This is Charim, a Korean restaurant in West Ryde known for “K-style” comfort food.
The accompanying banchan included seaweed, ojingeochae-muchim, kkakdugi, baechu kimchi, and jang-ajji.
The seaweed delivered a crunchy texture with sesame richness and a light mirin-like sweetness. Ojingeochae-muchim combined a chewy texture with savoury sweetness and moderate chilli heat. Kkakdugi retained a firm crunch with balanced spice, while the baechu kimchi tasted fresh and crisp without excessive salinity. Jang-ajji contributed a sharper salty-sweet-sour profile that worked well against the richer dishes.
Hot Stone Pot Rice ($7.00) — steamed rice cooked in a heated metal bowl to develop scorched rice at the base.
Upon arrival, staff transferred the steamed rice into a separate bowl before pouring roasted brown rice tea over the scorched rice remaining in the pot. After resting, the rice softened into a comforting porridge-like texture with warm roasted grain notes. The roasted tea gave the dish an aromatic quality, though the overall flavour remained relatively light. A more savoury broth, similar to the dashi used in ochazuke, would have provided greater depth and complexity.
Stone Pot Spicy Pork & Kimchi Bibimbap ($25.00) — steamed rice topped with spicy pork, kimchi, shredded carrot, bean sprouts, zucchini, and fried egg.
Initial contact delivered a well-seasoned savoury profile with moderate spice and balanced sweetness from the pork and kimchi. The vegetables contributed freshness and variation in texture, while the egg softened the stronger chilli notes. Despite arriving actively sizzling, the rice retained too much moisture to properly crisp or scorch along the base of the pot. While this limited the textural contrast expected from stone pot bibimbap, the bowl still functioned cohesively with balanced flavours and varied textures throughout.
Whelk Soup ($25.00) — fifteen in-shell whelks served in a clear crustacean broth with leeks and red and green chilli.
The presentation was visually striking, though removing the whelks from their shells was labour-intensive. The quantity was generous, though several pieces retained a sandy grit. Otherwise, the whelks tasted fresh with a firm chew. The broth carried noticeable chilli heat without becoming heavily seasoned, allowing the crustacean sweetness and the softer sweetness of the leeks to remain clear. Once the whelks were removed from their shells, the soup paired particularly well with rice.
Overall, the food at Charim was comforting and generally well executed, though some dishes lack the sharper technical details needed to justify the higher pricing. Service is acceptable but distant, which feels slightly at odds with the price point and style of food.
Charim is located at 1006 Victoria Rd, West Ryde NSW 2114.