This is Park Bong Sook, a Korean restaurant in Eastwood serving traditional homestyle dishes, with a menu that continues to rotate its banchan while maintaining a stable set of mains.
2025
Side Dishes
On a weekend during Chuseok, the meal began with a diverse selection of banchan, served clockwise from the top:
- Maneuljjong muchim (garlic scape kimchi): exceptionally crunchy, with a spicy, savoury and lightly sweet flavour.
- Potato salad: creamy and rich, with a pronounced egg yolk flavour.
- Cucumber kimchi: savoury and moderately spicy, though less crunchy than expected.
- Oi muchim (spicy cucumber salad): lightly seasoned, refreshing and gently spiced.
- Tteok (songpyeon): soft half-moon rice cakes filled with sesame.
- Mumallaengi muchim (seasoned dried radish strips): crunchy, mildly sweet and balanced with light savoury and spicy notes.
- Baechu kimchi (napa cabbage kimchi): fresh, crisp and moderately spicy without excessive saltiness.
- Saeu jeot (salted shrimp), garlic and chilli, and doenjang (fermented soybean paste)
- Choganjan (pancake dipping sauce): tangy, savoury
On a weekday, the selection of banchan was more restrained, served clockwise from the top left:
- Saeu jeot (salted shrimp), garlic and chilli, and doenjang (fermented soybean paste)
- Baechu kimchi (napa cabbage kimchi)
- Eomuk bokkeum (stir-fried fish cake): mild, savoury, with delightful bite
- Cucumber kimchi: savoury and moderately spicy, though less crunchy than expected.
- Kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi): firm crunch, savoury and moderately spicy, not as vibrant as we prefer.
- Hobak bokkeum (stir-fried zucchini): light, savoury, but not as crunchy or refreshing as we like.
Another weekday visit brought a refreshed selection of banchan, served clockwise from the top left:
- Gyeranjjim (steamed egg): topped with finely diced carrot, though slightly oversteamed and lacking the desired silky texture.
- Hobak bokkeum (stir-fried zucchini): light and savoury, though still short of the refreshing crunch that would elevate it.
- Cucumber kimchi: prepared as cylindrical pieces with carrot, offering greater freshness and crunch than the sliced version.
- Gochujun (pan-fried stuffed peppers): peppers filled with minced pork, tofu, and diced vegetables, boasting a crisp exterior, gentle sweetness, and only a trace of heat — deeply satisfying.
- Baechu kimchi (napa cabbage kimchi).
Main Dishes
Rice Seafood Pancake ($31.00)
Exceptionally crisp from edge to centre and on both sides, this pancake was generously packed with sizeable prawns (tender, with edible tails), tender calamari, shredded carrot and onion for sweetness, and minimal leek for balance. The restrained use of batter allowed the seafood to shine, and the higher price felt justified. The accompanying sandlance and onion sauce added gentle sweetness and umami depth, rounding out the dish.
Pork Trotters Set with Rice ($25.00)
Served warm, the jokbal was tender and well-seasoned, with a satisfying smoky char on the skin. The generous portion was accompanied by crisp white cabbage kimchi and lettuce, complemented by chogochujang — a sauce that unfolded from sweet to tangy to moderately spicy. A deeply satisfying and well-balanced dish.
Boiled Pork Set with Rice ($25.00)
The bossam was similarly tender, with a well-balanced fat-to-meat ratio and a subtle smokiness on the surface. The same chogochujang provided a dynamic sweet-tangy-spicy contrast, heightening the natural flavour of the pork and complementing the accompanying white cabbage kimchi. Another standout dish, equally worth revisiting.
Buckwheat Noodle with Boiled Pork Belly ($26.00)
Served cold, the buckwheat noodles had a pleasantly springy texture. The combination of perilla oil, seeds, and leaves introduced layered flavour and texture — nutty and earthy from the oil, herbaceous and lightly liquorice-like from the leaves, and crunchy from the seeds. The noodles themselves were excellent, though the accompanying bossam was drier and tougher than in the previous visit with the Boiled Pork Set.
Bulgogi with Cold Buckwheat Noodle Soup ($23.00)
The noodles were springy and pleasantly chewy, paired with thinly sliced pickled daikon that added tangy sweetness and crunch, complemented by cucumber for freshness. The addition of saeu-jeot (salted shrimp) and fermented soybean paste provided umami depth that could be adjusted to taste. The warm bulgogi contrasted the chilled noodles beautifully, offering tender slices of beef with a sweet-savoury nuttiness. A well-balanced and refreshing dish, ideal for warmer days.
Spicy Stir-Fried Squid ($25.00, served with rice)
An impressively generous portion, though the squid texture leaned spongy rather than tender. Even at a milder spice level, the heat was formidable. The dish featured a large quantity of onion and spring onion that added sweetness but overwhelmed the palate. Despite the generous portion, the texture issues and balance of flavours make it one we would not repurchase.
Spicy Stir-Fried POrk ($24.00, served with rice).
Again, the serving was generous. The spice level — even at standard intensity — was more restrained than expected, particularly compared to the squid. However, the pork was tough, and the overall flavour profile lacked depth beyond spice, compounded by an overabundance of onion that diluted the dish’s character.
2026
Side Dishes
On a weekend, the meal began with a selection of banchan, served clockwise from the top:
- Roasted seaweed and onion mayonnaise were provided as accompaniments for the pork ribs below, adding both saltiness and a creamy counterpoint.
- Hobak bokkeum (stir-fried zucchini) remained lightly seasoned and savoury, though still lacking the crispness that would give it more definition.
- Kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) retained a firm crunch with a moderate level of spice, though without the brightness seen in stronger versions.
- Gyeranjjim (steamed egg) was topped with finely diced carrot but more silky than previous.
- Potato salad carried a firm texture to the point of slight crunch, suggesting undercooking. The flavour remained creamy but less cohesive.
- Baechu kimchi (napa cabbage kimchi) continued as a stable component, offering a balanced, moderately spicy profile without excessive salinity.
- Saengseon-jeon introduced white fish fillets coated in egg and pan-fried. The fish itself was soft, while the egg coating contributed a savoury richness that read texturally closer to a fried egg than a typical battered fish.
Main Dishes
Gangnam Grilled Pork ($25.00, served with rice)
Served on a hot plate, the dish carried a pronounced wok hei, with pork belly slices developing a smoky, caramelised surface. The flavour moved between sweet and savoury, with chilli heat building gradually through each bite. The ratio of meat to onion was more controlled than earlier dishes, allowing the pork to remain the focal point.
Fried Pork Spare Ribs Set ($31.00, soy sauce flavour, served with rice, onion mayonnaise and roasted seaweed)
Also presented on a hot plate, the ribs arrived at high heat, with a thick, garlic-forward glaze that held its temperature. A light batter created surface area for the sauce, which read sticky and concentrated. The meat pulled from the bone with slight resistance, retaining chew rather than collapsing. Each serve included eight ribs over a base of tteokbokki, which were tender with lightly seared surfaces. Onion mayonnaise added a rounded, creamy element without excessive sharpness.
Park Bong Sook delivers an authentic and satisfying Korean dining experience marked by consistency, freshness, and attention to flavour balance. The seafood pancake, bossam, and cold noodle dishes stood out most strongly. Worth revisiting for those seeking traditional Korean fare executed with care.
Park Bong Sook Restaurant is located at 108 Rowe St, Eastwood NSW 2122.