It’s 12:30, and I’m hungry. After a terribly bland morning at the office, I head down the road for some local cuisine. Meeting up with Popsy Doublegut, we argue over the venue. Having offered to pay for me, Popsy insists we head to the cheap and delicious Mukunghwa Korean restaurant on Glebe Point road, right near the University of Sydney. I hold out for a meal at Broadway’s fantastic upstairs Japanese, but after a look at the prices, Popsy’s gut does a double take. Mukunghwa it is.
Now, I’ve been here before. In fact, it has to be one of my all time favourites, because not only is the food great, but it’s an absurdly Glebe experience. Only in Glebe could you find jaunty Korean waitresses, dressed in that oh-so regular uniform of black and white striped knee high socks, black mini-skirt, black-vest, topped off with a French-navy issue shirt underneath, and a hairdo by Frank Lloyd Wright. After managing to garner her attention (it was quite hard, I had to pull myself away from those socks), we ordered our meal (two lunchboxes, mine with chilli octopus, and Doublegut’s with teriyaki beef, and of course, the ubiquitous extra helping of kimchee).
Waiting for our food, my casual jokes about dividing the restaurant a la the Korean peninsula fall on deaf ears, so I change the topic to music. In the background, I can hear the wonderful strains of the Lord of the Ring and Harry Potter sound tracks. Only in Glebe. Thank God the food arrives. We both get a miso soup (delicious) and the lunch box. Now, this is something unique to Mukunghwa, but I love it. You are provided literally with a lunch box, which has portions for your main (in my case the octopus), as well as rice, accompanying greens, dipping sauce, and some fruit for after the meal. The octopus is, as usual, fantastic. Spicy, without being overwhelming. The greens are somewhat squeaky, but I love them all the same, and the pea omelette (it sounds disgusting, but trust me, it’s great) is good, if somewhat lacking the usual amount of dipping sauce. The kimchee is hot, spicy, and crunchy, just how I like it. It’s like someone mixed sauerkraut with a bottle of chilli sauce.
Popsy Doublegut declares the meal passable. This is usually doublegutspeak for a fantastic meal, and as he’s cleaned off his entire plate well before me, I can only assume it’s the same this time. We ask for the bill (this place is really cheap, and fantastic value too), and I casually enquire of the waitresses (keeping one eye surreptitiously on her amazing socks) as to what kind of miso paste they use in the soup. She looks stunned, and proceeds to ask me what miso is. I look stunned. Popsy Doublegut looks embarrassed. We make our excuses, thank the jaunty Korean waitress, and leave. It may be unusual, but Mukunghwa has to be one of Glebe’s best kept secrets. It’s never full, I always leave satisfied, and as I waddle out the door, I can only think of helping Harry in his quest against Lord Voldemort…