Complimentary banchan - garlic shoots kimchi and potato mash (background)
If there was ever a Sydney restaurant with great value, speedy service, hearty food in the thick of winter, Jonga Jip BBQ would be it.
Great value means our bill came to less than $20.00 per head for this particular meal for three people!
On a restaurant strip in the predominantly Korean suburb of Eastwood, there are at least twenty Korean restaurants, so how do you pick a good one? It is a cold and wet Tuesday night and whilst we walk along Rowe street peering at window menus and checking the number of diners in each restaurant as a gauge of its popularity, we know we want a hearty winter warmer – something along the lines of a simmering hotpot of goodness or a hot plate on which to cook meat.
Korean diners tucking in
We peer into Jonga Jip BBQ which is packed full of diners tucking into hotpots and searing meat on hot plates and the decision was unanimous.
Green chillies, garlic and dipping sauces
I like the fact that a restaurant provides unlimited refills of its entrees. We are presented with banchan or Korean appetizers which consist of garlic shoots and mixed vegetable kimchi, beanspouts and potato mash.
Service button for each table
Service is quick and efficient with the press of a service button on each table.
Complimentary banchan - mixed kimchi and potato mash (background)
Our favourite banchan is the beansprouts and mixed vegetable kimchi and the more we eat, the hungrier we become as the waiter fires up the hot plate on our table and brought our mains.
Beef tongue $13.00
A plate of beef tongue arrives thinly sliced.
Marbled short rib $23.00
The marbled short rib looks amazing with its marbled fat and deep red colour.
2008 Wolf Blass Shiraz Viognier (BYO $3.00 per person)
Our dining companion brings what he calls a “quaffing” bottle of Wolf Blass Shiraz Viognier. It has beautiful flavours where tannins are softened by the viognier and the wine is a great complement to the meat being barbequed on the hot plate.
Barbequeing marbled short rib on hot plate
Dipping sauces were on hand but my recommendation would be to request for salt and pepper. As the beef tongue and short rib are not marinated, sprinkle a little salt on each piece when it hits the hot stove and flip once only when cooked on the underside.
The short rib is a beautiful steak by any measure. With a price tag of $23.00, I have no issues even having to cook it myself. The good thing is we get exactly the medium rare that we desire that even some steak restaurants may get it wrong.
Spicy soft tofu $12.00
A simmering bowl of spicy soft tofu arrives and although it looks a little fiery, the flavours are subtle and it is a great dish for a cold night.
Steamed rice $1.00 per bowl
Steamed rice is a good complement to the spicy soft tofu. Although I’m not big on rice, I feel fairly well fed from the copious amounts of banchan refills.
Diners at Jongga Jip BBQ, Eastwood
As we eat, we see other diners tucking into steaming hot pots, searing meat and having a great time. We knew that we made the right choice tonight.
So dear readers, is there a restaurant dilemma that you can share with us?
Jonga Jip BBQ
87 Rowe street
Eastwood 2122
Sydney, New South Wales
Tel: +61 2 9858 5160
Wolf Blass
Consumer Information
1300 651 650 (within Australia)
0800 651 650 (within New Zealand)
1 800 255 9966 (within U.S. and Canada)
Head Office
77 Southbank Boulevard
Southbank
VIC 3006
Australia
Winery
97 Sturt Highway
Nuriootpa, South Australia 5355
Phone: +61 8 8568 7311
Looks like a great meal for a cold night! I love Korean food and all the banchan you get.
What a delicious meal and a very fair price. Have a wonderful week-end!
wohoo.. something local to try out.
ken and i normally go to chocolate khomz. One thing i love about korean food.. complimentary dishes haha.. you should try their free potato, i always ask for at least 3 extra servings *red face*. The prices here are def. more friendly opposed to chocolate khomz!
dilema, both this jap place and tony romas stuffed up my friends birthday order.. pretty much sucks when your food doesnt come and you end up with maccas to celebrate!
p.s have you tried the all you can eat opposite ew station, next to morning glory? its suppose to be korean bbq, i visited it when they frist opened they didnt have bbq yet
We were just talking about how hard it is to find a restaurant meal for under $25 a person in Sydney! Great find!:)
Those buzzers on the table are kind of cool. I remember some old-school Chinese restaurants here that used to have those. But you never really seem them nowadays. An oldie but goodie. 😉
Hi Susan, the unlimited banchan is one of the best feature of Korean BBQ.
Hi Maris, thanks for dropping by.
Hi Dolly, I liked the whole baby potatoes but found the mash potato a little sweet. We asked the waiter about it and he said they put a fair but of sugar into it which turned me off somewhat. No, we haven’t tried the all you can eat BBQ, perhaps next time.
Hi Lorraine, this was really great value.
Hi Carolyn, we found the buzzer to be really fun, especially when we were trying to order multiple refills of banchan!
We always have dining dilemmas! Half my friends are Muslim and can only eat Halal meat, then there are some that are vegetarian and vegan, and then there’s Ramadan and Lent and OMG. It’s so frustrating!
I’ve only had one experience with Korean BBQ and for some reason I never tried it again, but I think I’ll give it another go. Great review!
I’ve never been to a Korean restaurant, but to a real Chinese restaurant in San Francisco once, and the food tasted so much better than the westernized version of Chinese cooking!
Now I crave for hot Korean food. I have to ask our Korean friend which place should we go.
I love Korean food! I wish we have some good restaurant nearby but we have to drive 30 minutes to get to great Korean food. But here, it’s like Korean town where hundreds of Korean supermarkets and restaurants are next to each other. You made me really want to eat Korean food now. Hmmm should we do 30 min drive…. maybe!! 😉
Hi JasmyneTea, I can’t say Korean is on my list of favourites but the hotpots and hotplates do make a wonderful meal in cold weather
Hi Kath, yes, there are some great Chinese restaurants in SF because of the vibrant Chinese community there.
Hi Diana, would be interesting to see how Korean stacks up at your neck of the woods.
Hi Nami, it’s the same here in Sydney where some suburbs have loads of Korean restaurants and supermarkets.