morning and with a good reputation among those who know of it, I was quite pleased when we stumbled upon this restaurant as our normal go to location for Korean food late at night had just closed for the night.
Private booths
A small and intimate place, Joomak is a great place to relax and enjoy some good Korean food and snacks. Equipped with both a dining area as well as private booths, they can cater to groups of different sizes and needs.
Side dishes
As with most Korean restaurants, a number of different side dishes come complementary with the meal. While they differ from restaurant to restaurant, one thing that stays consistent is that they all contain some variant of kimchi. This particular one was not as spicy as some others I have tried and is also one of the less fermented variants of kimchi.
Takoyaki $8.00
Rice cake with seafood and cheese $23.00
Beef bulgogi $15.00
When the dishes we ordered arrived, the scent of the rice cake dish pleasantly wafted through the air. With a good amount of spice and cheese melted over the top, the flavour was intense but lovely. Unfortunately for $23.00 there was a distinct lack of seafood in the dish, with only a few mussels and some other small pieces seafood at the bottom.
The takoyaki on the other hand was great value and taste, with piping hot balls of octopus goodness that are covered in the sauce, mayonnaise and a pile of katsuobushi, it was incredibly satisfying.
I personally did not try any of the beef bulgogi, but overall the dishes served here were very satisfying, especially on a cold night. But while the food was good, the prices were a bit on the high side and the service was a bit lacking. I would definitely recommend coming for a quick Korean fix late at night but with the wide variety of different Korean restaurants in Melbourne, there are definitely some other places that I prefer going to when I have time to travel around.
Food Rating 7.5/10
Overall Rating 7/10