CJ Lunch Bar

I had been looking forward to doing a review of CJ Lunch Bar after having dinner there last Friday so instead of a typical weekday home cooked meal, I decided to take Edwin for dinner.

CJ Lunch Bar is definitely the place to go if you are searching for cheap eats other than sushi rolls or Chinese a la cartes. Far from the fancy, pretentious, posh place in town which serves authentic Korean cuisine, CJ Lunch Bar strips everything down to basics. Good old beef on a hot plate, some kimchi and cold bean sprouts on the side, all for under 20 bucks per person.

Be warned though, the lunch bar is very hard to find if you do not know the way around Melbourne too well. I would never have found this place if not for Keith's friends who took Keith who took me there.

For today, we ordered the beef bulgogi.

Good old beef.

There is something special about the beef bulgogi here but I have a hard time placing my finger on what exactly is. The beef is thoroughly cooked but still tender, nicely flavoured with sauce, not too salty, and certainly did not overpower the natural flavour of the beef. The caramelised onion definitely worked magic by adding a little sweetness to the dish. Although the beef they use are not high quality cuts, for 15 bucks including a rice and sides, no one would complain. Definitely a winner in my book.

Chicken cheese bulgogi.

I can imagine purists screaming their heads off at the thought of covering bulgogi with cheese but CJ Lunchbar took the leap and created what most would agree its magnum opus.

The first time I went there for dinner I thought that the strips of cheese were shredded pickled cabbage or something typical of Korea. However, when I saw those bright yellow strips of cheddar melt, my heart melted too and I swore to return for this dish.

It was not as good as I imagined it to be. The cheese lacked flavour but definitely gave the spicy chicken dish an interesting texture. The chicken itself was boldly flavoured with a spicy red sauce which was rather pungent. For me, the chicken were too finely diced that it did not feel like I was eating chicken, it felt more like a chunky stew except with cheese. This is just me being fastidious and trying to sound like a snobby connoisseur. For a simple meal and its value, this $16.50 dish is magnificent.

Not authentic but definitely fantastic.

The verdict? I preferred the beef bulgogi while Edwin favoured the chicken cheese bulgogi. However, we both agreed that the meal was definitely worth more than the amount we paid and that we were definitely going back.

Shp 2, 391 Little Lonsdale St corner of Hardware Lane

Melbourne, VIC 3000, 
Australia.