kocu — Restaurant in Toowoomba City

This is a cute little Korean joint right in the heart of the Toowoomba C.B.D. We pitched up here at around 6.30pm on a busy Saturday night during the Spring Fest in Sept, and were able to secure a table without a booking.

Kocu is a small place, with just a few tables, but there was a decent turnout, and it was about three quarters full. Despite being busy dealing with in-house, takeaway and home delivery orders, service was quick and efficient. The two young ladies on duty were friendly, helpful and polite.

We ordered spring rolls, fried chicken and a tofu soup. The spring rolls were nice and crispy, with a wholesome veg filling. The soup was spicy with an interesting selection of vegetables and tofu, but if you want to preserve your stomach health, I suggest you avoid the fried chicken. It was smothered in batter with not much chicken in it, and I felt quite ill afterwards. Serving sizes were generous, especially the fried chicken, but then I did find it quite inedible, so it didn’t matter.

The place has been nicely decorated with wooden furniture, timber floors, lots of greenery and low hanging lamps, which all give it a warm, homely and welcoming ambience. Toilets are at the back, shared with the next door Indian restaurant, so you’ll need to go through two sets of doors to find them. There are a few cubicles, they’re reasonably clean, but by the time I had got to them they’d run out of soap in the soap dispenser, and no-one had bothered to replenish it. After eating fried chicken with your fingers, you’re going to need that soap, so please guys, keep it topped up.

Despite it being a Sat night, we were able to find street parking in the centre of Margaret Street, which did require a tricky manoeuvre to enter a small space in the median strip.

Prices were reasonable: we paid 51 pesos for the three dishes and single bottle of my favourite Great Northern original.

Overall a pleasant place for a casual meal, with fast and friendly service and a laid back and...

Saw the amazing reviews so drove all the way from Brisbane to dine at kocu.

We walked in at opening time and were the first patrons of the night. We were greeted by a friendly lady who seated us and engaged in conversation. A bottle of water was provided while we browsed the menu and drinks options (no dessert menu on offer).

I had actually called earlier in the day to book, but was told it was unnecessary due to it being a Sunday. Surprisingly, for both us and the two staff members, an onslaught of takeaway orders and dine-in patrons ensued.

This spike in volume led to significant delays for not only us but other diners. Our wait was longer than anticipated and eventually became frustrating. It also means this review came very close to being 4 stars only.

BUT, then the food arrived! My wife and I had been advised, by the lady serving us, that a half portion of fried chicken, along with a shared noodle dish we'd ordered, would be ample. I was skeptical but took the advice.

So along comes a massive bowl, loaded with huge fried chicken chunks (sweet and spicy sauce option) and hot chips. The entire meal was fantastic; the chicken coating was reminiscent of beer batter, the chicken itself was hot, tasty and perfectly cooked and the sauce was thick, sticky and lived up to its name, lots of spicy and sweet. The chips were also delicious and the beef noodle dish was very nice. It was on the menu as a side but, truth be told, could easily pass as a main for someone not looking to overindulge.

In summary, kocu was a great find and worth the drive. The venue is small yet inviting, with tasteful decor and a clean appearance. The staff were friendly, helpful and, best of all, honest. And, most importantly, the food was excellent; packed with flavour, large in size and well priced. Our two shared meals and drinks totalled...

As a child, I had a traumatic experience at a particular local event in which fireworks were involved. One such firework happened to stray off course (it was the 90s, safety regulations didn't exist yet) and exploded right in front of my stroller, violently awakening me from my (probably) well-earned rest! Consequently, for many years of my childhood I had a fear of anything that caused loud noises. I thought I'd overcome this, but apparently not. This place is LOUD. Truly deafening. I gave up yelling to my colleague who sat a mere two feet from me, we had to text the rest of our conversation. We ordered a starter of Yangnyeom fried chicken between us and a main each, namely, spicy chicken (dakgalbi) and sweet and sour tofu (not pictured). Dishes were served in the order; main, starter, main. Definitely not the sequencing I'm used to. Food was good but not great. Frankly, hugely underwhelming and the volume of food we chose to leave is probably testament to that. Tofu chunks were enormous and the ratio of sweet & sour to tofu was off. Avoid. Fried chicken was okay I guess. Spicy chicken was the best thing of the night. Not to say it was great but it was pleasant enough - could've used some rice. Background music was nice once the wicked witch of the west and her entourage left, but by that point I had tinnitus so like damage done. I guess it's not really their fault but it's a tiny venue so I don't know, maybe open a door or something? At some point you've gotta be a tiny bit rude and tell a few people to hush up so your other patrons ears stop bleeding....