Gangnam Pocha
Gangnam Pocha opened a couple of months ago on Bourke Street (it’s the restaurant with the cartoon figure who may or may not be PSY) and the interior is a bit strange. I don’t recall what was on the site before, but – judging by the patterned carpet and internal doors with stained glass windows – it might’ve been a pub or RSL.
I had dinner there a couple of weeks ago with Alastair, Haz, and Gaz. Gangnam Pocha’s point of difference from other Korean restaurants (apart from the kpop videos they show on a big screen – videos that don’t match the music piped through the speakers by the way) is that they serve Korean street food as well as other more usual dishes.
You select dishes individually from the menu, or you can mix and match from the different columns:
A + B for $25
A + C for $29
B + C for $38
or A + B + C for $45
You can also upgrade C to a hot stew for an additional $3.
Confused? It’s easier when there’s a menu in front of you to look at…
Haz and I saw a photo of the drink in the first picture and well – we ordered it just because it looked cool. How could we resist when you get to “mix it cool”?
It’s a bottle of soju plus maehawasoo (a Korean plum liquor) ($26) and yes, it arrives at the table with both bottles stacked together. The two alcohols gradually mix together until each bottle contains the same liquid.
A waiter came back to separate the bottles for us after we did a little cry for help.
And it tasted… ahhh… well it tasted better the more we drank and ate. 🙂 It was worth it for the novelty factor.
From the menu A choices, we had the corn cheese.
The corn cheese was delicious – the best I’ve had in Melbourne so far. It was so cheesey. Look at it.
Go on and take another look.
From part B we had the Gangnam chicken – fried chicken with sweet chilli sauce and peanuts.
I would have loved this if not for the sweet chilli sauce. The chicken was really nice but sweet chilli just makes me eurgh. One day I will banish sweet chilli (and peas) out of existence.
From part C, we had the spicy seafood rice cake which contained mussels, prawns, squid, a boiled egg and rice cake in a spicy broth. There was so much seafood in this – can I complain that there was too much seafood and not enough rice cake? I know that’s a weird complaint, but… rice cake…
And we also added an additional hot stew – the spicy seafood stew ($28). Actually, this was quite similar to the spicy seafood rice cake. We wouldn’t have ordered both if we had known. (There’s also a US army stew available which contains assorted ham, beef, kimchi, noodles and cheese – interesting)
I liked Gangnam Pocha and we had a lot of fun that night (pretty sure the “mix it cool” was partly to blame for the giggle fest that Haz and I had). I’d definitely go back for more corn cheese and to try out more of their menu.
View Off the spork in a larger map
Gangnam Pocha
141 Bourke St
Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: 03 9078 8882
Web: gangnampocha.com.au
Hannah
September 12, 2013 @ 1:49 am
I love a post about savoury food that I actually want.
Agnes
November 4, 2013 @ 9:33 pm
Yay I am a winner.
Cara @ Gourmet Chick
September 12, 2013 @ 10:35 pm
That corn cheese looks amazing – love the “cheesy” close up
Agnes
November 4, 2013 @ 9:34 pm
The corn cheese is a MUST have. 😀
Ashley
September 14, 2013 @ 5:51 pm
*___* Corn cheese looks amazing. Definitely need that in my life!
Agnes
November 4, 2013 @ 9:34 pm
Everyone needs corn cheese in their life 🙂
Annette
September 17, 2013 @ 11:30 pm
Oh, think I’d go there just for the corn cheese –that looks just great. Making me hungry just reading about it.
Agnes
November 4, 2013 @ 9:36 pm
Totally worth a visit just for corn cheese.
Daisy@Nevertoosweet
September 18, 2013 @ 11:34 am
I want that CORN!!! And the drink it’s so cool so you guys had trouble pulling it apart? hehe need to go just because of that drink and the name of the place 😛
Agnes
November 4, 2013 @ 9:37 pm
Hah a waiter came by and pulled it apart for us. We were too scared!
Iron Chef Shellie
September 22, 2013 @ 4:10 pm
mmmm i want cheesy corn!
Agnes
November 4, 2013 @ 9:47 pm
Cheesy corn for all!