Joomak — Restaurant in Melbourne

When I hear the word Korean Food, the first thing that comes to my mind is Korean Fried Chicken. It started for me at Gami, Nene, then Sam Sam, Jang Gun, etc. When my friend suggested trying this new place which is hidden underground right opposite to RMIT University, I nodded yes to that. This time, I wanted to try something other than fried chicken. I did a bit of research and found out that Joomak is a 'Hidden Gem' as per many reviews, and I love such places, and it raised the expectations.

Disclaimer: I have tried a couple of Korean restaurants near Caulfield, and I guess I am not a big fan of it. However, this won't be a biased review under any circumstances. But, I love Korean Seafood pancakes.

I was quite surprised how popular this place is even though it's hidden underground, and there are no proper visible signboards. First thoughts, they have made the ambiance look traditional, and the wooden finish is quite appealing. There are private hut-like cubicles if you want to spend some 'fine-dining' time with your close ones. The seatings that are outside those hut structures are quite normal, and the chairs lack proper cushioning and back support. I didn't like the seating arrangement. I was struggling to get around the wooden pole next to my seat and ended up using it as a backrest.

The staff was not friendly, not rude, but I find them unpleasant, with no positive reaction on any of their faces. Other reviews say the same thing, and I entirely agree with it. I didn't interact much with them but, even at the time of taking orders, intensely few words exchanged.

A bit pricey menu compared to the rest of the Korean places with a similar look and feel, maybe because it's 12 feet under the ground. Anyway, we have ordered a Spicy Tofu Soup, Seafood pancake, and Pan-Fried BBQ Chicken Mild. The tofu was good, but the soup was plain, watery as if they stirred the spices. It lacked the form, and I was quite surprised they have charged $15 for it. Moving on, the Fried BBQ Chicken Mild Spicy but it was not spicy at all, and the serving portion was a bit small. Also, I found the chicken to be a bit chewy rather than 'fried'; you can see that from the pictures. The Korean Seafood Pancake, this being my favorite at any Korean place I go to, I know how to review a perfect one. Unfortunately, this wasn't the perfect one I was looking for as it lacked its structure. The pancake is supposed to be tasty and crispy and not doughy. An adequately made pancake should be able to maintain its structure if you hold it like a pizza slice. As I was trying to pick it up by chopsticks, the pieces were falling off, and I had to eat the seafood and pancake separately. I don't want to exaggerate things, let's say, it wasn't the best.

The cutleries, the decor, the ambiance, the overhead lighting, everything looked great except the water jugs. A suggestion: please change those water jugs which doesn't go with the place at all. This may be a hidden gem and most authentic Korean place for many but, not for me. My advice, please train your staff to be more friendly (I have worked customer service, and I know how important it is to keep a pleasant face), kindly revisit the menu pricing, and please do change those water jugs....

My partner and I have been loyal customers of Joomak for the past 3 years. As shown in photos below, we've been customer before AND after they changed their menu. We have brought numerous people in this restaurant, from families to friends. We have known their old staff. Last night, my partner and I had a late night dinner at Joomak only to come to a sad realisation it would be our last visit to this restaurant ever.

We ordered bulgogi, corn cheese and rice. The corn cheese tasted the same as usual. However, we were appaled at the quality of their bulgogi, which they charged 35 dollars for. The bulgogi was clearly cut unevenly, small and big pieces, which obviously would lead to uneven cooking. Some of these pieces had burnt (BURNT, not charred) sides on them. They were rubbery, chewy and a pain to swallow. When we complained about the bulgogi, the manager/supervisor came to tend to us. She offered to bring the bulgogi to the kitchen and came back with it saying, "The chef and I tried. It tastes like normal bulgogi. This is how normal bulgogi like."

As it was my partner who did the talking, I wasn't interested to argue or wanted to bother to explain: We understand how "normal" bulgogi tastes like, we have tried bulgogi from different restaurants in different countries, we have cooked bulgogi at home. And, we surely KNOW the difference between tender and juicy bulgogi vs. chewy, rubbery and dry bulgogi. It all boiled down to the way you cook and how long you cook it for (and obviously whether the slices are evenly cut). If you want to charge 35 dollars for it, why don't you learn the difference?

Lastly, it shouldn't be that hard to apologise. I appreciate the supervisor wanted to explain and ask questions. But at the end of the day, we tried to communicate nicely, only to be met with what sounded like defensive answers and ingenuine questioning, with one small sorry in the end. You work in a F&B business, honest mistakes happen. For loyal customers, they will understand. But if you don't know how to apologise and show goodwill, don't expect loyal customers to come back.

If you happen to see this anomaly 2 stars review among the 5 stars ones, please know they offer free soda for 5 stars reviews. So, do question how many of these reviews are genuine. At last, farewell, Joomak. Thank you for the...

This review is strictly on the service aspect.

I've never had this experience from other Korean restaurants in Melbourne. When I turned up, I was welcomed by a waitress. I asked her if they were open and served takeaway menu. She handed me a menu then left right away. She didn't tell me where the counter was to make the order nor if she was going to come back and take my order.

Another waitress was actually standing next to me, looking busy counting something or taking online reservations. I approached her and asked if I could place an order. Looking annoyed, she asked me what I wanted. I told her that and paid, but that's it -- she left and didn't tell me where to wait or even say thank you.

So I just randomly sat at an empty chair to wait. When my food arrived, the girl just handed me the food and rushed to leave straight away again. Even when I said thank you, she didn't say anything back.

I don't know if it was because they were being short-staffed or because this was a New Year's Eve but I know for sure that it put me off before I even taste the food.

A bit hi or thank you wouldn't hurt. By far this is the worst hospitality service that I've encountered in a Korean restaurant.

Just go to another place. Service here is really not worth the...