Thursday 17 January 2019

Jumak - Brisbane CBD


Hot summers call for relatively lighter meals. Although my usual go to would be Japanese, Korean also makes for a good option. Have recently heard of the newly opened Jumak, by the same owners of Jee's Burgers. Situated along Margaret street, it was a stones throw away from the bustle of the mall and made for a quiet retreat after our shopping endeavours. Heading in for an early lunch at around 11.30, we were one of the first ones there. Owner Ricky was friendly and hospitable, imparting to us his passion for traditional Korean fare. 

  

 The menu was a little different to others I've seen at Korean restaurants. It had a notable lack of pictures. What it did have though, was very good value for money, with quite a few $10 or $15 lunch options.


Cutlery and serviettes were available from the drawer under the table, I love Korean conveniences.


Sides came fairly quickly. My favourite will almost always be the kimchi, spicy, fresh and crunchy. Pickled tofu was nice too, but a little on the sweeter side of the spectrum.


First of our dishes to arrive was the Bulgogi Beef Bibimbop. Despite Adam's general dislike of rice, he insisted to have this dish. I guess being served in a hot stone bowl which meant that the rice at the bottom was toasty and crispy. Topped with pickles, cabbage, cucumber, carrot, bulgogi beef and a fried egg, it was delicious and flavoursome. I also really appreciated the additional spicy sauce on the side, which meant that we could control the spice level. What I was surprised about though was that the beef and egg had come out pre cooked, as others I've had before come out raw and are cooked with the hot stone bowl. Mixing it in was really great fun and portions were generous.


Being a fan of Korean braised pork belly, I was very impressed to see it on the $15 lunch special menu. Usually I have them in share size portions for $35 - $40 and they come with an assortment of sides like lettuce and sauce. This was around half the share portion and came without any accompaniment. Pieces were a little fatty, but soft and came topped with copious amounts of sweet soy. Although we didn't get extra lettuce, it went well with our bulgogi rice. I'm not sure I'd have this alone for a lunch though.


At the recommendation of Ricky, we also tried the Stir Fried Spicy Beef Abomasum. Being quite a big fan of tripe, I hadn't heard of or tried abomasum before, but apparently it is the fourth beef stomach which produces enzymes used to make cheese. It was served with kimchi and fresh cabbage. I liked the chewy texture which was a little similar to pork stomach. It was definitely quite enjoyable. 


Of course, no Korean meal is complete without a kimchi pancake, and this was very tasty and great value for $10. The pancake was a little doughy, but abundant in spice and sourness. I've had flakier ones at other places, but this had a good amount of kimchi in it, which I liked.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 8/10
Value: 9/10
Service: 8/10
Environment: 8.5/10

Jumak Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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