Miss Korea Kitchen 288
T50/51 Brand Smart Premium Outlet Centre, 288 Whitehorse Road, Nunawading
03 8806 4922
Korean
$$
Food
- Fried Chicken
- Beef Bulgogi
- Kimchi Pork Stew
- Jajangmyeon
- Fried Gyoza
- BBQ Roast Pork
- Banchan (various)
The Good
Nothing.
The Mediocre
The Fried Chicken was fresh out of the fryer and was easily the most popular choice among patrons. Unfortunately apart from the fresh crunch of the batter, these drummets don’t have much else going for them. The batter was bland and unseasoned. The chicken, dry, clearly frozen and lacked any flavour. Only saving grace was the spicy sauce to
The Beef Bulgogi was fine for the most part. The sauces were plentiful though was definitely on the sweeter side, however the beef itself was tender enough.
The Kimchi Pork Stew was not bad either. The kimchi flavour was bold and forward. Served warm and the shredded porn inherited plenty of spicy kimchi flavours.
The Bad
The Fried Gyoza were downright terrible. The deep fried skin carried far too much oil. Within, the indistinguishable mixture carried a sweet flavour. Downright weird and unpleasant.
The so-called “BBQ Roast Pork” was a disgrace. The tough, uneven cuts of pork were clearly boiled and lacked any qualities you’d get from a roast. No charring, crackle, or caramelising. Why this boiled pork dish is even present in a Korean restaurant is beyond comprehension.
Another disappointment were the bean sprouts. A staple of Korean banchan, this dish is ordinarily served cold and mixed with plenty of sesame oil. Unfortunately the signature sesame oil flavour was sorely absent here, so all we got was cold, crunchy bean sprouts.
The Verdict
We were so very excited to visit a Korean AYCE. Unfortunately, Miss Korea Kitchen 288 can best be described as a Korean-inspired “Food Star”, the cheap, mass market all you can eat establishment from the 80s.
Loaded full of msg, the food here was unequivocally of poor quality and thoughtlessly executed. Served on dirty dinnerware by inattentive staff who seemingly struggle to understand basic English, you really do get what you pay for thanks to the measly price of $19.80.
Would Penguin Eat Again?
Honestly, the $20 would be much better spent for an authentic, quality Korean meal rather than just trying to fill your stomach with Korean-look-a-like food. However given their popularity on a weekend arvo, each to their own I guess.
Penguineats dined complimentary of Miss Korea Kitchen 288.