Last year was a fairly dismal one for dining out. I was often keen on trying something new but left without much by way of inspiring new options to try. Well that has taken a complete 180 this year and I have seen so many new and interesting places open both in the southside as well as the city. Once such was the newly opened Mooink, which had taken up the site of my much beloved Mapo, which sadly didn't make it. I was glad to see another Korean BBQ take up the spot though, so we made a reservation with a few friends and went after work.
Although the name has changed, the setup was largely the same except for the fact that the BBQs are now embedded in the table rather than being placed on top.
Mooink markets itself as a premium BBQ restaurant, and prices are reflective of the same. Their meat dishes came in sets or as single portions and there were also side dishes, noodles and rice dishes as you would expect in a Korean restaurant. Service was prompt via the bell on the table.
Our table was set very quickly and soon it was toasty and warm.
What makes Mooink stand out above the rest of the Korean BBQ restaurants is their abundance of banchan. We were given eight different ones to try and two refills were complimentary. The banchan was definitely more unique and interesting than the usual pasta and fish cake. Our favourites of the night included the quail egg, potato noodle salad and pickled sweet potato. Garlic shoots and sprouts were interesting and we didn't like the kimchi perilla leaf much.
Other than a bbq set, we also had a kimchi pancake to share. This came freshly fried and cut up with dipping sauce. Compared to other places this wasn't as dry or crispy but it was still flavoursome and delicious.
We ordered the Wagyu Set A which was targeted at 3-4 people. It comprised of wagyu cube roll, wagyu oyster blade, thin skirt, wagyu flank and marinated wagyu karubi. The cuts were well marbled and of good quality but the quantity was a bit small for 3-4 people and we definitely had to add quite a bit of food to be full. I think that next time ordering individual serves may be more value than trying out set meals.
The set didn't come with any rice or lettuce so we had to add these. We were charged $9 for wrapping vegetables. This was definitely high compared to other places but the amount we were provided was definitely generous. In fact it was far more than we needed for the meat we were provided. If they had a half serve portion this would have been more appropriate.
We also ordered one rice as a filler. We probably should have ordered two but we thought that it would have been enough for an addition to a meal designed for 3-4 people. Either way the rice was done well and I could find no faults.
Overall I had an alright experience at Mooink. The prices were steeper than you would expect for what you got (I suppose that is how things are these days with inflation) and the meat quality was definitely above the norm. I liked the eight side dishes which were really enjoyable but being not entirely full after the meal was a bit disappointing. Hopefully they pick this up and improve next time.
Taste: 7.5/10
Value: 5/10
Service: 8/10
Environment: 7/10
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