A couple of years ago, I tried to learn how to play Starcraft 2. It didn’t take long for me to realise that I’d never tried Korean food before. So I consulted Urbanspoon, grabbed some friends, and ventured out to Kimchi Hut – my best-rated local Korean restaurant.
Unsurprisingly, it’s now one of my fail-safe places to find great food… as long as you book first.
New look menu at Kimchi Hut
They’ve changed their menu look recently, though I don’t think the prices changed much. There are a couple of new dishes (chicken with cheese…?), but the new menu is much easier to read. I still wish they had the English pronunciations for their dishes, as I’d love to learn them properly, and not just ask for “rice” or “noodles”.
They do Korean BBQ and hotpot using portable gas burners and hotplates, but we’ve never ordered it, what with the Doctor’s “meat problem”. Luckily, our favourites of bimbimbap (stone pot rice) and japchae (sweet potato noodles) are very hard to go past.
Banchan, clockwise from top left – kimchi, water chestnut jelly, sauteed garlic chives, pickled vegetables, salad with sesame dressing
Additional banchan – sauteed beansprouts and marinated tofu skins
The banchan (complimentary side dishes) haven’t much changed either, though we missed the kong nameul muchim (sauteed beansprouts) this time around. My favourite, the water chestnut jelly was still there. Their eponymous kimchi is very tangy, with only a mild chilli kick. I’m not usually fond of “raw” kimchi, but the Doctor loves it in kimchi-based dishes like soondubu jigae (kimchi soup with soft tofu) and tteokbokki (stewed rice cakes), even though he didn’t order either of those this time.
Chilli Squid Bimbimbap – sizzling stone pot rice with vegetables and egg, served with doenjang (miso soup)
Mixing up the bimbimbap!
Doenjang – Korean style miso soup
Japchae (sweet potato noodles) with pork and stirfried vegetables – I usually add a fair amount of chilli sauce because #yolo
Bulgogi – sizzling beef platter
Our usual drinks – complimentary sweet corn tea and Korean grape-flavoured soft drink
| Food |     |
| Extremely tasty, seems to be “homestyle” cooking considering how many Korean people eat here during the week. | |
| Ambience | |
| Definitely a “family” restaurant, which means a lot of people in a small, very echoey space. They prefer to squish you in rather than turn you away, so definitely book if coming for dinner (never had a problem booking on the day). They have installed an air-conditioner, but when the door is left open, the traffic noise gets really loud. | |
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Location |
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| Parking spaces directly across the road, and more within a block’s walking distance. Glen Waverley railway station is also very close by. | |
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Service |
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| Fast, polite and very friendly. Excellent english, but kind of disappointing if you want to try to learn the proper names of things off the menu. But learn to pronounce kamsa hamnida (“thank you”), and the owner will be delighted! |
Entrance
Adorable sign outside Kimchi Hut
Another cute sign outside Kimchi Hut