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.

Family Potluck - Bexley, NSW

Earlier today, the Mrs and I posted an entry about our visit to Cafe Oratnek, well...that's not all we did (ate) over the weekend. Aside from enjoying a beautiful brunch, the Mrs and I had been invited to attend a potluck hosted by one of my close family friends. For the uninitiated, a potluck is an event or meal where each guest is in charge of contributing one dish. I quite enjoy our semi-regular potlucks as our families have always been close friends (our fathers all worked together at the same restaurant for many, many years) and as a result of being so close to the dining scene, our love for the culinary is equal to each others.

I decided that I'd take this opportunity to try an idea that's been floating around my head for a while: yakiniku tacos with radishes pickled in rice vinegar and asian inspired chimichurri. To make the dish, I marinated a couple of beef flank steaks in a house made yakiniku marinade overnight. The marinade is just equal parts cooking sake and soy sauce cooked with onions, garlic, sugar and honey (next time I might even try to add some fruit like apple or nashi pear in for some acidity). For the pickles, I sliced radishes on a mandoline slicer and pickled them in a rice vinegar pickling liquid overnight. Finally, I made the chimichurri out of the white parts of some spring onions, some garlic cloves, italian parsley, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a green chilli. Overall, I was very pleased with the result. I would have preferred to use a more tender cut (such as harami/skirt steak) and maybe marinade it for less time but the interplay of the sweet and crunchy pickles and the spicy, herby sauce made for an excellent party dish.

My friend decided to make ribs and takoyaki (a weird combination I know, but it worked). The ribs were very tender and flavoursome which really reflected the amount of effort he put in to make the ribs. It would have been even better if it was warm enough to have a backyard barbeque where he could have put some smoke and charcoal on it. My friend also took the opportunity to try out various ideas for takoyaki flavours. My two favorites of the night were the XO takoyaki and the truffle aioli takoyaki. Being that the takoyaki was already very creamy inside, the addition of the tobiko and aioli really pushed it to a new level of decadence....a must try for any truffle fan. The XO was also really nice as the chilli oil from the XO sauce melded with the batter to create a ball of spicy goodness.

Another friend also took the time to make a pot of spicy napolitana penne. Although she did indicate that it wasn't her intention to make it as spicy as it was, we were all really glad that it came out the way it did because it was deliciously appetizing. As with any good chilli dish, the heat built up with each mouthful which made you want to eat more. Additionally, some other friends made quiches in potato cups. The quiches were perfectly contained in nice, crispy and carby cups which made them rather delectable treats.

For dessert, we were served lemon curd cupcakes and a chocolate tart. The lemon curd cupcakes were amazing and had a perfect balance of creaminess to tartness. It really was a wonderful way to cut through the intense flavours we had earlier in the dinner which was great because it gave us the ability to kick on and eat the decadently rich chocolate tart. Topped with sliced strawberries and shavings of white chocolate, this chocolate tart was all manner of lovely. Honestly, I probably hoarded half the tart to take home because it was that good.

I truly love the way our families have remained so close and still somewhat regularly find the time to get together and enjoy some great food. I genuinely hope that even as the Mrs and I move further to the west, our ties will remain strong and we still find the time to get together and cook up a storm.