Darac Grill and Bar

51 A'Beckett Street
Melbourne, VIC 3000

There’s nothing like finding a hidden gem and calling it your own. Except as lovely and elusive as Darac Grill and Bar is, I unfortunately wasn’t the one to discover it. Rather, it was Winston’s rave review on it that prompted me to give it a go when a Korean craving inevitably hit.

Today (today being September 21^st; this backlog of written but unpublished posts is getting a bit out of hand) is a good day. I finally finished my 3 weeks (3 weeks!) of unpaid (UNPAID!!) placements, and I was looking forward to having a hearty meal and then going home to sleep for a week. The first impressions of Darac were certainly promising; the warmth and good smells hit us like a train as we walked in, leaving us to peel off our coats and jumpers as we inhaled lungful after lungful of delicious air.

The atmosphere of Darac was absolutely gorgeous. The chocolaty timber and exposed brick whisked us away from Melbourne in a matter of seconds. Knick knacks cluttered the room (and walls and ceilings and light fixtures) in a very Melbourne-hipster sort of way, but instead of feeling pretentious, it was all warmth and welcome. It gives that indescribably good feeling of being somewhere cosy and safe whilst a storm rages outside. 

Cheese Kimchi Sausage Stew ($28)

Cheese Kimchi Sausage Stew ($28)

Most people had a pot of stew bubbling away on their table, and who are we to argue with the masses? Throwing caution to the wind, we ordered a medium sized pot of Cheese Kimchi Sausage Stew ($28) with a ‘oh, what the hell’ at the ingredient list that surely, surely wouldn’t work.  And why yes, that is three types of spam, two types of cheese, and a handful of macaroni that you see.

Cheese Kimchi Sausage Stew ($28)

The stew was cooked in a matter of minutes, turning a bright ferocious red after the kimchi paste at the bottom was stirred up and mixed in. And you know what? Kimchi and cheese may sound like a nightmare on paper but it’s actually genius in a stew! The cheese added a subtle creaminess to the sour and spicy flavours of the kimchi paste, rising in a crescendo as we ate, finally culminating in a thick layer of cheese glued to the bottom of the pot. It was the perfect amount of food for the two of us with a serve of Rice ($2), but it was a shame that we didn’t have room to try the seafood pancake; I’ve heard that it’s fluffy and stuffed with seafood – next time!

Neither of us would count ourselves as being the biggest fans of Korean food, but we both loved Darac. The menu offered plenty of choice without being overwhelming, and the food was generous in portion size and of excellent quality. It’s loud, it’s cosy, it’s friendly and it’s just as good for a romantic date as it is for a rowdy night out with a group of friends. Yay versatility.

Rating: 14/20 – kimchi and cheese.