52 GOURMET TRAVELLER
Restaurant Shik ills a gap in
Melbourne for smart, switched-on
Korean, writesMICHAEL HARDEN.
Kimchi
calling
C
oriander can be
controversial in Korea.
Peter Jo mentions this
while delivering a platter
of glistening wagyu intercostals. The
meat, marinated with soy, garlic,
ginger and an intense dried-fish and
mushroom stock, is buttery and
assertive. It’s served with soy-pickled
onions, perilla leaf, ssämjang,
cos leaves for wrapping, and the
coriander, shiny with a soy-vinegar
dressing shot through with sesame
oil, gochugaru and salted krill.Many Koreans reject coriander
as a non-traditional ingredient,
says Jo, but he’s done his research
and found historical precedents,
so it gets the nod at his restaurant,
Shik. And because its sharp,
red-flecked dressing works
seamlessly with the rich, fatty
beef, it’s a decision we can all
be happy about.
This is the way Jo gets the job
done. There’s a kind of freeform
observation of tradition at his
first permanent solo venture.
It reflects a career that includes
working in his family’s restaurants,
a series of pop-ups under the alias
Kimchi Pete, and stints at high-
calibre Sydney eateries such as
Momofuku Seiobo and Berta.
Jo is enthusiastic about traditional
Korean technique, but he’s also
a true believer in the cuisine’s
ethos of focusing on what’s
available locally.
His version of the Korean
tartare yukhoe, for example, mixes
roughly chopped Rangers Valley
tri-tip with cubes of Korean pear
and cucumber, sweet mayo and a
scattering of crisp fried saltbush.Above from
left: owner Peter
Jo (left) with
sommelier Josh
Begbie; pigskin
terrine with garlic
chives; wagyu
intercostal
with kimchi and
pickled vegetable
sides; the
restaurant’s
bar; raw
snapper with
Korean herbs
and gochujang.The banchan section of the
menu includes familiar kimchi
made from cabbage (though with
a noticeable emphasis on ginger), as
well as a three-part seasonal kimchi
plate. Korean pickling techniques
are applied to vegetables such as
beetroot, pumpkin, fennel and
Brussels sprouts, often to toe-
curlingly good effect. The green-
tomato jangajji has a soft acidic
flavour and a firm, attractively
chewy texture that will make it
a favourite with pickle fans. Same
goes for the perilla leaves cured in
salt and doenjang, delicately floral
and ideal for rolling around rice.
Firm-fleshed bonito replaces
the more traditional blue mackerel
in a spicy stew. The broth also
contains hefty slices of braised
radish and halved onions, while
a flurry of chrysanthemum leaves
adds a pleasant herbaceous note
as they collapse into the broth.
Shik’s two rooms match the
food’s classic-modern moves.
Designed by Jo’s partner, architect
Yina Yun, the dining space takes
familiar Melbourne design features- timber floors, Edison globes,