I've been working so much that there hasn't been much time for checking out new places, and sometimes when you're exhausted from work you just want to go somewhere familiar and comforting. Se Jong is just that. I still remember the first time I ate here, way back in November of 2006. Not much has changed since then, the menu and decor are still the same. I've eaten here so many times that it feels like I'm going to an Auntie's place for a homecooked meal. And that's exactly why, after a very long and tiring week at work, this was the perfect dinner to recharge my soul.
There's 2 rooms at Se Jong, the first is a standard room with wooden tables and chairs, each with the obligatory hot plate for Korean barbecue. There's a shoe case next to the doorway to the second room as this room is strictly floor seating - the tables still have the bbq hot plate but they're low to the ground with cushions for you to rest your posterior.
The banchan (side dishes) here are always tasty - today we get kimchi, odeng (fish cake), bean sprouts, eggplant and radish. My eyes always light up when I see the eggplant - it's soft and full of garlicky flavour. We're pretty hungry so we also order "Goonmandoo" (deep fried dumpling, $12.00) which are perfectly crispy half moons with a home-made tasting filling that includes noodles (not sure if it was mung bean or sweet potato). We also got "Tofu Chigae" (stew of soft beancurd, seafood, egg and chilli paste, $10.00). If you were feeling poor, you could get this stew and a bowl of rice and have a very satisfying meal. The tofu is silky and light, a good balance for the spiciness of the soup.
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| Goonmandu, complimentary (and super tasty) banchan, tofu chigae. |
C's favourite dish at Se Jong is probably the "Hwedubbap" (rice with sashimi, vegetables and chilli paste, $13.00). I love it too - it's so fresh and tasty - everything but the rice is raw - the salmon, kingfish, carrots, cucumbers, radish, cabbage, perilla leaves and just one more ingredient that I can't think of right now. Turn out your bowl of hot rice on top, add as much Chogochujang sauce (vinegar red pepper paste) as you like and then mix! mix! mix! until it's all combined. What you get is a fresh and healthy all-in-one bowl meal which tastes fantastic.
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| Hwedubbap - all healthy food should taste this good! |
As much as I love Hwedubbap, there's one dish that I can't resist - "Jebichuri" (thin skirt beef with sesame oil, $14.00). It's a great cut of beef for Korean barbecue because it's so tender. You get the dipping sauce of salt and pepper mixed with sesame oil and you also get fresh lettuce leaves and bean paste for wrapping too. That and a bowl of rice and I'm in food heaven. Oh, did I mention that they cook all the barbecue items for you? All you have to do is eat, what more could one ask for?
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| Jebichuri - it's my weakness.....mmm....Jebichuri.. |
And so finishes another homely meal at Se Jong - all thoughts of work have disappeared, my tummy full and satisfied.
What: Se Jong Korean Restaurant
Where: 68-72 Evaline St, Campsie (where Woolworths is) (02) 9718 4039
How much: Most 'single serve' dishes in the $10-$20 range
