I didn't expect to eat Korean in Geelong. It was only through the recommendation of a work colleague that I tried - what would they know about Korean food? Anyway on a Monday where most of Geelong's dining closes down, Donco was pumping and full of a variety of diners enjoying themselves. The smells of food filled the kitchen. I could see regulars or VIPs being looked after with a few complementary dishes from the chef. Maybe I'll get there one day.
Modern Korean tapas is something I've probably only tried at Bistro K and less so Chimac.
- Tofu Kimchi Ball (with mushroom, coriander, caramelised ginger sauce) $10 - crispy balls of tofu with a much less tangy and tart kimchi and more savoury. Unusual and nice;
- Silky Tofu in sweet soy broth (with shimeji mushrooms, crunch noodles, shichimi) $12 - a lovely warming bowl of flavoursome agedashi tofu filled with mushrooms and noodles. It was topped with angel hair chilli. I couldn't detect much shichimi but it didn't need it (and I didn't bother to ask for it);
- Chilli deep fried calamari (with pomegranate dressing on seasonal leaves & roast capsicum mayo) $13 - nice dish balancing sweet, salty and tangy;
- Grilled Barramundi (with roasted pumpkin, gochujang sauce & yuzu kimchi) $31 - a good slab of well cooked fish, served on soft soft pumpkin and a minimally spicy gochujang cream sauce.
The steamed rice was unfortunately terrible. Thick and congealed and gluggy. The staff and food was otherwise lovely so I didn't complain, but it certainly did merit one.
I'll happily return next time to try other dishes, such as bibimbap or bo ssam. The food, flavour and atmosphere were fantastic.