This is Gogi Wang, a Korean restaurant specialising in homestyle dishes and barbecue-style accompaniments, located in Eastwood.

Side Dishes (clockwise from centre):

• The watermelon cubes were lightly soaked in lemonade, giving a gentle sweetness with a faint lemon note.
• The pork meatballs were served cold but were well seasoned, savoury rather than spicy.
• The peppers carried a mild heat and sour vinegar tang, firm rather than crunchy.
• The pickled onions delivered a rich, savoury, almost oceanic depth.
• The fish cake had a pronounced fish flavour.
• The kimchi showed a fruity, almost floral quality alongside moderate heat and fresh crunch.
• The tofu was mild on its own but lifted significantly by the seaweed garnish.

Raw Beef Bibimbap ($21.90)

The bibimbap was built on well-cooked short-grain rice, with fresh, tender raw beef and plenty of textural contrast from minced pickled daikon, bean sprouts, carrot and seaweed. There was a generous amount of lettuce, which felt more like filler and disrupted cohesion due to its size, despite being crisp and fresh. Additional mushrooms would have improved umami depth. A competent version, though stronger examples exist elsewhere.

Stir Fried Pork ($21.90)

Served with tofu soup, lettuce wraps, doenjang and rice. The stir-fried pork was noticeably less spicy than similar dishes elsewhere, with a lower onion-to-pork ratio that worked in its favour. The tofu soup was gently spiced rather than hot, with a good amount of mushrooms contributing savouriness. The lettuce wraps were fresh and crisp, pairing well with the fermented soybean paste.

Overall, the food leaned towards milder heat while remaining flavourful, with fresh ingredients and a balanced, approachable style.

Gogi Wang is located at 13 Railway Parade, Eastwood NSW 2122.