My favourite Korean restaurant!

Seoul Ria - Level 2, 605-609 Cnr of George and Goulburn Street, Haymarket NSW 2000

Whenever my husband and I are in need of an early dinner, hungover or have an inkling of a Korean craving we head straight to Seoul Ria.  I love the fact that most Asian places are opened from lunch all the way through to dinner time, none of this shut from 3 and opening again at 6 thing.  So it’s perfect for when we have a late breakfast and then want a late lunch or early dinner and there is always a table hahaha!

Most of the time we get a hotpot to share which is really really filling.  It should feed four but if you just have that and the “banchan” side dishes it is a good meal for two, especially if you have big appetites like we do.  The banchan consists of a plate of macaroni & cabbage salad with mayo dressing, green leaf salad with a nice sweet savoury Jap like dressing, spicy potato salad, yummy kimchi and a savoury jelly with sweet soy which I think is made from radish.  All these have that buttery, sesame oil like flavour which I think is the flavour we crave as it is in all the Korean dishes here

The menu changes probably every 6 months and the last time we went we had the “Spicy beef, mushroom and tofu hotpot”.  The large but quite shallow pot that it comes in arrives on the verge of overflowing on a portable stove top with all the yummy ingredients neatly arranged.  We watch eagerly as it slowly bubbles up to a boil. The waitress comes over to check on it probably twice, giving it a stir and then as soon as we think it’s boiled enough and the meat has cooked we dig into it straight away!  This particular hot pot was seriously the best one we had had so far.  The spiciness of the marinade that covers the beef is perfect and then when it all dissolves into the buttery broth and into the mushrooms & tofu it is heavenly!  As it continues to cook and melts down the flavour of the spicy broth gets richer and everything gets even tastier.  The shallots and bean sprouts soften and melt in the mouth, oh and the eggs add another texture to the soup making it even more filling.  

We devour it.  And walk out holding our stomachs, but smiling satisfied.  I highly recommend getting a hot pot here, it’s only $45 as the banchan and water is free.  You seriously don’t need anything else.  This place is 10/10 for food and the service is sufficient for the type of restaurant it is.