I’ve been to Korea Jung many times over the years and I’m surprised no one has reviewed this place yet. Located on Leigh Street, Korea Jung, as it’s name suggests, offers all your traditional Korean dishes. The restaurant is reasonably spacious with seating for about 60 people. The decor is modern yet basic, with the highlight being their solid glossy timber dining tables. The staff are friendly and inviting, but the service is below average. Getting the attention of staff can require a bit of effort.

Today, a group of us came here for the $13 lunch time specials. With half a dozen choices on offer, I ended up ordering the Bulgogi Deop Bap. Prior to the meals arriving, we were treated to a complimentary Korean pancake. The pancake was thick and chewy, and perhaps a bit oily for my liking. The addition of vegetables was nice touch as it gave the pancakes a nice crunch.

The meals arrived 15 minutes after ordering and not all meals arrived at the same time. The presentation of my dish was OK, although it did appear the rice and bulgogi were just lumped onto the plate. The beef bulgogi was well executed and the flavour was just right. The meat to rice ratio was more than generous with more bulgogi than there was rice. The addition of capsicum to the bulgogi was interesting, yet complemented the dish well. The accompaniments were nice except for the kim chi. I felt the kim chi was bland and hadn’t been fermented properly.

For some reason, this place doesn’t get many customers. Every time I have been to this place, it’s never been completely full. I see this as a positive as their lack of customers means the atmosphere is quite relaxed. You don’t have to raise your voice to speak to the person next to you. Their price point is slightly higher than what I would normally pay for lunch, but their servings are quite generous.

Not my favourite Korean restaurant, but not the worse either. I’ll be back, but once in every blue moon.

WHERE: 13 Leigh St, Adelaide