#navbar-iframe { display: none; }

« Home | Yang's Malaysian Food Truck, Sydney » | Okonomiyaki, Kuromon Ichiba Market and all-you-can... » | Geoff Jansz Farm Table Restaurant at the Fitzroy I... » | Nara deer and Johnny's Fried Chicken, Japan » | Ramen at Chaco Bar, Darlinghurst » | Kyoto Ramen Street, Nishiki Market and Arashiyama ... » | Firedoor, Surry Hills » | Nagano snow monkeys at Jigokudani Monkey Park » | Kanazawa gold leaf soft serve, giant seafood and t... » | Toyama black ramen, firefly squid and a Cheap Eats... »

Wednesday, July 08, 2015

PR Korean Restaurant, Lidcombe

Cooking dakgalbi spicy chicken bbq at PR Korean Restaurant, Lidcombe

It’s cold. You want to drink. But you’re also hungry. Hello dakgalbi. What’s dakgalbi? Picture a massive chicken stir-fry, mixed with a mountain of cabbage, sweet potato, onions and chewy rice cakes. It’s what Korean uni students eat when they go out drinking – cheap, generously portioned and the perfect bedfellow for a night on the turps.

Dakgalbi first appeared in Chuncheon, located in the northern part of South Korea. It's a city so proud of its native dish they have an annual festival that celebrates it.

Dakgalbi spicy chicken bbq with panchan at PR Korean Restaurant, Lidcombe
Dakgalbi spicy chicken bbq for two people with cheese and rice cake $38

Traditional dakgalbi isn’t exactly abundant in Sydney. But you can get it at PR Korean, a simply furnished, family-friendly eatery in Lidcombe, the Little Korea of our western suburbs. First you’ll have to decide how you want your chicken: spicy, sweet, hot, with soy or with seafood. Then add your choice of mix-ins. They’ve got everything from ramen noodles to fried rice but we reckon it’s hard to go past the rice cakes and the cheese.

Cooking the dakgalbi spicy chicken bbq at PR Korean Restaurant, Lidcombe
Cooking the dakgalbi spicy chicken bbq

Staff will bring everything in a giant pan, placed over a recessed gas burner in the middle of your table. They’ll look after all the cooking, stopping by your table every two minutes to stir, toss and flip until it’s ready. A whole series of complimentary panchan side dishes – not to mention your beers – keep you occupied as you wait.

Free panchan side dishes at PR Korean Restaurant, Lidcombe
Complimentary panchan

Rice cakes and cheese in the dakgalbi spicy chicken bbq at PR Korean Restaurant, Lidcombe
Rice cakes and cheese in the dakgalbi spicy chicken

Get the spicy version and everything turns to a fiery shade of red. The cheese melts all over the rice cakes. The chunks of chicken are succulent bits of thigh. Shovel your steaming hot stir-fry into individual bowls or eat straight out of the pan if you’re really lazy. We’re all friends.

Dolsot bibimbap sizzling stone pot rice at PR Korean Restaurant, Lidcombe
Dolsot bibimbap $13
Sizzling stone pot rice

There’s a heap of other dishes too. Dolsot bibimbap ($13) is everybody’s favourite, a meat and vegetable rice dish served in a hot earthenware pot that turns the bottom layer of rice into a golden brown crust.

Kong guksu noodles in cold soy milk broth at PR Korean Restaurant, Lidcombe
Kong guksu $12
Noodles in cold soy milk broth

We weren’t sure about the noodles in cold soy milk broth ($12) – add heaps of salt to the otherwise bland and pasty soup – but the sundubu jjigae ($12) is a definite winner, a comforting huddle of silken tofu in a spicy stew filled with seafood.

Sundubu jjigae spicy soft tofu stew at PR Korean Restaurant, Lidcombe
Sundubu jjigae $12
Spicy soft tofu stew

Sikhye rice punch at PR Korean Restaurant, Lidcombe
Sikhye rice punch 

Need more pics of the dakgalbi being cooked? Check out this blow-by-blow pictorial.

Dakgalbi spicy chicken bbq ready for cooking at PR Korean Restaurant, Lidcombe
The dakgalbi spicy chicken bbq being placed over the table gas burner

Adding gochujang hot pepper paste to the dakgalbi spicy chicken bbq at PR Korean Restaurant, Lidcombe
Adding gochujang hot pepper paste to the dakgalbi spicy chicken bbq

Stirring and tossing the dakgalbi spicy chicken bbq at PR Korean Restaurant, Lidcombe
Stirring and tossing the dakgalbi spicy chicken

Dakgalbi spicy chicken bbq at PR Korean Restaurant, Lidcombe
Everything's getting fiery

Cabbage and chicken doused in gochujang in the dakgalbi spicy chicken bbq at PR Korean Restaurant, Lidcombe
Cabbage and chicken doused in gochujang 

Stretchy cheese in the dakgalbi spicy chicken bbq at PR Korean Restaurant, Lidcombe
The stretchy cheese money shot

PR Korean Restaurant, Lidcombe




PR Korean Restaurant
1/10 Bridge Street, Lidcombe, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9646 5936

Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday 9am-9pm


This article appeared in the June 2015 issue of Time Out Sydney in my monthly Food & Drink column Eat This! [Read online

Read more of my Time Out Sydney reviews
13 comments - Add some comment love

posted by Helen (Grab Your Fork) on 7/08/2015 09:51:00 pm


13 Comments:

  • At 7/09/2015 2:01 am, Anonymous Gourmet Getaways said…

    Such an interesting place with interesting food. Bibimbap will always be our favourite. Thanks for sharing!!

    Julie & Alesah
    Gourmet Getaways xx

     
  • At 7/09/2015 8:56 am, Anonymous Racy_staci said…

    OMG! That dakgalbi! That cheese!

     
  • At 7/10/2015 10:58 am, Blogger A cupcake or two said…

    I am a big fan of gochujang. I put it on everything. The Chicken and Cabbage dish looks amazing. All that Cheesy goodness. I need to give it a try.

     
  • At 7/10/2015 11:37 am, Anonymous Brian Tam Food said…

    Cheezus that looks good! Makes me feel warmer just looking at the dakgalbi. And yes - those rice cakes!

     
  • At 7/10/2015 11:44 am, Anonymous Kat said…

    I love Dakgalbi and have not been able to find traditional styles of this dish since being in Seoul. Thanks for the review!

     
  • At 7/10/2015 12:42 pm, Blogger Cassie | Journey From Within said…

    my how i want that dakgalbi right now!
    Looks like such a belly warmer in this weather! mm~~

     
  • At 7/10/2015 6:29 pm, Anonymous Hotly Spiced said…

    It certainly is cold. I'm quite sure I've never had this but I do love a Korean BBQ and just love being able to go to a restaurant and cook it for myself at the table - great theatre! xx

     
  • At 7/10/2015 9:17 pm, Blogger Maddie Loves Food said…

    This looks like the perfect winter comfort food! Love the chewy texture of rice cakes.

     
  • At 7/11/2015 6:38 am, Anonymous Martine @ Chompchomp said…

    Oh my, that cheese!!! Such great photos, I nearly feel like I'm seated at your table! One of the best things about Korean cuisine is they very rarely use any wheat flour meaning there are so many more dishes I can happily try without suffering gluten poisoning!

     
  • At 7/11/2015 7:23 am, Anonymous John | heneedsfood said…

    Oh yeah, I love those chewy rice cakes. Could eat them any time of the year.

     
  • At 7/11/2015 7:43 pm, Blogger Unknown said…

    just went along on your recommendation. It was uh-mazing :))) Thank you for the blog post.
    Service was friendly and helpful too

     
  • At 7/13/2015 6:14 pm, Blogger Sarah said…

    Dakgalbi, where have you been all my life? I think that dakgalbi might be a good excuse to go and get drunk, just so i can try it and get the most enjoyment out of it! ;)

     
  • At 7/13/2015 6:44 pm, Anonymous Berny @ I Only Eat Desserts said…

    Ahh Korean food - the perfect winter comfort :P I think I've tried dakgalbi when I was in Seoul- we only went in the restaurant because we saw a photo of psy next to a giant pan that looked like delicious awesomeness :P

     

Post a Comment

<< Home


      << Read Older Posts       |       >> Read Newer Posts