On a sunny Friday, my daughter and I were wandering around downtown Melbourne running errands. My daughter checked Google for halal food we could have for lunch. At that time we were in Melbourne Central. It turned out that there is a halal Korean restaurant not far from us, at Emporium – we headed there quickly because we were hungry. Also, I thought it might be good to review – “while diving drink water” as the old Indonesian saying goes. This restaurant looks spacious even though it’s not too big, and I don’t know why but in the middle of the room there is a buffet-like structure with a sign saying “next stop banchan“; unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to ask about that 🤔. We ordered the ‘toppoki’ (or spicy rice and fish cakes) and Korean fried chicken which was delicious; I also wanted to try Korean ramen and we asked about the broth used. The staff said there was nothing no pork in the ramen dish we chose. We also saw halal certifications on the wall. I loved their toppoki and fried chicken. Unfortunately they don’t offer coffee so we went elsewhere for our post meal lattes. The service is quite friendly and fast – one thing that is lacking is the tissues or serviettes they provide which are very small and thin. Enjoy.

Jum’at yang cerah ini aku bersama anakku jalan-jalan dipusat kota Melbourne untuk mencari sesuatu yang kami butuhkan. Anakku melihat-lihat di Google ada makanan halal apa yang bisa kami makan siang ini. Saat itu kami sedang berada di Melbourne Central. Ternyata ada restauran Korea yang halal tak jauh dari kami berada tepatnya di Emporium. Bergegaslah kami kesana karena memang kami sedang lapar. Dan juga aku fikir ini bagus untuk di review. Lumayan “sambil menyelam minum air” kata pepatah lama. Resto ini kelihatan luas walau tidak besar, dan aku tidak tahu untuk apa ditengah ruangan ada tempat seperti untuk buffet yang bertuliskan “next stop banchan“ sayangnya aku tidak punya kesempatan untuk menanyakan itu. Kami memesan lontong pedas Korea ‘toppoki’ dan ayam goreng Korea yang enak; aku hendak mencoba ramen Korea dan kami menanyakan sup yang mereka gunakan, mereka bilang tidak ada babi di ramen-nya. Saat itu kami melihat tanda “halal certified” di pasang didinding. Aku suka spicy rice cake dan ayam goreng mereka. Sayangnya mereka tidak menyediakan kopi sehingga kami harus beli kopi ditempat lain. Pelayanan cukup ramah dan cepat – satu saja yang kurang, menurutku tissue yang mereka berikan untuk pembeli sangat kecil dan tipis. Selamat mencoba.

Details

Guljak Toppoki Chicken, 287 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday 11am – 7pm

Tuesday 11am – 6pm

Thursday, Friday 11am – 9pm

Halal certification on premises and stated on social media accounts; diner discretion advised as alcohol sold and ham used in some dishes