The marvels of finishing our FM final were topped with a visit into the city. Rosa, Angela, and I immediately hopped onto a bus from the racetrack to CBD where we decided we’d settle for any type of food due to our ravishing stomachs. Somehow, we came to agree on Korean. I think it was the prospect of Korean BBQ and drove Angela and I into a frenzy.
Anyway, Tobang is smack in the middle, close to Hyde Park. It looks like one of those dingy restaurants because it has a dingy sign. We looked inside, where the decor was decked out in wood. Food in Sydney is unsurprisingly expensive, but Tobang’s Korean BBQ dishes matched up to those in NYC. We ordered 2 types of meat along with one large hot pot type of dish. Overall it came out to around $20 each, which isn’t too bad.
While the place was on par with the Korean food I’ve had in K-town back home, several things weren’t. Firstly, they don’t offer all the meats that they list on their menu. That day, they only offered beef and pork belly (aka bacon). While the BBQ was good, I didn’t quite like the dipping sauces and the meats weren’t marinated. Don’t expect to be able to get your traditional Korean dishes like bibimbop either.
The huge hot pot dish that we got was filled with white cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and squid. I’d say that it had a diameter for 2 feet! You gotta let it bubble up and evaporate for a few minutes so that the bottoms crisp up and the flavors really get in. I liked this dish, even though it came with a price tag of $38 or so. Still, I’ve never seen this in NYC. Perhaps I’m not looking hard enough.
All went well until just as we were asking for the check, I see a cockroach crawling behind Rosa. She just simply got up, took this notepad lying on the bench, and nonchalantly swiped it away to the ground. Rosa has a sensitive stomach and says that she still felt fine after the meal. Nevertheless, with that roach sighting, I think there are plenty of other Korean restaurants that you can take your chances at.
Tobang Korean Restaurant
128 Liverpool St
You should also check out:
