Melbourne's Best Kimbap: 4 Places To Try!
If you're craving for the best Korean snack, read for more...
Kimbap is a Korean dish that is essentially rice wrapped in seaweed, packed with a whole bunch of delicious fermented vegetables and meats. While it may be similar to it’s Japanese counterpart, sushi, kimbap is slightly different - it is seasoned with sesame oil and includes ingredients like grilled bulgogi, or cheese, kimchi, ham and eggs.
If you eat it with kimchi, that’s even better! Kimchi is packed with probiotics (thanks to the fermentation process), minerals and anti-oxidants. It boosts immune support and digestion and if you can believe it, is backed by various different clinical trials including this one right here! Eating kimbap by itself also has a lot of different health benefits.
But let’s talk about the more important task at hand - where to try them! I love Korean food, it’s one of my niche interests due to its proximity with many other Asian countries. I personally find that Korean food meshes well with the Vietnamese palate. So here are a few places you should try.
1. Sinjeon
📍 288 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Sinjeon features a whole heap of street style Korean food, and I’m a fan of how they mimic food stalls in Daegu (which is what they reference as their inspiration)! I would say their kimbap is delicious, but so is their ddeokbokki! They’ve got soju, and corn dogs and all these other snacks too.
2. Famil-Lee
📍 295 Exhibition St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Full disclosure, I’ve worked on a gifted collaboration with the team at Famil-Lee before, but I’ve been a paying customer LONG BEFORE I started to gain any traction on my social media. I recommend their cheesy ddeokbokki (can you tell I really like this dish) as well as their beef kimbap. They’ve also got a signature flavour which is quite nice too!
3. Mumchan
📍 395 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Now Mumchan is my absolute OBSESSION. There’s nothing more charming than a humble store owner working away at the back kitchen serving up the most delectable snacks. She’s got a lot to answer for - like how does her kimbap turn out SO. DAMN. GOOD?! Every single time. I’ve been a fan ever since I tried my first box from them - and I’m glad people are talking about them - it’s been a local cult favourite and I can totally see why.
4. Jang Go Mama
📍 147 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Jang Go Mama is a huge community favourite. When I posted my initial kimbap video there was quite a number of comments telling me to mention this place. They’re a small family run restaurant, near the State Library on Lonsdale Street. A lot of you agree that the price is more expensive, but given that it’s authentic home-made Korean cuisine, I could give that a pass and try it. I’ll need to try it out and report back to you all.
⚠️ Disclaimer: this article / newsletter blog post is NOT sponsored