Basement 407-409 Swanston St
Melbourne, VIC 3000
Melbourne, VIC 3000
Head down a set of dark stairs,
And
through a heavy wooden door,
You’ll
find Joomak, a restaurant so
beautiful that it made us do a double take.
I
confess I’ve been a little lazy recently. But can you really blame me after the
whirlwind of Malaysia and the hectic mess that was Christmas? All I’ve really
wanted to do, when I find the time, is to sit down and read a book, or maybe
put on some of the old episodes of the Simpsons. But then again, having been
going out less recently due to the holidays, maybe it makes sense that I’ve gotten
a bit slack without a bunch of blog posts clamouring to get written.
So
anyway, Joomak was one out of the handful of restaurants that are open over the
Christmas and New Years period. Having painstakingly found our way to number
407-409 on Swanston Street (it’s right opposite RMIT), we headed downstairs and
were greeted by what’s likely the most stunning restaurant interior we’ve ever
come across. Like an indoors night market, there were wooden booths lining a
narrow walkway, fairy lights draped from the eaves. It opened up at the back
into a more traditional and open space but who are we kidding, we both wanted
to sit in the booths. And thankfully there was a cosy little nook for two that
made us draw comparisons to Harry’s Cupboard Under the Stairs, or Compartment
On The Hogwarts Express.
Hidden
away in our little corner, we were undisturbed as we perused the menu
(accompanied by Chris doing his silly dance to the blaring K-pop) and drank
cool glasses of water flavoured with corn, aka what Chris dubbed as Plain Dorito Water. And when we
were ready, all we had to do was press the nifty little call button, and a
friendly waiter would be at our booth before our finger was off the button,
order pad in hand.
Mild Pan Fried Pork ($22) |
Having
read that the Mild Pan Fried Pork
($22) was what Popcorn and Toast always returns to Joomak for, I
couldn’t pass up ordering a plate for ourselves. It may not look like much to
start with; just a generic (though generous) plate of pork laced with onion
slivers, but it was actually pretty magical. The thin slices of pork, having been
marinated in a sweet yet salty sauce, caramelised into unabashedly fatty and
succulent goodness in the pan. We couldn’t stop shoving slice after slice into
our mouths, and thankfully there was more than enough to go around.
Spicy Pan Fried Squid ($19) |
Compared
to the marvellous pork, the Spicy Pan
Fried Squid ($19) fell a little short. We were warned that this dish
was very spicy, but after Chris asking for it to be toned down, it barely had a
tingle left to it – no fault of theirs though, we were the ones who asked for it
that way! The flavours were pretty forgettable, the sauce being a thick, spicy
soy that coated the tender yet slightly crunchy pieces of octopus. It’s not
that this dish wasn’t good, but compared to thin slices of juicy pork, ribboned
with fat, nothing can really measure up.
Every
now and then, we visit a place that’s a lot more than the sum of their parts,
and Joomak is definitely one of them. We both agreed that the food was good but
not fabulous, the loud pop music was amusing bordering on annoying, and the
prices were cheap – enough. But somehow, hidden in a cosy little booth and
munching down these homely dishes with mouthfuls of rice and plenty of kimchi
(crunchy and sour, the way I like it), Joomak managed to become one of the most
enjoyable meals we remember having.
Rating: 14.5/20 – magical fairy
lights.
Quel régal pour les yeux !
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