Master Lanzhou - Sunnybank

Recently, Dr L and I had the disappointment of arriving to a restaurant that was supposed to be open but finding out only when we were there that it was closed. To say that I was hangry was definitely an understatement given I had skipped lunch to prepare for the impending buffet. Anyway, we were at Market Square so decided that it would be good to try out the newly opened Master Lanzhou, situated on the outer circle of the centre. 

Apparently there were quite a few queues at opening due to the promos but the lines have definitely died down and we were quickly ushered in. Menus were provided and the options were a bit like a mix between Lanzhou 1919 and Biang Biang noodles. What really stood out was their triangular noodles which was definitely a flex of craftsmanship on the part of the chef. 

I was a little confused as to why it is called a noodle bar, but it became apparent when I approached the counter to order. There was a little bar of side dishes, some of which weren't on the menu as well as some drinks on offer. Notably they also had a selection of bbq dishes which were unavailable that day. I am definitely curious to try that out at a later point.

Service was exceptionally fast and very friendly. Before long our table was full.

 

We had two side dishes to share, the first was a spicy beef tripe and the second was a serve of braised beef shin. The portions were generous and definitely had to be shared. They were served chilled and very appetizing. We could barely finish this and had to have some taken away for later consumption.

Dr L had a serve of the signature beef noodle soup. The portion was surprisingly huge and he could barely finish the meal, even without having had lunch that afternoon. The beef slices were tender, the additional chilli and shallots added so much flavour to the dish and the soup was clear and wholesome. For the price, it was exceptional value for money.

I had the braised beef noodle soup, this was also a delight. My beef chunks were a lot bigger, although still tender. They were imbued with an umami soy taste that made the broth even more homey. The noodles were just the right consistency of bouncy and tender, the portion was again huge and one bowl alone would have sufficed for a meal on its own. 

We also had a passionfruit and grapefruit drink. These were refreshing and not too sweet, complimenting the meals well.

We had a fantastic time at Master Lanzhou. Market Square is definitely filling up with noodle joints and I don't know when it will be fully saturated but for now we will continue to go back for more.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 8.5/10

Value: 9/10

Service: 9/10

Environment: 8/10 

Seoul Garden - Sunnybank

Somewhat long overdue review, Seoul Garden caught my attention the moment I read about their opening at the end of last year. Taking up the corner end of level 2 in Market Square, they allege to be the biggest KBBQ in all of Australia, offering a selection of kbbq, hot pot, hot and cold foods as well as desserts. Unfortunately, despite all their offerings and the significant efforts spent on marketing, the running of the restaurant has its hiccups. Dr L and I made a point to go the day after the opening celebration for it to be closed without any notice or warning. Anyway with that initial plan dashed, it was a short while before we made a second attempt. In the meantime there had been a stream of negative reviews for the restaurant on google, mostly citing chaotic service especially with regards to bookings, being yelled at by staff, low quality food and a tendency to overcharge whenever possible. Suffice to say we were quite apprehensive as our booking loomed.

 

The booking system was also something to contend with. Currently they only accept bookings for groups of 4-6, because that essentially maximises capacity in one booth. Groups with 1-3 or 7 and up would have to queue up at the door by way of QR code and apparently it sometimes takes hours before being seated. That evening, we dined in a group of eight and had to break into two tables of four. Despite requesting both our tables to be put together they somehow lost this note and we were separated by a very busy aisle.

Anyway, as expected, the restaurant was completely packed when we arrived and there was considerable chaos outside. Although our reservation was for 6.45, they started calling tables on a mic at about 6.30, at which point two of our party had not arrived. We lined up to get our table and were seated without too much confusion. When the rest of our companions showed up though, they were both barred at the door despite being told they had a seat inside and I had to walk out to get them.

Anyway, onto the food. I had previously read that there was a 30 minute queue in the restaurant to get to the food. This was not my experience and I was able to get to everything without too much hassle. There were 20 cuts of meat on offer for bbq. Most of the cuts were very mainstream such as tri top, oyster blade, pork jowl, pork belly, however there were more obscure cuts such as lamb shoulder on offer. 

There was also a large selection of banchan to go with the bbq on offer, such as kimchi, radish, fish cake and salads. Notably there were also fresh prawns and sand crabs. I didn't try the sand crab but the prawns were really fresh.

With the penalty of taking too much food hanging over our heads, we were very conservative in what we picked. Nevertheless we had two pieces of each item that caught our eye. What was interesting was the fact that some of the larger pieces of meat fell apart when it was heated at the grill. In terms of the meat quality, I would have to agree with the online reviews though that even though it looked good, it wasn't particularly good quality. It didn't have too much meat flavour and cuts like ox tongue or pork jowl which ought to have a more chewy texture definitely lacked the texture. 

On flavour, there was a wide variety of bbq and hot pot sauces to allow you to mix your own. 

 

Each booth also came with its own hot pot. We could pick one soup for the table which can be ordered on the QR code. We picked mushroom soup and this came fairly quickly.

There were four varieties of meat available for hot pot, two beef, one pork and one lamb. These were deep frozen and quite brittle, making it difficult to pick up.

There were also a fairly large assortment of food to go with the hot pot. Notably there were veggies, fish balls and noodles but for some reason there were no tofu items.

Compared to the BBQ, the hot pot was more of an afterthought for us. The quality is definitely not comparable to Haidilao upstairs but more similar to what you would get at shabu house. It was not bad and definitely a welcome variant from just having bbq. The mushroom soup was strongly flavoured but quite artificial.

There was also a selection of hot food on offer, mostly deep fried items, pizza, rice and noodles. I didn't have too much room to try many but the japchae was done well. I would have really liked to try some chicken wing also but that would have to be a matter for next time.

They also had a selection of nigiri and gimbap. The nigiri was surprisingly well done, I enjoyed the unagi a lot whilst the squid and prawn were also quite enjoyable. The gimbap didn't appear to have too much protein in them so I didn't bother with them.

I was most impressed by the variety of desserts on offer. Including soft serve, ice cream, cake, mousse, mochi, fruit pastries and even churros, there was quite a lot that I wanted to sample. In keeping up with the rest of the food, the quality really wasn't that high but the matcha and thai milk tea soft serve did have a strong enough taste although it wasn't particularly smooth. Ice cream was supermarket quality, as were the pastries. I found the churros most disappointing as they would have been a lot more enjoyable if served hot than cold. The mochi was quite nice as were the little mousse cups. 

Finally as we were leaving, we noted the opportunity for a free keychain in exchange for a google review, notably not specifically a 5 star review. Ultimately providing the solution to my question of why their google reviews had gone up so quickly in such a short period of time.

Overall we had a decent time at Seoul Garden. I would not recommend this as a spot to catch up with friends due to how rushed it was, however if you're going with family, especially if you have hungry teenagers, this would undoubtedly be able to give you good value for money. As Dr L put it, it didn't feel like a restaurant insofar as it felt like a factory with the customer as the product. From my perspective, it was a lot of hassle finding friends to go with to make up a booking of four and having the additional threats of overcharging and timing hanging over our heads really impacted our ability to enjoy the experience. The only real selling point is the variety on offer, but if you were aiming for better quality specialised meals, I would definitely prefer Yido or Midam instead. 

Price Range: $54.90pp

Taste: 6/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 8/10 

Bornga - Brisbane CBD

The final month of 2024 was largely filled with a flurry of Korean BBQ restaurant openings in Brisbane. Bornga, with its international reputation and owner being celebrity chef Paik Jong-Won, it made it's way to the top of my list. Taking up the old Wara Wara spot on Elizabeth St, it is undoubtedly in prime location. For the first several weeks it was open, they didn't take bookings and allegedly queues were roughly two hours during meal times. Not keen on lining up, we waited for online bookings to open (and a special occasion to justify our visit).

We ended up going on the evening of my birthday, conveniently during the holiday period and luckily not a public holiday. I was able to easily secure a table for 2. The renovations were quite spectacular compared to the old Wara Wara set up and service was impeccable. 

    

Ordering was done by way of QR code on the table. There was a small selection of meats as well as main dishes and sides. Prices were definitely higher than other KBBQs that I frequent, but since it was my birthday, I went all out when ordering. 

Sauces and side dishes came out immediately after ordering. Although serving sizes weren't particularly generous, there was an unlimited refill station on a DIY basis. Our favourite sides of the night were the pickled onion, kimchi and pickled radish, cleansing our palate between chunks of meat.

They also had a fairly standard drink selection. What stood out was the availability of icy cold Saero, sugar free soju, which I enjoyed a great deal.

The rest of our meat was served up super quickly and even though we were seated on a table for 4, we almost ran out of real estate for our food.

Starting off, we had to commence our meal with the signature Woo-Samgyeop the very thinly sliced beef brisket, marinated in Bornga’s special sauce. Apparently this dish is so unique it has been patented. Anyway, the beef brisket was sliced paper thin and the seasoning had a delicious sweet umami flavour to it. Despite the fat content of the brisket, the fact that it was sliced so thin meant that the fat was able to render perfectly on the grill We wrapped it following the instructions on the placemat and it was absolutely delicious. We only wished that there was more per serve as 150g was quite small.

Next up was the pork belly, which came at a recommendation of a fellow foodie. No regrets in ordering this as the meat was pillow-y soft and tender. I particularly appreciated that it was served with a small square of pork fat that was used to oil up the grill before putting the belly on it. Having enjoyed many a pork belly, this is undoubtedly one of the best in Brisbane. The fat rendered off perfectly whilst the meat remained juicy. 

Pork Jowl is my favourite cut of pork and always a must order when I see it on the menu. The cut served at Bornga was of high quality with a crisp crunchy texture to the meat but didn't stand out compared to the other meats on offer.

Another recommendation was the ox tongue. This was served frozen and also had a delicious chewy texture upon being grilled. Portion wise this was probably the best of all the dishes we had ordered but the quality was fairly standard compared to other KBBQ restaurants we eat at.

Although quite expensive, the Wagyu Kkot-sal (short rib) was a definite highlight for me. Striking an exceptional balance between buttery smooth texture whilst retaining an unmistakeable beefy taste. I don't think there are any KBBQs in Brisbane that offer wagyu of this quality and that alone makes me crave a return visit.

Our last dish of meat for the bbq was the Marinated Wagyu Kkot-sal. Even though the meat quality was the same as the last dish, which meant it was spectacular, I actually prefer the unmarinated version so that I can better appreciate the pure beef flavours. Having said that, there is nothing wrong with the marinate, which was also sweet and savoury with soy tones and I would definitely not object to having it again.

Finally, we had a serve of beef tartare (because who can say no to more meat), it was served with a side of grated radish. The beef was seasoned with spring onion and a light soy base as well as egg yolk. It was decidedly less flavoursome compared to french options but nonetheless tasty, allowing us to enjoy the fresh flavour of the beef. 

Overall we had an absolutely stellar meal at Bornga. Even though the meal was expensive, the quality of meat and level of service makes it entirely worthwhile. I will make a point to come back next time we have any celebratory events. 

Price Range: $100 - $115pp

Taste: 9/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 9/10

Environment: 9/10