Kim Restaurant, Potts Point – Closed

EDIT: CLOSED

So I was stumbling through Llankelly Place in Potts Point one blurry Friday night and happened to see a plate of sea urchin being delivered to a table and instantly knew that I HAD TO HAVE IT. I downed a plateful and stumbled away and then returned the following night with the boy to eat the rest of the menu at Kim Restaurant. Headed up by David Ralph (co-owner of Kakawa Chocolates and ex-Flying Fish) and Tae Kyu Lee (ex-Mr Wong and Ms Gs), Kim Restaurant is pumping out some seriously amazing Korean food.

We start with these Haemul Crisps ($4.50 each) which are bite sized pieces of DELICIOUS! The super light rice flour crisp holds a dollop of smoked cabbage puree, a scattering of fluffy dried pollock and the crowning glory, the uni (sea urchin) is draped ever so seductively on top. The flavour explosion from this salty sweet combo is just pure bliss!

Kim Restaurant occasionally has Spanner Crab Jang as a special if they can source the crabs from the markets but tonight we had the Scampi Jang ($20), soy marinated raw scampi which came with a bowl of rice topped with seaweed, scallions, sesame seeds and an egg yolk just begging to be stabbed. The scampi was so freaking fresh and sweet! I’m a bit sensitive to soy so found it was a touch on the salty side but it was perfectly balanced when the scampi was eaten with a mouthful of rice.

The Tang Tang Yukhoe ($14) is impressive in presentation and tastes every bit as awesome as it looks. There’s the layer of spicy beef tartare, diced nashi pear for some sweetness, surprise bonus of chopped octopus and an egg yolk waiting to be set free from its albumem prison. Mix everything together and place a scoop onto a sheet of salty seaweed and be prepared for your world to be rocked.

We receive a complimentary Galbi Naengmyun, the bowl held a chilled beef broth with slices of grilled pork, slippery buckwheat noodles, shredded cucumber and a perfectly boiled egg with a gooey egg yolk centre. It is the perfect dish for the warm and slightly humid evenings we’ve been having!

I absolutely adore mackerel so the Godeungeo ($14) is a must order for all you oily fish lovers out there 😛 The mackerel is cured and then grilled so the skin is blistered and crispy but the flesh is still beautifully moist. There’s a swipe of lemon sauce which kinda reminds me of lemon curd and a pile of pickled radish so thinly sliced they were almost translucent.

Last but not least is the TKFC ($18/6pieces), fried chicken wings coated in a rich bbq sauce that is lip smackingly tasty but holy crap it was damn spicy!

I couldn’t resist ordering dessert, especially one called Hodoogwaja ($12) which was a whole plate of piping hot mini waffles with walnut praline, creamy black sesame parfait, kiwi fruit, strawberries, basil seeds and a handful of caramel popcorn for some crunch.

We were pretty full but then the kitchen sent out their Rhubarb dessert on the house, tender stalks of rhubarb poached in maesil (Korean plum tea) lie on a bed of smooth Makkoli custard with crispy milk crackers.

Aaand some Kakawa chocolates to finish, the chilli, cocoa powder & dark chocolate sets the tastebuds a-tingle but it’s the almond praline, soy powder & milk chocolate that has me sneakily stealing Noods’ piece before I had finished eating my own 😛

I loved the outdoor seating, the casual vibe and super attentive service but above all else, the food was just bloody amazing! I’m definitely coming back from more uni and will have to stalk their socials so I can get my hands on that spanner crab jang!

Kim Restaurant
7/24-30 Springfield Avenue Via Llankelly Place
Potts Point

Trading Hours:
Mon – Sat: 5pm to 10pm