Jonga Jip, Eastwood

My next door neighbour is a BIG fan of Eastwood Korean restaurant, Jonga Jip. A few months ago our schedules aligned and I asked if he'd come for lunch with Dave and I...and basically order for us as I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to Korean Food. I often find myself avoiding a cuisine if I don't really know what I should be order...do you find you do the same?

So, armed with our trusty guide to all things Korean food related we headed off to Jonga Jip. Our first handy tip from my neighbour is to make sure you go to the original Jonga Jip NOT the one opposite the train line...as the original is the best.

I love the handy push button that summons the waitstaff...be careful not to press it too often though as you might end up in trouble!

Once we finally decide on what to order a parade of banchan - or Korean side dishes - arrived at our table. There are SO. MANY. SIDE. DISHES that it quickly becomes apparent that we're not going to have much room for any of the actual dishes we've ordered. Eat quickly to make table room! I really loved the potatoes we were given and didn't mind this version of Kimchi (Kimchi is something I've never been in love with after getting sick eating it in Korean over 10 years ago).

Jonga Jip is a Korean BBQ although they do have a number of other items on the menu. When in Rome though...order Korean BBQ! We opted for the fatty, delicious Pork Belly ($19.00) and also some thinly sliced beef of some sort (my memory is betraying me when it comes to the beef)! Both of the grilled meats were deliciously charred and provided some fiery theatrics at the table. Word of warning though...the meat does thrown up quite a bit of greasy splatter, so probably best not to wear your finest garb to a Koraen BBQ.

Another senior citizen moment with this dish - obviously its noodles of some sort with "other things" (food blogging its finest today people). When my neighbour ordered this I was a bit skeptical as the meat and noodles were served cold and I thought the dish would be a bit gelatinous in texture BUT it was great...very refreshing, and cooling after the fatty BBQ meats.

OK, I am 100% sure that this is a spring onion pancake with seafood, that it cost $20.00 and that it was delicious! This thing was MASSIVE - the size of a huge dinner plate, but our group of four happily ate every last skerrick. They were very generous with the seafood in this pancake and everything tasted fresh and vibrant.

I love our lunch at Jonga Jip and there are so many more things on the menu I want to try! Now that we have an introduction I feel like I can "almost" tackle Korean food all on my own...

Jonga Jip is at 87 Rowe Street, Eastwood. Phone them on 9858 5160.