A Korean dining experience in Sydney

 

The best way to enjoy Korean cuisine in a Korean restaurant is to let a Korean place the order. This adage rang true recently when a Korean friend placed the order for a very satisfactory and authentic Korean lunch we savoured together.

 

Korean lunch at Jeong Dam, Eastwood

As Malcolm had completed his higher education in Australia, some guys whom he met in university remained his firm friends to this day. Among these friends from uni was Charlie, a Korean, who was joining us for lunch that day at Eastwood.

 

On the way to Eastwood, Malcolm told me that this suburb was mainly Korean on one side of the railway tracks while the population other side was identified as mainly Mainland Chinese with a section for Hong Kong Chinese.

 

A sun-dappled walk together

This was evident from the businesses and services that catered to the respective communities who have settled in this suburb.

 

When we entered a home equipment shop because Yeen wanted to enquire about an item she was keen to buy, I instantly knew that we were in the Chinese side of the suburb. This was because this shop was blasting a familiar Chinese New Year tune for in-house entertainment!

 

To reach the other side of town – across the railway tracks – we walked through an underpass. We walked along a charming, sun-dappled path under a canopy of fronds that had grown into a shady arch of trees.

 

The sign that welcomed us to
Koreatown in Eastwood

The pathway to the underpass was bordered by greenery dotted with fragrant flowers and suddenly we were enveloped by the scent of Jasmine, an aroma which reminded us of our grandmother who used to wear Jasmine blooms, tucked within her hairnet.

 

En route, I spotted a low pillar signage with words that read as: City of Ryde – Welcome to Koreatown – Eastwood, along with Korean script below. So I knew that we were headed into what was identified as, Koreatown.

 

It is interesting that most cities have a Chinatown where Chinese entrepreneurs have established businesses that catered to the needs of the Chinese community. The main businesses would include grocers that stocked ingredients for Chinese cooking, medicine or herb shops, tailors and hairdressers.

 

Facade of Jeong Dam Korean restaurant

People are comfortable to speak their own language or dialect among their own community, keep their own traditions and enjoy their own cuisine, so over time, large communities organically developed within various settlements.

 

As Australia welcomes people to make this place their home, there are now not only Chinese towns for various dialect groups but also Vietnamese towns, Thai towns as well as suburbs that are predominantly Japanese, Italian, French, Spanish, German, Nepalese, Indian and Middle Eastern.

 

Over the decades, Australia has thus been enriched by the culture and cuisine that these communities had brought along and woven it into the fabric of the local community.

 

The banchan dishes served to our table

So there we were at Eastwood, renowned as a Korean town and Chinese town with a clear border between them – the railway line.

 

The Eastwood Hotel was the appointed rendezvous for Malcolm’s friends to meet us, the bar a comfortable watering hole particularly on such a hot and humid day.

 

Upon arrival, I was introduced to Dominic and his wife, Elizabeth, and Charlie, the Korean friend. After cooling down with drinks, we headed across the road to the Jeong Dam Korean Restaurant.

 

Sliced braised Pork Knuckle/Feet served
with two condiments and fresh lettuce

They have dined in this restaurant before and were keen to have another experience but when we sat down at the table, they realized that the management may have changed since their previous visit.

 

I learnt that this group of friends often dined together and when they chose Korean cuisine, the task to place their meal orders, fell upon the Korean among them.

 

So the menu was handed to Charlie who politely asked me if I had any food preferences or restrictions, before he placed the order with the waitress, speaking in their own language. He told us that if the order was not enough, he would add items later.

 

This is the way to assemble a bite of wrap!

When the tall and statuesque figure of the waitress left our table to return to the counter to place our order, our eyes followed her. This was because – we all agreed – that she looked unusually tall for a Korean woman!

 

In the tradition of serving Korean cuisine, small plates of banchan were first served to the table. One cover of a gas stove was opened in preparation for the serving of a dish that required being kept warm.

 

The first dish served was Pig’s Feet in the English translation printed in the menu but I figured that it could be Braised Pork Knuckle with the gelatinous layers of meat sliced and arranged neatly. This dish was served with two condiments and fresh lettuce leaves.

 

Korean Seafood Pancake with generous
chunks of seafood

I observed Charlie as he picked up one lettuce leaf and assembled small portions of the two condiments and topped them with a slice of the braised pork. He then folded the lettuce wrap before taking a bite. Then I followed his lead and did the same.

 

As the others also enjoyed their first taste of this dish, I heard their favourable comments about its taste, declaring that this tasted better than others which they have eaten.

 

While I cannot compare its taste with other Korean restaurants, I must admit that the braised pork slices tasted good, quite alike to pork braised in soya sauce.

 

The next dish of Seafood and Green Onion Pancake was a familiar favourite at Korean restaurants but I observed that this pancake was dotted by generous chunks of seafood.

 

A very agreeable dish of braised 
Spicy Beef Short Ribs

When the third and final dish was served, this platter was placed on the gas stove and the flame ignited to keep it warm. The waitress uncovered the lid to reveal the dish as Braised Spicy Beef Short Ribs in gochujang or Korean red pepper paste sauce.

 

The inviting aroma that arose from this dish promised a great taste. And I was right.

 

When I dished a portion of the tender beef ribs for myself, I discovered that there were pieces of potato, carrot and tteokbokki or chewy cylindrical rice cakes, swimming in the spicy gravy.

 

It was fun to be in the company of this group of friends who were exchanging friendly banter as we dined in a convivial manner, not standing-on-ceremony but with a decent familiarity with each other.

 

As we polished off the dishes one-by-one and felt comfortably full, we agreed that Charlie was right in his estimate when he placed the meal order. No, we did not want any additional items but was ready to move on to enjoy hot coffee and dessert.

 

Facade of the Korean cafe

The group moved in unison and headed down to the opposite end of the block of shops where a Korean-run café was doing brisk business. While the entrance was narrow, it opened out from a corridor to the wide seating area at the rear.

 

But before being seated, I took a closer look at the cakes and pastries in the showcase. And I spotted crème puffs in two choices of fillings: fresh cream and chocolate cream. It was not difficult for me to make a decision – one of each – please?

I heard Charlie speak to the merchant in Korean to place our coffee and pastries order. When the orders were served to our table, I saw that there was also a refreshing mountain of shaved ice – Mango Bingsu – for us to share.

 

Creme puffs and coffee!

“Where is Elizabeth?” Dominic asked when he realized that his wife was not seated at the table. Puzzled just as he was, we did not have any reply for him.

 

After a short wait, she turned up with something in her hands. Elizabeth had snuck off to buy packets of Korean matcha chewy snacks for us to sample with our coffee.

 

Thank you all, for your thoughtfulness in letting me experience authentic Korean hospitality at its best in Sydney, from lunch to coffee and dessert. “Gamsahabnida!”

 

#MyJohorStoriesTravelogue

#MyJohorStoriesJanuary2026

A blessing in disguise!

 

A sudden turn of events turned out to be a blessing in disguise… at least for me. Well, let me share this and see if you will agree with me.

 

Inside the Church of St Charbel

A couple of days ago, on our ferry ride into the city, we saw that massive cruise liner, Anthem of the Sea by Royal Caribbean, moored at Circular Quay. Malcolm told me that his former schoolmate, Geradine, was booked to join a 10-day cruise from Sydney to New Zealand.

 

She lives in Kuala Lumpur and should fly to Sydney and Natasha, her daughter based in Melbourne, will join her on this much-anticipated cruise experience. She had arranged hotel stays in the city before and after the cruise.

 

Geradine and Natasha at
the Church of St Charbel

Ahead of her arrival in Sydney, Geradine had reminded Malcolm of this impending trip and hoped to meet up with him again while she was here.

 

Closer to that date, Malcolm received a message from her, informing that she had arrived in Sydney. She also told him that on her arrival, she received the news that the cruise they were booked on, was cancelled.

 

Apparently, the cruise liner had engine problems and could not travel at the optimum speed, so the cruise was cancelled and guests were duly compensated for the inconvenience. [Later on, we read online news that confirmed the report about the cruise liner’s situation.]

 

Since Geradine and her daughter were already here, they decided to stay and explore Sydney together. They arranged to meet friends – like Malcolm – who were happy to spend some time with them, showing them the sights in and around Sydney.

 

The sanctuary for the spiritual tomb
of St Charbel

When he learnt about their predicament, Malcolm, a gracious host at heart, offered his help and asked them what they would like to do.

 

She replied, expressing her desire was to visit the Saint Charbel’s church of the Lebanese Maronite Order, located in the Punchbowl suburb.

 

So Malcolm invited me along to join Geradine and Natasha on an outing to visit the church and thereafter, to sightseeing after a spot of lunch.

 

Lunch at Pho An in Bankstown

On the way to pick them up from the hotel that morning, Malcolm took me on a quick drive through the city center, pointing out landmark buildings and sights along the way, both old and familiar and those which are spanking new.

 

After collecting Geradine and her daughter from the hotel, we headed out to the church. On the drive, Geradine shared with us, more about this church and Saint Charbel.

 

Saint Charbel Makhlouf is renowned among the Lebanese Christians as the Miracle Monk of Lebanon because of the favours received through his intercession and is revered as the “doctor of the sky” associated with more than 30,000 reported miracles.

 

Steaming bowls of pho served at super speed!

Saint Charbel was beatified in 1965 and canonized as a saint by Pope Paul VI in 1977. He was a beloved Maronite Catholic monk, the patron saint of Lebanon, revered for numerous miracles especially after his death.

 

Malcolm said he was familiar with this area and frequently passed that church. But this time, however, he will stop by with visitors.

 

The forecourt of the church compound was marked by a sculpture in the image of St Charbel. The church hall was directly behind this statue while the adjacent hall to the left, housed the spiritual tomb of St Charbel.

 

The sandy beach at La Perouse

A small door at far left, opened into the Souvenir shop that was well stocked with a wide range of merchandise for the faithful to buy.

 

Among the handicrafts were paintings and artworks designed with the portrait of St Charbel. As we observed that in every portrayal, his eyes were closed, a curious question arose as to why his eyes were always closed?

 

With a little help from Google, this was the explanation to clarify as to why:

 

“His eyes are always depicted as closed, as if veiling an infinitely greater mystery. Through the eyes of Saint Charbel, which were closed in order to see God more clearly, we continue to perceive God’s light with greater clarity,” a quote by Pope Leo during his visit to Lebanon, 1 December 2025.

 

The Boatshed is a popular dining
destination at La Perouse

After the church visit, we headed to Bankstown where many eateries and restaurants served Vietnamese cuisine. Malcolm, the prolific tour guide for good food, took us on a walkabout to see the many options available before he led us to one particular restaurant that offered a menu, limited to just pho or Vietnamese beef noodles.

 

Known as Pho An, this restaurant serves traditional Saigon style pho in slow-cooked bone broth, highly recommended by food reviewers and of course, Malcolm.

 

Yes, the only item on their menu is authentic pho, in a choice of chicken or beef, slow-cooked for hours in their family recipe, freshly made every day in a quality that has remained unchanged for decades.

 

Another view of The Boatshed La Perouse

When we were shown to our table, Malcolm mentioned that this restaurant is renowned for their speedy service. I thought that it should be so as (after all) they only had one main item on their menu.

 

So, as soon as we placed our order for pho, three with beef broth and one in chicken broth, Natasha, clicked on the timer on her phone – just to see how long they will take to serve the order to our table.

 

Then in just one minute and 45 seconds, the first steaming hot bowls of pho were served! This was certainly super speedy service, something they should be proud of.

 

The deep bowl of pho placed in front of me was supposed to be ‘regular size’ but it was large by my standards.

 

Through the clear beef broth, I could see rice noodles and pieces of beef meat and tripe. To this hot broth, I added the raw ingredients of bean sprouts and mint leaves, soaking them in for a quick blanch.

 

When I discovered the slabs of meat within, I had to use a pair of scissors – provided by the restaurant – to cut it up. Yes, slurping is allowed here. But I preferred to eat with more [ahem!] elegance.

 

Fortified by such a comforting meal of soupy noodles, we headed out for a drive to see more of Sydney, this time to the Eastern suburbs of Sydney.

 

En route, I spotted stacks of containers which reminded me of Johor Port in Pasir Gudang. As we drove on, I realized that this was indeed a port, Botany Port.

 

Malcolm said that we were heading to La Perouse, located about 14 km southeast of Sydney’s central business district.

 

He shared briefly about why this place was named after Laperouse (1741 – 1788), a French explorer who was commissioned by King Louis XVI for a scientific circumnavigation to chart new territories in the Pacific.

 

It was good to be in the shade on
such a bright and sunny day!

This destination is famous for its scenic beauty and a popular spot for picnics, walks and exploring history in the Kamay Botany Bay National Park. Nearby Bare Island Fort is a picturesque backdrop for events and the location for some thrilling action sequences in the Hollywood film, Mission Impossible 2.

 

Ah! It was fun to learn that this place was made famous by one such as Tom Cruise.

 

As Malcolm and Natasha headed to Bare Island Fort in the scorching sun, Geradine and I sought the shelter of the outdoor dining section of The Boatshed La Perouse, a restaurant popular for its modern Australian seafood platters.

 

We observed other diners enjoying their seafood platters, served with attractive plating, and watched with wonder at how they were polishing off their plates with gusto.

 

A tangy Lemon Tart treat!
 

If we were not so full from our pho lunch, we may also indulge in the juicy seafood. So we just sat back and enjoyed the balmy breezes over refreshing drinks and snacks.

 

It was indeed a wonderful way to spend an afternoon chilling out at La Perouse.

 

We were pleased to hear about Geradine’s plans to explore various sites in Sydney with the help of other friends, the theatre show they would go to and other interesting activities they had in mind.

 

Later we dropped Geradine and Natasha off at their hotel and on our drive back, I thanked Malcolm for letting me benefit from this outing with them. I heard them talking about meeting up again and I hoped to be included in the excursions planned with them to see more of Sydney.

 

While I share their disappointment in having a much-anticipated cruise experience cancelled at the last moment, I am glad that they had the opportunity to meet friends and explore the charms of Sydney at their own pace.

 

To me, their change of plans seemed to turn out like a blessing in disguise, not just for them but also for me. Thanks for letting me part of the sightseeing experiences!

 

#MyJohorStoriesTravelogue

#MyJohorStoriesJanuary 2026

To the markets!

 

“To market, to market to buy a fat …” a line in an old Nursery Rhyme came to mind as we headed to the Sydney Markets with the aim to shop for fresh fish, vegetables and fruits.

 

Heading into Sydney Markets in Flemington

Malcolm and Yeen will be hosting a dinner with the family in their home and when Yeen asked Uncle Steven what cuisine he would like to eat – Chinese or European – his spontaneous reply was, “Steak!”

 

Aware that she is a versatile cook, he was not hesitant about placing his “order” for dinner in their home. Photos of their home-cooked steaks posted in our family chat group had given Uncle a mouth-watering desire to have a taste of such juicy meats.

 

His reply helped Yeen to curate a menu that featured beef steak and salmon steak as the protein dishes with side dishes of salads and vegetables.

 

Checking out the seafood options

She also planned to get fresh mangoes to make a mango pudding filled with cubes of mango, to serve as dessert.

 

So there we were at the market, on a mission to get fresh produce to cook a sumptuous spread for the family.

 

While Malcolm and Yeen carried out a survey on the fish options to buy, I observed that the right side of the entrance to the huge warehouse-like building was blocked by a queue of people. Then I saw that they were mainly Asian, waiting for their turn to be served at the counter for… salmon bones.

 

Bountiful, colourful fruits and vegetables

The ambiance of this market was typical of markets the world over, where vendors called out the lowest prices of fruit or vegetables in a repetitive monotone over the hum of shoppers browsing around, selecting their best buys.

 

Besides hearing the English language, I also overheard conversations in Mandarin, Cantonese and Korean, as shoppers discussed the best options to pick from the wide array of succulent fruits and vegetables displayed for sale.

 

Best buys of zucchini and eggplant

Many of the vendors were of Asian origin while there were many who appeared to be Middle Eastern, Italian and Fijian or Samoan.

 

The difference here, however, was this market experience was enhanced with live music entertainment by a male soloist as he sang popular English songs, accompanied by guitar.

 

I have always enjoyed visiting fresh markets for the sight of a wide range of colourful merchandise and the noise of haggling before the vendors gave in to the persistence of determined shoppers.

 

With a dinner menu in mind, Malcolm and Yeen made a beeline for the stalls to get the ingredients to prepare the dishes on their menu. I saw that they chose and bought beetroots and cauliflower…

 

Choosing a watermelon...

Meanwhile, I wandered around (like a typical tourist!) to capture some photos.

 

I was thrilled to see huge capsicum in bright colours – red, yellow and green – glossy purple eggplants and a wide selection of juicy fruits.

 

There were cherries, plums, nectarines, apricots, avocados along with tropical fruits like mango, pineapple in different sizes and watermelon, with and without seeds (I heard the vendor yelling out this info!)

 

Shoppers came with their own carrier bags, the hand-carried types as well as two-wheeler and four-wheeler trolley bags. Some older shoppers even drove mobility scooters to shop while the market offered the hire of shopping trolleys at a price.

 

Heading into the Pendle Hill Meat Market

It made sense that the last item to shop for here was fresh fish. And with our hands full of heavy shopping bags, we headed back to the car. Little did I know that Malcolm had already been back to the car, twice, to store his shopping.

 

The main course for our family meal was meat – beef steak – to be specific, so after a quick lunch of takeaway kebab, we headed out to Pendle Hill Meat Market.

 

Along the fence which bordered one side of the carpark, I spotted huge replicas of a pink pig and a brown ox, as part of the décor and identity of this meat market.

 

Choices! Choices! Choices of meats and cuts
 

As its name suggests, this destination was a supermarket that stocked a wide range of meats, from fresh to frozen, preserved and canned. There were sections for beef, lamb, chicken and pork, along with cured meats like ham, bacon and sausages.

 

There were also sections for fruit and vegetables, bread and eggs, like a regular supermarket but the main focus was as a meat market for a wide range of meats and cuts.

 

While Malcolm and Yeen made their choices of beef cuts, I explored the aisles and spotted an exciting range of Ayam brand products. I paused when I spotted canned petai, satay sauce and satay seasoning, items not available in our local stores.

 

The canned versions of Malaysian flavours

This, I guessed, was probably because we can conveniently get fresh ingredients to prepare our favourite dishes while the canned versions catered to connoisseurs in a foreign country who (desperately!) desired the taste of such Malaysian flavours.

 

When I considered the canned satay sauce and seasoning, I was filled with much gratitude in having the privilege to savour freshly prepared skewers of satay and dip sauce, ever so often at food tastings, reviews of Ramadan buffets and Hari Raya open house events.

 

Making the best choice of meat

For a moment, I felt sorry for those who did not have the pleasure of tasting, freshly cooked, authentic Malaysian cuisine. But having relocated to a foreign land, they should, however, be prepared to miss out on enjoying local delicacies, food and fruits or pay higher prices for imported ingredients and be satisfied with the frozen, bottled and canned versions.

 

Then I saw that Malcolm and Yeen had completed their shopping and were ready to leave the meat market with choice ingredients to cook up a storm.

 

Looking back to that market day, I not only had the privilege to witness their shopping of ingredients, I also observed how meticulous they were as good hosts, in preparing the meal to setting the table and serving, as well as to sitting down to savour the sumptuous spread with the family.

 

For every step of this interesting market experience, I am grateful and blessed.

 

#MyJohorStoriesTravelogue

#MyJohorStoriesJanuary 2026