Korean Local Kitchen have recently gone through a refurbishment, really making some vast improvements on the décor of both the inside and outside of the restaurant. You can now expect clean fixtures and fittings in a nicely well lit restaurant that feels infinitely more inviting than before.
Table of Contents
The menu at Korean Local Kitchen
So a few things not note about the menu, specifically:
- 海鮮 hǎi xiān= seafood
- 韓式 hánshì = Korean style
- 泡菜 pào cài = Kimchi
Anything else on this menu, you will likely find out what it means by checking out one of my more in-depth articles all about how to order.
What we ordered:
- 春川辣雞+飯 Chūn chuān là jī +fàn
- Spicy Chicken + Rice
- 海鮮煎餅 hǎi xiānjiān bǐng
- Korean seafood pancake
- 石鍋拌飯 (牛) shí guō bàn fàn (niú)
- Bibimbap (Beef)
- 辣炒年糕 là chǎo nián gāo
- Spicy fried Korean rice cakes
The self-service area was awesome to see. I mean, most Korean restaurants do offer side dishes, but not all offer unlimited refills of side dishes. Here, though, Korean Local Kitchen offers you essentially all-you-can-eat side dishes that regularly change. On the day that we went they had the mung bean noodles, pickled seaweed, and spicy beansprouts. But I’ve been here before and had spicy fishcakes, too, which were delicious!
Pick of the bunch, for me, was the seaweed. Seaweed is such a simple thing, but this was lightly and sweetly pickled with some onion, and I just couldn’t get enough of it.
The beansprouts were fine, too, but the seaweed only narrowly went in as my favourite over the Korean-style fish cakes (甜不辣 tián bù là) I had before. Those fishcakes were chewy yet soft, salty yet sweet, and I definitely got at the very least 2 large portions. The mung bean noodles were fine, but it felt that they were more of a filler than a refreshing accompaniment.
Spicy Chicken + Rice
On looks alone, the sauce on this spicy chicken strikes me as something that wouldn’t be out of place in a Cantonese restaurant. It looks salty, thick, and that shine makes me think that it has some sort of sauce thickening agent in there, too.
However, it is very much Korean in flavour, let me assure you of that. You can expect a fair amount of Korean-style spice that really brings deep flavours. There are also a good amount of vegetables mixed in-between the copious amounts of succulent chicken. In fact, I was amazed by quite how much chicken there was on the plate, especially for the price paid. A really solid dish that would, by itself, encourage me to come back again for.
Kimchi Pork Pot + Rice
There’s something about a pot filled with spicy sour kimchi, pork, tofu and beansprouts that I can’t help but smile at. While I have not been to Korea, I see this more as homely food that Koreans really appreciate for its relative simpleness to put together, yet it still has bags of amazing flavour throughout.
Expect the pot to be mildly spiced. I imagine that you can probably ask for it to be done spicier if you’re in to that, but we enjoyed it as it was. The sour kimchi comes through really well, and there’s plenty of pork in the pot to make the price incredibly reasonable.
If there are two of you going there, then this is more than enough food between you. But, if you really want to enjoy yourself, then you should absolutely get the Korean Seafood Pancake pictured below, and some shoju to wash it all down with. After all, why wouldn’t you?
Bibimbap (Beef)
Eyes light up when this Bibimbap finds its way onto the table. Steaming and sizzling, packed with a massive amount of veg, and topped with a generous handful of beef and seaweed, I was excited to start stirring it all together. But, not so fast!
You have to wait before stirring if you want that amazingly crunchy rice that is still sizzling at the bottom of the dish. Bide your time, eat the side dishes, and lash the bowl with that spicy sauce that is provided to you on the table.
There’s something just beautiful about rice that is fried so much that it becomes crispy and crunchy. I mean, just get your peepers on that. Once you have finished drooling and decided to go here for your next meal, take a look at everything in the bowl when it has been mixed together and lashed with that sauce. It looks good. I love Korean food.
Spicy fried Korean rice cakes
We often buy these Korean topokki rice cakes from PX Mart (other supermarkets are available, obvs, but this is my go-to, without a doubt) and cooked it up at home with some cheese and thinly sliced belly pork or beef. But this one is so much better. The Korean topokki rice cakes were more soft than chewy (not a complaint), and the sauce was spicy but not overpowering. The sauce also held some sort of sweetness that was probably elevated by the token pieces of carrot and cabbage that have been cooked in with the Korean topokki rice cakes. I would not hesitate to order these again.
Korean seafood pancake
So, first off, how incredible does this Korean seafood pancake look? And when you look at it only priced at $200 on the menu, it looks even better, am I right? (I know I am). Well, honestly, I was left a little deflated after my first slice. Why? Well, I was struggling to find the actual seafood. Yes, it was crispy. Yes, it was really tasty. But, to call this ‘seafood’ felt like a bit of a stretch.
The limited amount of seafood inside the pancake was cut up so small that it kind of blended in to the crunchiness of the pancake and got a little bit lost. Honestly, I would prefer to stick another $100 on top and just have some more octopus, squid, or shrimp in the mix. But, would I get it again? Probably, yes, because the flavour and texture was still great.
The bottom line
Favourite dish? The Spicy chicken + Rice.
Dish I wouldn’t order again? I’d order everything again, but if a gun was to my head, then probably the ‘seafood’ pancake.
Will I rush to go back, or maybe leave it a year? I’m planning on going back next month.