Dae Ga Korean BBQ Restaurant - Parramatta, NSW

Have I mentioned how much I love my new adopted home of North Parramatta? No? Well, I absolutely love it here. This is my first experience of living in a CBD and it's equal parts exhilarating and overwhelming. The sheer amount of choice you have at your doorstep is staggering. I can literally satisfy almost any craving I have within a short 5 minute walk...KFC, Sun Ming, Japanese food...you name it, I have access to it. On the topic of cravings, I find it absolutely fascinating how one's cravings can sometimes be contagious...such was the case when I had sudden urge to eat Korean Barbeque. Our whole church group picked up on the same notion and that's how the Mrs and I found ourselves heading to Dae Ga Korean BBQ Restaurant.

The Mrs and I had noticed this restaurant a couple of months ago...It'd taken over the old spot where Chef's Taste had previously occupied and looking from the outside, we were rather intrigued about how good it would be. It was then the perfect opportunity to try this restaurant by bringing our rather large and hungry group of friends and family. The moment we saw the menu, we (I) was sold...everything I love about Korean food all in one restaurant. The offerings on the menu range from various hotpots and standard Korean dishes to Barbeque (duh) and even...Korean fried chicken. The Mrs and I (having eaten the most Korean food out of everyone) took it upon us to order for everyone on our table. On top of the variety, the staff at Dae Ga are all rather nice and friendly. Despite the large group we came in, they happily (if not slightly stressfully) accommodated us and I definitely appreciated the honesty in their service when assisting the Mrs and I with our ordering.

As with every Korean restaurant, the first to come were the various banchan (side dishes) that come complimentary with your meal. I can't say that the ones served here were particularly outstanding but definitely good for curbing your growing hunger in anticipation for your main meals. Additionally, bear in mind that it is rather hard to find a Korean restaurant which offers side dishes that are out of the ordinary...if you know of any restaurants where that's the case, please do let us know in the comments.

After the banchan came the second most anticipated dish: Soft tofu hotpot. Now, you might ask: why would you order a bubbling hot soup on humid nights like we've had recently? Because it's so good you don't care. Despite the heat and humidity, this soup is like a warm, spicy hug no matter where and what time you order it. This is one of those dishes that you can never go wrong with. Dae Ga does this dish moderately well...it's less spicy than I'm used to but that just goes to highlight the mild yet richly savoury flavour of the seafood stock.

In retrospect, we should probably have order more soup...but luckily, the combination platters we ordered came shortly after which helped supplement the soup we'd already been having. We decided to order two combination As as they contained the most variety of meats and was the type that's generally accepted by those new to Korean cuisine (bulgogi, Pork ribs, Samgyeopsal...or Korean bacon). This is where one of Dae Ga's shortcomings comes in play...they use gas stoves instead of Charcoal. Additional to that, our tables were provided the ingenious Korean griddle pans which drip excess oil into another bowl....for health reasons. Although slightly healthier, this definitely does take away from the experience as the pan takes longer to get hot and doesn't get the smoky char that you look for when barbecuing meat....still, it's still great that I'm able to get Korean BBQ so close to me.

The Mrs and I had also ordered other items such as Seafood Pancake and Korean Fried Chicken but by the time the dishes came, we were so consumed by our appetites that we'd neglected to take photos...but take my word for it, the pancake and chicken was actually unexpectedly decent. In my opinion, Dae Ga is a good option for those living locally who want a quick fix for their Korean cravings. If you're not bothered to drive to Eastwood or Strathfield, do give this nice local restaurant a try.

Samgugji - Campsie

I do love Tuesdays, mainly because that's the day that my dad gets a day off from toiling away in the kitchen. Despite that, most Tuesdays, you can still find him in the kitchen cooking a feast for us and our family friends. And that's why on the rare occasions we decide to go out for dinner, I'm especially happy because I get to see him sit down and relax for once. Our family only ever goes to a few regular places and this Tuesday, we decided to visit our Korean BBQ favorite.

Upon arriving, we were shocked to discover that the Korean restaurant we've been frequenting had been replaced! Samgugji (formerly Se Jong...the non-buffet one) still looked rather promising so we decided to go in anyway. Luckily, our uncertainty was put to rest as despite the name change, we could still identify the same familiar faces we've seen for years. The staff sure did remember us as without a hitch, we got to ordering all our usual dishes.

Not that the food was bad before (quite the contrary, it's always been really good) but I have to say, it's really gotten better since the change, The Ban Chan (side dishes) were the usual dishes but were of a discernibly higher standard. First to come was our BBQ platter and the first thing on the hot plate was my personal favoured cut, Chaedol Baegi (sliced beef brisket). Only needing a slight singe on the hot plate, the stuff is amazing when had with a steaming bowl of korean rice and bountiful Ssam Jang (Soybean paste).

Next came the seafood pancake which offered a nice, carby side to our meat. The Mrs absolutely loved this place as much as my family does and there's a reason why: they do really good pancakes and dumplings. Unfortunately, I was so absorbed in eating that I didn't take a photo of the dumplings but I did get a good snap of the pancake! Notice that despite it's thickness, the pancake still had the nice and crispy bumps that gave each bite a satisfying crunch.

We also ordered the beef soup (yukke jang) and I got my own bowl of Jya Jyang Myung (black bean noodles). The beef soup is perfect for this cold weather, the spice giving it a good kick to flavour the beef, spring onions and chewy potato noodles.

 I was apprehensive when ordering my noodles as the signs clearly said 'Lunch Only' but decided to give it a shot anyway. The boss lady (who was taking our order) had gave me a look when I asked but then smiled and let me have it anyway! I felt so special that I demolished it all (almost) without sharing.

We then finished our meal with more and more meat (as you do). We ordered the pork belly as an additional order and honestly, no regrets there. The thinly sliced bits of porcine goodness go really well with the sesame oil/salt mix they provide. If you don't have enough, you can always make more with the condiments available to you on the table.

The steak was amazingly tender but nothing compared to the beef ribs we had. They were cooked to a perfect medium and coated with a charred and sweet marinade. The fatty bits nearest to the bone were the best...especially when you don't have to share cause no one else would want it but you. As we always do, we finish with Bulgogi which I have to say has improved a lot. I think it may be my personal preference talking but it was spectacularly juicy and tender.

I'm so happy to see the restaurant still serving amazing food after all these years and although they might be experiencing a bit of a transitional period from the name change, I'm confident they'll come back to and exceed their former popularity if they keep serving food as good as I had this Tuesday night.