BBQ Code, Glen Waverley

Gaz went out for a simple dinner with me but came home with a lighter than expected wallet tonight. What had happened was a typical scenario when the guy asks the girl what she would like to eat. The girl says, 'Whatever you like', only what it really means is 'Whatever strikes her fancy within the next 5 seconds'.

BBQ Code on Springvale Road, Glen Waverley is a new Korean restaurant in the area (which was why it caught my eye). Initially we went into the restaurant with the intention of ordering the usual Korean main dishes such as soondobu, and bulgogi with rice but found their main dish menu to be quite limited at the time. Instead, we ordered their pork BBQ set.

The set came with four types of marinated pork belly, most of which were indistinct from one another, and an unmarinated serve of pork belly for grilling. There were also side dishes, salad and a stew.

The restaurant's plus point is that it was fairly well ventilated so we did not smell too much after the BBQ session, and the staff was very attentive which meant that they helped us cook the meat rather than leaving us to overcook or undercook our food. Interestingly, all the staff on the floor that night were young Korean men.

We enjoyed our dining experience in this restaurant but the marinated pork belly each needs to have more distinct, punchy flavours. The taste of most of them were mild, and indistinguishable from one marinade to another.

What I liked was the balanced amount of meat and vegetables on the table. Unlike other barbeques where the ratio of the meat usually far outweighs the vegetable, Korean barbeque provides vegetable side dishes, vegetable for bbq and salad. Traditionally, lettuce would also be provided on the table for wrapping the cooked meat (not provided here).

Overall, BBQ Code provides a new Korean BBQ choice in the Glen Waverley restaurant scene.