The bibimbap is a delicious riot of flavour. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Regular Region readers will know that I am a huge fan of Korean food. I love the focus on fermentation, I love the spice, I love all the little side dishes, and I love kimchi. So I consider myself hugely fortunate to be eating and writing at a time when Korean food is everywhere: I am surfing the K-Wave all the way to shore!
Sikdang is the Korean word for restaurant, and it’s also the name of a Korean restaurant in Bailey’s Arcade. The underground restaurant (which was a Hog’s Breath Cafe in my youth but has had many different tenants since) has a simple interior. There is little decoration beyond a few hanging curtains and several signs warning us not to bump our noggins on overhead cupboards.
But we are not here to judge the interior decorations. We are here to eat, and we’ve arrived hungry.
Sikdang is located in the underground section of Bailey’s Corner. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The menu offers a range of Korean dishes, including single portion meals and larger dishes intended for sharing. A nearby group is happily cooking on a tabletop stove and has also been issued aprons by staff, which is a nice touch, considering the strong red colours of the stew and the very white t-shirts of the diners.
We chose a few favourites: tteokbokki, kimchi pancake, bibimbap and kimchi stew. We had assumed the pancake and tteokbokki would be entree-sized, but they were hearty portions. Good thing we were hungry!
The kimchi stew was absolutely delicious. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The tteokbokki rice cakes could be served either as skewers – a popular street food in Korea – or as a stir-fried dish with a rich sauce and thin fishcake slices. We opt for the saucy version and thoroughly enjoy the chewy rice cakes and slurpy sauce.
My friend declared the kimchi pancake the best he’s had in Canberra, and I agree: a perfect mix of a crispy exterior and a soft middle, served with a tangy soy dipping sauce and slices of pickled onion. Rather than coming pre-sliced, the pancake is served with a pair of kitchen shears, which are eminently practical for slicing it.
The bibimbap is another large portion, and a delicious version of this much-loved dish. Mung beans, spinach, carrots and onions have each been individually prepared to perfection, and the beef bulgogi we have chosen is tender and super tasty. We mix everything together and clean the bowl.
We chose a few favourite dishes – all standouts. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Stews are a big part of Korean cuisine, with a huge diversity of flavours and ingredients, but kimchi stew is perhaps the most popular. Pieces of soft tofu have sucked up the flavour, and slices of pork belly add depth and texture. The dish is spicy but not outrageously so, and on a cold night in Canberra it warms us up beautifully.
Long after we are full, we keep picking at extra slices of pancake, or ‘just one more’ piece of chewy rice cake.
The restaurant offers a range of soju and Korean rice wine, with tasting platters available. We keep it simple with Korean beers: refreshingly cold and light.
Sikdang is up there with the best of Canberra’s Korean restaurants and a great addition to the city.
Sikdang Korean Restaurant is located at lower ground, Bailey’s Corner, Canberra City. They are open from 11:30 am to 9 pm on Friday and Saturday, and from 11.30 am to 8 pm on Sunday to Thursday (closed Monday). Follow Sikdang on Instagram.
Original Article published by Lucy Ridge on Region Canberra.
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