88 Phocha - Strathfield

The seafood pancake here is pretty good. Particularly eggy but I felt that made it stand out. I’m kind of not a fan of ordering any sort of jeon (Korean pancakes) at restaurants because a tastier version can so easily be made at home, but the seafood one at 88 phocha was worth it. They hadn’t overcooked it, so it was crispy at the edges but soft in the middle. Perhaps they could have included a bit more chilli for more spice as I only came across two pieces. The sundubu jjigae (soft tofu stew) was standard, and at first taste I felt it was a little bland, however this could just be because it paled in comparison to the seafood pancake. It did get better and turned out to be seasoned well, without being particularly outstanding. Still, a great option to warm you up on a chilly Autumn evening and it certainly did get quite hot in the restaurant. I definitely should have known better with a name like 88 phocha that it would be a place more suited for drinking rather than your typical Korean restaurant with favourites like bibimbap, kimchi fried rice, japchae etc. Pocha (they’ve spelt it phocha for some reason) is short for pojangmacha, which are tented stalls on the streets of South Korea where people commonly go to drink. So naturally they had a menu full of anju type dishes (food which go hand in hand with alcohol). Not surprisingly every table had soju/beer/makgoli with their meal and there were red faced patrons talking and laughing loudly, which definitely kept the atmosphere alive and buzzing. A few general notes; service was actually really good and it was a pleasant surprise (because honestly… there are few Korean restaurants with good service). Customer base seems to be about 90% Korean with a completely Korean menu, but I later realised they do also have an English menu (uploaded on Zomato). Do not expect a wide array of side dishes, and if that’s the selling point of K-restaurants for you, it’s best to stay away. They give you a salad and edamame, which was nice, but probably not what you would typically expect.

The seafood pancake here is pretty good. Particularly eggy but I felt that made it stand out. I’m kind of not a fan of ordering any sort of jeon (Korean pancakes) at restaurants because a tastier version can so easily be made at home, but the seafood one at 88 phocha was worth it. They hadn’t overcooked it, so it was crispy at the edges but soft in the middle. Perhaps they could have included a bit more chilli for more spice as I only came across two pieces. The sundubu jjigae (soft tofu stew) was standard, and at first taste I felt it was a little bland, however this could just be because it paled in comparison to the seafood pancake. It did get better and turned out to be seasoned well, without being particularly outstanding. Still, a great option to warm you up on a chilly Autumn evening and it certainly did get quite hot in the restaurant. I definitely should have known better with a name like 88 phocha that it would be a place more suited for drinking... read more

I quite like it, it's conveniently located across the plaza car park entrance, food is pretty good in general, it's quite new and clean, very attentive staff, dishes are plated nicely. The only thing to criticize will be the lack of side dishes, the yummy traditional sides like kimchi, sweet soy lotus root .....it only had a tiny bowl of salad leaves and some Edamame, disappointing.

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I quite like it, it's conveniently located across the plaza car park entrance, food is pretty good in general, it's quite new and clean, very attentive staff, dishes are plated nicely. The only thing to criticize will be the lack of side dishes, the yummy traditional sides like kimchi, sweet soy lotus root .....it only had a tiny bowl of salad leaves and some Edamame, disappointing.