미나리 Mina Lee — Restaurant in Upper Harbour

I visited this Korean restaurant with my family for a special dinner. The place was filled with a korean style luxurious vibe, and it's becoming increasingly popular in Albany. I always recommend making a booking beforehand due to its rising popularity.

Our order included Galbijjim (Korean-style Braised Beef Short Ribs) and a large serving of Suyuk Jeongol (Boiled pork hot pot). Despite being reasonably priced, the quality of the Galbijjim was satisfying. Although intended for one person, my family shared it as an appetiser, finding it quite yummy with a deep-flavoured sauce that complemented the beef well. The Suyuk Jeongol was a fabulous shared hot pot, featuring soft ingredients that paired excellently with wasabi-soy sauce and rice.

As a signature touch, the restaurant allows you to pour hot water into the rice pot at the beginning of your meal and encourages you to drink that water at the end, following the Korean traditional way of finishing a satisfying meal - a practice that may be appreciated half-half depending on personal preference.

Having visited the restaurant multiple times, I consistently love the food and the...

Very very bad！The service attitude is terrible! If it weren't for the fact that there’s no option for a zero rating, I would definitely give it one! I don’t know if I came here to eat or to be lectured and criticized! This restaurant is garbage.

New Zealand is a multicultural and multi-ethnic country where everyone’s customs should be respected. First of all, we did make a purchase and consume food from the restaurant. Moreover, before eating the food we brought, we had already obtained clear permission from your elderly staff member. However, a younger female staff member still displayed a rude attitude afterward, showing a complete lack of respect and customer service. The behavior of this female staff member was unfriendly and made us uncomfortable. As the restaurant owner, you are taking a moral high ground to criticize your customers, which is quite arrogant and unacceptable. We hope your staff can show better professionalism when dealing with customers, rather than making them feel disrespected...

I am not really sure about this new Korean restaurant. The premises were previously a Chinese restaurant. Hence, some decor was maintained. The menu is small, probably due to being just open? It has only 6 or 7 items, all pertaining to just beef, either ribs or bone 'joint' soups. Individual pots of stainless steel pot on a wooden block of pressured cooked rice seem to be the attraction. It might be a version of a crusted bottom claypot rice ? Not your usual Korean offerings menu. Generous plates of very large leafy uncut kim chi. I ordered the rib beef soup (2 pieces of ribs with some spring onion on a clear broth). It seems the only option, as the spicy beef soup yukgaejang is only available at a later date in December. Would I be back? Probably not, as not only was it pricey, but it was rather plain to my palate. Did not take any pictures as I felt rather disappointed with what was in front of me 🤣 though I may say the presentation was...