Melbourne Hwaro Korean BBQ is a place where one can fully enjoy that authentic Korean taste. Located in the CBD the restaurant is always full, even on the weekdays, as the smell of the BBQ floats down from the terrace stopping people in their tracks.
Just like mother used to make
Taste is something Hwaro is particular about. Taste is what owner and chef Eunsook Kim is mostly concerned with. Her dignified and somber character, reminds many people of their own mothers.
Kim herself is essential to Hwaro. The preparations for all the meat and sauce available at Hwaro are handled by Kim alone. This includes supervision of the slicing of the Karubi (boneless short ribs), and preparation of the 23 different ingredients* needed for the hot pepper Sangyu Pusaru seasoning. Nearly all of the seasonings lined up on the tables are Kim's own creations. There are also seasonings that have a traditional Korean homestyle taste that Kim inherited from her mother.
When preparing these traditional Korean seasoning, first the sauce is made and allowed to mature for one to two days. The meat is then placed in the sauce and again left to mature. Lastly, the meat is cooked in the traditional Korean style, barbecued over coals. This process alone takes a lot of time. We're lucky to be able to enjoy these seasonings so easily at Hwaro as we're told that these traditions stem from cuisines from the Korean imperial courts.
*Some of the hot pepper sangyu pusaru seasoning ingredients include fruits such as pineapple, apples, pears, and vegetables like onions, garlic, and ginger
A slave to the taste
Kim didn't like beer very much before, but since coming across Kirin Megumi we hear she has two glasses everyday after work with her younger sister. Kim says "I'm totally addicted to it now. It's got really great flavour. I really love it, and I want to recommend it to my customers as well."
The first time I tried it myself, I got a sense of how easy it was to drink. Just like when you drink a coffee, you can feel the deep flavour, charm, and smooth taste.
•Hwaro BBQ
Hwaro uses coals of the highest quality ordered from Tasmania and Korea, copper grills for health reasons. One of the Korean traditions is that usually the staff will grill and cut up the meat using scissors for the customers. This is so the customers are free to eat as they please.
Scallops $19.60/ King Prawns $28.60
Wagyu Oyster Blade $22.90
Wagyu Steak (a special from the chuck roll) $23.90
Wagyu Cube Roll $34.00
Calamari (soybean/chilli) $18.60
Special Gal-Bi (premium Gal-Bi) $26.90
•Pork Trotters
A special dish of pork trotters past down for generations in Kim's family. Using no thigh meat, this dish only uses the trotters which are the tastiest part. With plenty of collagen, it's a filling meal. It's better to tackle this dish head on with both hands rather than using your cutlery.
•Kim -Chi pancake $15.00
Served with a kimchi flavour and two kinds of seafood. It’s plain seasoning is delicious.
• Pork Back Bone with Potato in Spicy Soup $37.00
This dish is Korean home style cooking which uses plenty of high grade sesame (which looks like whole grain mustard). This dish is a favourite during cold winters, and in summer people love to eat it while working up a good sweat. You're sure to get hooked on this exquisite soup. Be sure you don't forget to eat the bone marrow as well. Kim's son told us he eats this everyday.
Working around the clock in the pursuit of cleanliness
Hwaro isn't just particular about their ingredients and cooking, they are also highly concerned for their customers. Kim says "I believe it's our duty to put our hearts into our food, and to give it our all to provide a clean environment and an enjoyable atmosphere for the customers that come to our restaurant.".
A great deal of care is taken for hygiene. The restaurant always receives an A+ hygiene ranking. This ranking is equivalent to hygiene levels found at high class hotels. After being hand and machine washed, tableware is further disinfected using boiling water and then dried. Even a single spoon or cup is handled in the same way.
Kim goes on to say "We never use anything that's been handled unless it's been disinfected. It might take a little more time, but we put our best forward everyday for out customers."
Bringing generations of flavour to the people of Melbourne
With all the many varieties of national cuisines available in Melbourne, Kim wanted to try her hand at traditional Korean BBQ. It's now been around 5 years since she opened Hwaro. Kim says "I'm very satisfied, and it's all thanks to people of many different nationalities eating our food. At Hwaro we don't use any preservatives, colouring, or chemical seasoning. We use good ingredients and barbecue good meat over a coal fire using traditional Korean methods."
Korean cooking is also good for your health. The abundant lactic acid bacteria in kimchi strengthening your immunity is but one example.
There are currently plans for opening yet another restaurant in the city. Kim says "Many customers seemed to enjoy eating Korean food. I want to make Korean food even more popular for the sake of those customers. At the new restaurant we will meet different kinds of customers, and we want present them with new Korean foods that we couldn't show them at Hwaro. I want everyone to know about Korea."
The menu has also recently been updated. "I want the customers to relish the additions to the menu which are meats of the highest quality like Wagyu beef, high grade fillet, and high grade Karubi. And as I said before, we season them as they are using traditional Korean methods. Furthermore we're using the original seasoning and sauce handed down for generations in my family. There are various flavours within Korean Bulgogi. Customers who try our Bulgogi say they think ours is somewhat different. This seasoning is the pride of Hwaro, and of course it is made using traditional Korean methods. Please come to Hwaro and taste the many flavours for yourself."
Melbourne Hwaro Korean BBQ
Address: 562 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
TEL: 03 9642 5696
Trading Hours:
Lunch – Thurs & Fri 11:30am – 3pm
Dinner – Mon to Wed 5pm – 11:30pm, Thurs 5pm – 10:30pm, Fri and Sat 5pm – 1am, Sun 5pm – 10:30pm
Editor Postscript
From her composed appearance and calm tone in which she speaks, you can tell Kim has larger concerns that anyone else. Throughout the interview I thought to myself over and over again how I want to become such a great woman.
After the interview, we had a taste test where we were able to try many different items from the menu in which the restaurant takes great pride in. Despite the fact we had a substantial lunch, the interview crew (3 men 1 woman) ate everything given to us. My personal recommendation is the Pork Backbone and Potato Soup. It was really good. Even though it was just soup this hot pot dish goes really well with rice. I want to eat it again.
The meats, which are handled by Kim, are really tender and delicious. The taste makes you think that you definitely want to eat it again. The delicate taste shows Kim's elegance. It's definitely something you have to try for yourself.
Kirin Megumi is great with Bulgogi. The two things go perfectly together. It's certainly been my choice of beer lately.
–translated by Garrick Low
