POPPO Korean & Japanese Restaurant

Popped in for a quick bite with my hubby — he’d been here before but it was my first time and it definitely won’t be my last! My meal of tempura prawns with rice, egg and onions was delicious. I was also in the mood for sushi so the spicy crab went down a treat. Such a perfect place for a quick, yummy and inexpensive lunch!

I had the sweet chicken which was basically fried chicken in sweet and spicy sauce. Was tasty although not amazing. The cold soba I was scared wouldn’t taste right but the flavour was on point and the soba noodles had the yummy aldente texture. Overall fairly happy with the price and quality of the food

Great spot for an authentic Korean fix. The Bibimbap was delicious and the seafood pancake was fresh and flavourful. The serving size was generous and the service was very friendly.
A great spot for a casual catch up with friends, a quick lunch in the city or a recovery spot for the hungover seeking comfort food. Friendly service, will definitely be back to try other dishes.

There were two things I requested when my parents asked where I wanted to have my birthday lunch. They were:
Not too expensive
Asian cuisine
They picked a bustling little restaurant called Poppo on Barrack Street. We had planned to walk in, but it looked like it was going to rain, so decided to drive in.
I hadn’t been to Poppo but Mum and Dad had and said they offered good lunch specials. They do have good (and cheap) lunch time specials — however we opted to order from the menu.
We started with an serving of mandu. They were a bit oily but were tasty. I really liked the chilli dipping sauce. I’m not sure what was inside — but it was good.
Our next dish is my favourite Korean dish, Japchae. Japchae usually has a strong sesame flavour, but Poppo’s version was more mushroom-​y. Fortunately, I love mushrooms.
Japchae noodles are made from sweet potatoes and are chewy and clear. When in a soup, I find them particularly difficult to pick up with the thin metal Korean chopsticks, however I had no problems on this particular day.
My Dad’s favourite dish is Beef Bulgogi. The beef was a little bit thicker than I’m used to but was succulent and the slices of stayed tender and juicy.
The sides that came with the Bulgogi were rice, soup, kimchee (spicy fermented cabbage), kongnamul (bean sprouts) and… macaroni. The rice, soup, kimchee and kongnamul are standard, however I’m not sure about the macaroni… I’ve certainly never had macaroni served in a Korean restaurant before. I didn’t try it, so cannot comment on the taste.
My Mum’s favourite Korean dish is Dolsot Bibimbap, which is a dish of rice, meat, vegetables and egg served in a hot stone bowl. Before you start eating, you stir in the red chilli sauce and mix the namul (vegetables), rice and meat together. Warning: the sauce does have a bit of a bite, so don’t be too enthusiastic when you stir through the sauce. I’d put a bit in and then add more if you can handle the heat. Bibimbap can be ordered in a normal bowl (and is usually cheaper), but I prefer it in the stone bowl. I like to eat the crunchy bits of rice that have stuck to the edge of the bowl… I’m not sure if you’re meant to do that, but I do (and I enjoy every last crunchy grain!).
I think my parents picked very well. The food was fresh and flavoursome and service was polite. I didn’t look at the menu very closely (and can’t find one online), but I think the dishes we ordered were about $ 15-​$ 18 each. Not the cheapest Korean restaurant around but certainly a good one.
Would I return?
For sure! I love Korean food and this was good food at a reasonable price.