~ Curious Charlie ~

Local Eats - Kopan Grill Japanese & Korean @ Sunday, February 19, 2017

Tuesday 20th September

In this little town, it's expensive. Though the trick is to go out for lunch, especially while you still can. As an adult who works 9-5pm you won't be able to sneak out for a leisurely meal.

Kopan Grill - Korean & Japanese, just a block away from the station has been on our list since we first moved here, though we haven't gotten around it till now (yes a week-ish before moving houses).

Lunch menus are awesome! For at Kopan from Tues-Fri 11.30am-3pm they have a lunch menu. More limited than the regular menu (which you can still order from) but cheaper than dinner!

Lunch ranges from $9.50 to about $13. They do have the same dishes available for dinner but you're looking at $15-ish dishes. Still a pretty good deal, especially as Miss Korea down the road is a bit more expensive. Options: dons (rice), curries (Jap style), udon and rice sets.

Our favourite table is by the window, the one with the best lighting!

These are 'main sets' which is your rice/meat/salad and a little entree, curry & rice, rice dishes (donburi) and udon. It's close to a bento, but not quite. They're $13 during lunch.

Bulgogi Set $13

On our first visit I had the set with Bulgogi (wiki says it is a Korean dish that usually consists of grilled marinated beef... in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, pepper, and other ingredients) which included rice, salad, edamame and a cube of tofu!

Bulgogi was what the friendly Korean waiter recommended when I asked a marinated beef dish. Well balanced with a soy base with a hint of sweetness, it was high quality and delicious. Yes I most definitely would get this dish again.

The tofu was deep fried with a crumb, sitting on a small dollop of Kewpie mayo with a drop of plum sauce on top. Small but delicious and the perfect sized!

Bio guy ordered the 'Beef Udon $12' which he consumed every last spoonful.

In the background 'Kissing You' by Desire played. What a coincidence! For there's a 20th Anniversary Romeo & Juliet Concert we're going to later this week.

Thursday 29th September

Back again in the same week! The rush to tick things to go see/do/eat before moving houses! Luckily we're just moving two station/trams away.

Bio guy absolutely loved the udon he had the other day and highly recommended it. So this time I had the beef udon ($12) and he had the Sukiyaki ($11).

Sukiyaki $11 - Kinda like a beef don dish

"While the flavours were well balanced it wasn't outstanding (like the udon) but pleasant." - Lab partner. It is very odd to describe food as pleasant... What he means is that while it was good it wasn't as amazing as the udon, which over the course of a couple visits we have declared our favourite!

Beef Udon $12

Well marinated beef sprinkled with herb particles, atop springy udon noodles with a side of spinach, sitting in a hearty broth full of flavour. It was absolutely delicious! Three simple elements made into an all-time favourite! I'd get this again and recommend it!

Wednesday 16th November

Beef Curry $11

We're had dons, udon and now the finial dish before sharing a review. We'll of course be back as bio partner still lives up the street, and we're two stops away. But it's the last post for a comprehensive review.

A curry with a huge serving of rice and that same delicious bulgogi beef. Oh how I love that beef! Lite n' Easy beef to me is chewy and not exactly the best cut, so I order beef when I dine out. Japanese curries aren't hot like Indian ones, instead they're thicker and leans towards soupy but still thicker. There's a lot more rice than you can see, so this dish is the best value for money. It's quite good, not too salty.

Service was very friendly and prompt. With the restaurant being small, like most of the independent restaurants on main street, the deco is minimalistic to not overwhelm the cozy gallery like space.

Tip: Visit for lunch and sit by the window on the left side (in this picture). Best spot for lighting. That's what we love about lunch, great deals and lighting!

Where is it? On the block uphill from Camberwell Station, cloest to platform 3.

When's lunch? Tues-Fri 11.30am-3pm

What to order? That beef udon!!

What's your go to place for udon? Or any local gems?

Do you have a favourite lunch spot, that has great lunch offers?