Saturday, July 02, 2011

RESTAURANT: Madang

I had my heart broken a while ago.

It was a busy Thursday night and I was out with a couple of friends looking for a meal. Everywhere was full and we were starving. Waiting was not.an.option.

We went to Shinara, our favourite Korean BBQ joint for their legendary all you can eat BBQ treats. And we found out that it was gone. Some new buffet shit was there and the grills were shit and everything was shit.

During it's heyday, Shinara was fucking insane. You paid $40 or so for all you can eat food and cooked it on your BBQ. Seafood, wagyu, yuukwe, pancakes, gyoza, ALL THE MEAT IN THE WORLD. I nearly died there 3 times. But then it started slipping; the food became more and more frozen. By the end, it was becoming borderline. And when the new management took over and the shitty buffet thingy happened I think I actually cried real meattears.


Only now have I felt ready to get back into Koreanbarbequeing. And what better place than Madang, the alleyway joint that has been named as Sydney's best too many times to mention (in all honesty I can't be bothered researching that).

So we go there and order and it's not all you can eat but it's still okay. I have to get over that. The BBQ is fired and straight away I see it's the perfect temperature: searing hot but with some cooler spots.

We get some meat and some yuukwe and some pork and kimchee and it's so good. And then the meat arrives and we cook that and it's awesome too. Better than any of the other KBBQs I've been to.

They have bukboonja (raspberry wine) and bak se ju which I see as essential KBBQ companions.

And the prices are okay for the quality and the service is good for a KBBQ and you just chill out and smash some meat and enjoy. They could improve on the quantity and quality of the sides that come with the meat (need more kimchee and more lettuce and not shit lettuce), but that's my only criticism. Madang is great.


RATING: Will return to [?]


Sydney Madang on Urbanspoon

Shinara Grill & Lounge on Urbanspoon

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