Kong BBQ

599 Church St, Richmond 3121

Date visited: 16th August 2014

Kong BBQ was brought to my attention a few weeks ago by MerlinFan.  Only, she told me it was a restaurant that served bananas (aka King Kong gorilla feed) @_@  Lame!!!  In actual fact, Kong is a fusion of Korean, Japanese and American barbeque flavours from the creators of Chin Chin and lead by chef Ben Cooper.  We were craving something salty and Asian, so off we headed to Kong BBQ this Saturday.

It was just past 1pm and I was worried it would be a long wait, but was pleasantly surprised when we were shown to seats straight away at the end of a long communal table.  There were plenty of bar seats, a number of four person tables and a long communal table.  The atmosphere was just buzzing - the din from neighbouring conversations bouncing off the walls, the blaring music overhead.  The interior was very Melbourne warehouse, with brick walls, exposed ceilings and hanging tube lights.

Similar to Chin Chin, the menu is on the paper place mat on your table and most of the dishes are made for sharing.  They had small plates that ranged from kimchi to beef tartare, roti rolls, natural fire BBQ, buns, rice, noodles and greens.  There were so many delectable sounding options it was difficult to choose only a few.  BTW, off topic, but we also saw Ben Cooper >=D

We started off with some roti.  I didn't expect the roll to have four pieces each so we ordered two.  The first MerlinFan chose was the Pulled pork with slaw, kimchi and burnt chilli mayo.  The roti was light, delicately thin and crisp at the corners.  I was never the hugest fan of kimchi, and the pork was tucked away on one corner of the roll so most of it felt like eating a roll of spicy and sour fermented vegetables.  It was okay, not my favourite dish of the day.

Pulled pork roti $12

I chose the Teriyaki roast Ora King Salmon with wok fried broccoli and tomato.  This I liked much more - enjoyed the sweet teriyaki sauce and the nicely cooked salmon.

Teriyaki salmon roti $12

We tried their Korean fried wings with honey, garlic and sesame.  The wings were juicy, the skin crispy and crunchy, coated with a sauce that was sticky and indulgently, insanely sweet.  Perfectly fried wings, although a tad too OTT with the flavouring.

Korean fried wings $12

Lastly we had the BBQ baby pork ribs with soy and sesame.  You could get a half serve for $22 or a full for $36.  Now, these ribs were amazing!  Deliciously succulent meat with charry corners and sweet caramelised bits on top.  The sauce was awesome too - couldn't stop rubbing my ribs into the pool of dark sticky sauce at the bottom of the platter.  Sigh of contentment.

BBQ baby back pork ribs with soy & sesame $36 (full)

We were full already after our carnivorous meal, but we couldn't resist getting a dessert to share.  We chose the Apple and walnut tart with miso butterscotch and Japanese whiskey ice cream.  At this stage we were requested to move tables as the large communal table was required to accommodate a big group but that was okay - staff were polite and incredibly gracious about it.

Apple walnut tart $13

I was intrigued by the promise of miso butterscotch, however I didn't detect much miso flavour at all.  Not like it mattered much, because this dessert was absolutely fantastic.  A silky ball of ice cream with Japanese whiskey ripple (yes, you can taste it) melting upon a warmed, delicately thin crusted tart with soft apples and crunchy walnuts - hell yes!

MerlinFan and I were in and out in 90 minutes (I was watching the time because of my two hour park - such a pain!) which I was very happy with.  Staff were friendly and efficient, and those ribs were everything ribs should be.  Loved that dessert too.  Kong BBQ is overall very similar to Chin Chin, with big punchy Asian inspired flavours but I think I have to say I enjoyed Kong much much more.  Would love to return and try their other dishes.




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