Charm Korean Restaurant — Restaurant in Melbourne

Worst Korean Restaurant in Melbourne—Huge Disappointment!

This has got to be the worst Korean restaurant I’ve ever tried in Melbourne. From the moment the side dishes arrived, the experience went downhill fast, and none of the main dishes saved it—overpriced, unappetizing, and nothing like what was promised.

First, the kimchi from the side dish was absolutely dreadful. It tasted like it had no proper fermentation time at all—even the pre-packaged kimchi from the supermarket is way better. That set the tone for how bad the rest would be.

Next, the wagyu yukhoe Kimbap. It looked nothing like the picture. The beef inside was only half-cooked, sticky to the touch, and even had a slight froth (gross!). The whole roll was bland—no depth of flavor, not salty enough, and loosely rolled so it fell apart easily. To make it worse, there was no proper dipping sauce—just a raw egg, which did nothing to fix the tastelessness.

Then the Soy Raw Crab. It was the smallest portion of gejang I’ve ever had in Melbourne, and yet it was overpriced. The worst part? The crab’s carapace was filled with pre-packaged fish roe (I’ve never seen that before!) instead of real crab roe—nothing like the photo. The crab itself had barely any meat, and the marinade tasted nothing like authentic gejang. Even the accompanying nori was stale and soggy, not crispy at all.

Finally, the Bossam. No proper side dishes to go with it—just the same terrible free kimchi and boring banchan. There were no fresh vegetables to wrap the pork in, which is a basic for this dish. And the pork hock itself was dry, tough, and completely lacking juiciness.

Melbourne has so many amazing Korean restaurants—this one is not worth your time or money. It’s overpriced, the food is low-quality and inedible, and the value for money is nonexistent. Save yourself the disappointment and...

Charm offers both typical and fusion Korean food mixed with different styles.

• The table for 2 - the chair I was sitting was the most uncomfy chair I experienced in a restaurant. It was awkwardly positioned with the table, I felt like I was working out just to have a bite 😵

• Slow - food came out super slow (1-1.5hr) like a course instead of everything at once. I was busy chatting with a friend, so it was ok.

• Understaffed - just like anywhere else, the floor was understaffed. Our table was full of empty plates and the staff member wanted to put a dessert in the middle of empty plates that's been there for an hour. (Also, there was no table to serve at that time ). We had to kindly ask for the plates to be out.

• Food - I ordered tofu soup, namul salad, and beef bowl. Didn't like any of them because it lacked flavour. But this might be because I tasted many delicious food growing up in Korea. From reading other menus, people seem to like food here.

• Friendly, Cosy - The staff members were nice and friendly.

It's worth a visit just to eat rather than for a...

ORDERED: 🥟 Vegetarian Korean Dumpling (5 pieces) ($12.80): Korean style fried dumplings 🍚 Charm Special Dolsot Bap Bibimbap with beef ($23.80): Traditional mixed rice with beef and fresh vegetables in a sizzling stone bowl and miso soup

I paid $30.66 for my portion here!

REVIEW: ❤ I liked the food at Charm! The vegetarian korean dumplings weren't oily, but still had that satisfying crispy crunch. The vegetable filling was delicious as well. The bibimbap had a delicious array of vegetables that had colour and crunch. It would be nice if the sizzling stone bowl was hotter, so that the rice could crisp up a little bit more. The banchan it came with - the seasoned bean sprouts - are my weakness and I couldn't get enough. 🌱 It's a classic take on bibimbap and was very filling.

We walked in for Saturday lunch and it was decently full. Although the environment is small, they make do with most of the space by keeping decorations simple from the waist down.

Overall, Charm has really good pricing for quality food that is incredibly filling in a nice...