Smokkim

It was a Friday night... I just drove three hours back from Canberra and really just wanted to relax and eat some good food with WifeofSnackingBear. We ended up heading to Smokkim based on no recommendations... and solely because it was nearby and nothing else we walked past tickled our fancy.

We were greeted with a fairly decent range of sides of KimChi, Tofu, Bean Sprouts, Seaweed and Mung Bean Jelly. None of the sides stood out but it was enough to add variance and pairings to the meat. All the side dishes had the option for you to request more if you wanted.

What I did like about the place is the suction fan sitting right above the food. It was kinda low and annoying when it came to photos but it worked well because it's rare to eat Korean BBQ and not come out smelling like meat and smoke. 

So we started with a plate of Ox Tongue - which was a bit chewy but was well seasoned and maintained great flavours through the cooking... making the chewiness slightly forgivable....

and a plate of Marinated Pork Ribs - offering tender meats, slightly salty marinate but an overall decent meat experience.

I think the highlight for me had to be their Crispy Fried Chicken - Golden pieces of chicken that super crunchy on the outside, succulent on the inside and just slightly moreish despite how bad and oily they are for you. It paired so well with a plate of Mustard sauce which was annoyingly a surcharge. I have to say this place ranks quite highly in my K(orean)FC rankings now...

What better to wash it down with a nice cold Max Korean Lager. Served at a sharable 550ml, it played the perfect companion to the meal and was so easy to drink. 

The layout has a lot going for it as it breaks out of the normal shabby Korean BBQ layouts and offers a more modern, relaxed atmosphere. 

The service was a bit hit and miss all in the same night. We were greeted at the front but felt rushed to come in and order. We chose to not do so and just peruse through the menu first to which when we were ready and tried to get someones attention, we ended up waiting quite a while to be served.  Then when we finally got settled in, it was nice to see some good ol' fashion service where they helped us cook and checked if we needed more sides.

I think what throws me off about the place is the high price tags and possibly their service. Other than that, I'd come here again for a Korean feast... but it's just as easy to drive to Strathfield for a better Korean BBQ experience....