TL;DR: This is as delicious as it looks informal. A hidey-hole away from the rest of the bustling Valley right outside, as people can gather for either a quick bite or a session of small bites to have a good time here. It all works like a machine here, getting the ordering done right on the clientele's own terms, and when that happens it is out like lightning. If you have ever liked the look of the big Korean eateries, with huge meals, lots of beer, and plenty of interaction, yet the price tag has made you apprehensive about going ... this is the place for you.
Coming to this place was a venture which was planned in advance. Part of it had to do with another opportune venture meeting my friend last time in the Valley, which resulted in going down Bakery Lane and sussing the place out. Funnily enough, that opportune moment was begotten by one other opportune moment previously - in which a closer inspection had her confident that this was the place. What stood out about it was one sign point to a Korean eatery down there, a cuisine she is pretty fond of, and thought that it could be good for next time. I don't get out all that much for Korean cuisine, so I was all ears; fast forward a few weeks, picking me up at the house, it was off to here.
In talking about the decor, aesthetics and atmosphere here, it is really all about Bakery Lane as a whole. This is one of the examples that has happened in recent years, where Brisbane has begun illuminate Melbourne's Laneway Projects, particularly around the central area including Fortitude Valley and the CBD. It takes the hidden lanes just a hair's breadth away from the bustling main streets, and creates a little environment with different businesses interacting to take things more slowly. Truth be told, I also see quite a bit of European influence with that idea as well. At night it comes alive, with fairy lights around giving that distinct mood. For Nom Nom itself, two sections exist with one ramen bar that has booth seats in the kitchen, and where the two of us ate was the courtyard. The all-round atmosphere, even with an expanding raucous group at an adjacent business, was both calm and dynamic. If more sorts of these projects are bound to come about, then I will say bring them on!
The way that they have organised the service both gives friendly and informal nature to the place. They have possibly made a way to streamline it so the clientele are able to take their time with ordering, and when it is all done the food arrives piping hot. Simply go up to the counter when you are ready to order, place it and pay, then go to a table and it will be there before you know it. In thinking about it, that adds some value to the place, since if clients don't have anywhere to be, they can continue ordering on a whim.
Now it is obvious that the fare they serve is Korean. More so, the fare is akin to tapas done in a Korean style (called banchan). These start off the menu, with various bits of finger food. Seafood is fairly common among the options, plus all sorts of favourites are present, and a bit of the characteristic fusion occurs that Korean cuisine is all the well known for. Each one is pretty much a-steal, and fairly generous in portion, so definitely do it tapas style and order several at once (again, they come quite quickly). The second part of the menu dedicates itself to bigger meals, which definitely ropes in the good old bim bim bap. A few other big meals are there: some curries, heaps of rice-based dishes, among a few others.
It would not be tapas, banchan or whatnot if it did not include something to wet the whistle, mostly beers and such. The general mix of some craft beers, wines, lots of varieties of sodas, and a range of cocktails.
Starting off the whole ordeal, my friend could not go past getting some of the kim chi fries - and who could blame her? Taking the popular bar snack, they take the route of topping it with some cream cheese, and kim chi, plus for a bit extra, some meat can be added on. She went with spicy pork. And with it being a popular bar snack - the loaded fries, that is - a good reason exits. When they are done right, few things can truly match up to some hot chips. These were pipping hot, and well cooked with only a little bit of seasoning. Personally, the salt-less fries going around are an abomination, but that is negated when it is piled high like this. The meat was marinated very well, a little fiery, and super tender. It went down like butter. Even not being that keen on kim chi, I did not mind it too much here as it added a bit of a vinegary bite. Plus the cheese melted well, and cheese fries simply rock. Whether as a solo snack, or something to share among others with a range of other bites, definitely get these if you are here - whatever meat you want.
For me, fried chicken is where it gets impossible to go wrong. So it was a round of their "Seoul Fried Chicken". Let's just face something, it is hard to go wrong with fried chicken. Korean fried chicken is something else as well, though that kind being alluded is a different style entirely. Not one bit of bone nor gristle is present in these little bits, it is either pure breast, pure thigh, or even a mix of the two. The coating around it was solid and delicious, plus the combination of the spicy sauce, and the kewpie mayonnaise gave it an additional dynamic aroma, which ultimately resulted in a massive kick. To give testament to how good it was, a second order went in place that included the chicken - that ought to be the biggest compliment ever.
Also with the little finger food bites, a main meal was ordered among them - shared of course. It was the house fried rice recipe, with some bulgogi beef put into the mix. Now when talking about portion size, this is something else. Whatever kind of marinade they put in the bulgogi sauce, it really worked a treat here when paired with the good quality beef that they had. The beef was plentiful, it was well cooked and tender. This all mixed well into the rice, which itself was cooked well, and even had a bit of greens mixed into it. A fully balanced meal, not overt with any kind of flavour overpowering another, and it will leave you feeling full without the bloating. Kudos to them for this.
One last bite that got ordered was the octopus karage. It is pretty much the same deal that I said about the Seoul chicken with the cooking; the octopus meat has a different, slightly gamey flavour and a bit of an odd texture to think of it. When it gets cooked like this, something wonderful happens to it that is hard to describe. Added with a tangy chilli mayonnaise, we have one last winner right here.
Even if it has not featured a lot in my gourmand ventures, what has been noted a lot about Korean is that it is often a very social sort of cuisine. Also what has been duly noted is that it is often pared well with lots of drinking, and having a good time, yet a drawback tends to be that it often gets on the eksy side. Due to all of that, it is said with a bit of relief that the whole experience can be had on a budget. A good setting, one type that I hope keeps up around town, a laid back surrounding, and good that is hot and tasty on a winter's night. In and among the other businesses here, we are onto a winner.
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