Moon Park, Redfern

Having recently been crowned with one hat in the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Food Guide, what better time to try out this modern Korean joint than Father's Day with my parents. First step was finding the entrance, which is not easy as there's no clear signage apart from a printed menu by the front door. The fit out is sparse and minimalistic, but does its job. There a $65 banquet menu but we decided to go with the a la carte option.

For entrees, we started with the sea urchin and black garlic on seed biscuit. Sea urchin is an acquired taste. I love the gooey, melt-in-your-mouth texture of sea urchin. The sesame crisp complement the strong sea urchin taste and is offset by a yummy black bean type sauce.  

Sea urchin and black garlic on seed biscuit $6 each

Next was the smoked eel with puffed wild rice on shiso leaf. The puffed rice looked like little caterpillars on a leaf! This reminded me of the betal leafs from Longrain. The eel was the highlight - it had a touch of smokey flavour and had quite a meaty flesh. The chilli sauce gave it just the right amount of kick. 

Ssambap: yangnyeom. Smoked eel, puffed wild rice on shiso leaf. $6 each

The dishes at Moon Park were wonderfully presented, none more so than the confit trout with pickled carrot and kimchi. It was almost too pretty to eat. Kimchi can sometimes be overpowering but it was beautifully balanced within this dish. 

Confit rainbow trout, chogochujiang, pickled carrot and kimchi $18

Can't go to a Korean restaurant without having the bimbimbap. This was not your standard bimbimbap though - with oxtail and walnuts as its main ingredients. It was not served in a traditional stone bowl so didn't have those crusty bits which I love. The servings of this dish was a bit small for three people. However, what was served was really tasty. All the ingredients worked well together and the ox tail was very tender.

Bibimbap: oxtail and namul, rice, walnuts, kohl rabi and cured egg yolk. $26

I ordered the Dotorimuk because it sounded like an interesting combination: mushroom, tofu, acorn jelly and fried Brussels sprouts. The textures worked well together but it lacked the punchy flavours in their other dishes. 

Dotorimuk: mushroom, acorn jelly, tofu and Brussels sprouts $17

Our last main was the Wessex pork belly with diamond claims. The pork belly slices were generous in size and well cookd. Clams were a bit salty as it had soaked up all the sauce. Would have loved some extra bibimbap to go with this!

Samgyeopsal: Wessex pork belly, cabbage, doenjang, corn and diamond clams $33

For dessert, we scanned the tables around us and opted for the most popular option - the Moon pie, Moon Park's take on its American namesake. This was a much more gourmet version with prunes, ginger jelly and white chocolate pudding. Again, it looked like art on a plate. I loved the texture of the soft, pillow-y marshmallows but it was a bit too sweet for me - the ginger jelly was refreshing and provided a hit of spice. 

Moon pie: prune, maesil marshmallow, ginger jelly and white chocolate pudding $14

Overall, it was a great introduction to modern Korean food. Don't come expecting your typical Korean fare. Instead, be entertained with unusual flavour combinations in beautifully presented dishes.