Oriental.K brings a delicious and unique blend of Korean and Japanese tastes to the multicultural melting pot of Pakington Street.
Korean couple Kate Park and Jungmin Seo opened the restaurant in December after a decade creating cuisine in Melbourne.
“In Melbourne there are a lot of Korean restaurants and it’s very popular,” Kate says.
“I think in Geelong it will be the same.”
Oriental.K’s food is as authentic as it gets, Kate says.
Her husband and head chef Jungmin had a restaurant in Seoul where he specialised in traditional Japanese katsu.
He knows how to cook juicy, tender, crumbed pork fillets to perfection, says Kate, who worked as a chef in a Japanese restaurant.
“Customers try Min’s katsu and they never stop.”
The restaurant also sells traditional Korean meals like bibimbap and bossam (slow cooked pork belly), and favourites like fried chicken.
Dishes can be modified to suit customer tastes, with vegetarian options as well.
Oriental.K’s tapas-style menu is perfect for locals unfamiliar with the delicious flavours of Korea.
“When customers come they can share our tapas menu and then they can work out what they like,” Kate says.
Kate and Jungmin moved to Geelong West with their three daughters after 10 years in Melbourne.
“My friend in Geelong said it’s a very nice place to live,” Kate says.
“I like meeting people here.“
