stra pocha, strathfield

Stra pocha is a popular Korean restaurant situated on the 'other' side of Koreatown (Strathfield), away from where all the froyo business happens, famous for their insanely spicy fire chicken. (And when I say spicy fire I mean like a warning level of three chillis, your whole mouth burns as if there are a hundred ulcers in there, no amount of dairy can save you and a sore throat for the next few days sort of spicy).

But anyway, the best thing about Korean dishes are the made-to-share serving sizes and since there's a lot DIY action going on at the table, it's a feast worthy cuisine best enjoyed with bigger parties.

From the moment you sit down, the deluge of banchan (side dishes) will send you all sorts of happiness as you nibble on these on an empty stomach. My favourites here would have to be the deep fried sweet potato drizzled with syrup and the glazed baby potatoes

Gamja Tang - Small ($32.00):
Spicy pork and potato soup cooked at your table. 

This version of pork bone soup is mildly spicy with decent servings of pork bones, meat, potatoes and starch noodles. The soup is actually really thin and light but if you let it simmer for a bit, it thickens and there's more depth in the soy bean paste flavour. Surprisingly, the tender hunks of meat that are just falling off the bone are not the true stars of this stew. It's the potato - the precisely sized and perfectly cooked potatoes cruises the bottom of the pot and as the stew bubbles away, the potato slowly soaks up all the lush flavours of the soup.

Spicy Rice Cake Hot Pot ($25.00):
Spicy rice cakes with fish cakes, veges, ramen and egg.

I can never resist ordering spicy rice cakes at any Korean restaurant. There's just something addictive about these chewy and soft rice cakes that are drenched in a hideous sweet and spicy sauce with fish cakes, veges and instant noodles. I could probably have this as a late night snack, mid afternoon snack, for dinner, lunch or pretty much anytime of the day.

Spicy Baby Octopus ($30.00):
Pan-fried spicy baby octopus.

This baby octopus dish is a must order for me every time I come here. It's unbelievably consistently fresh, succulent and bursting with flavour.

Fried Chicken with Melted Cheese on Hot Plate ($35.00):

As we flipped to the fried chicken page on the menu, the memories of being destroyed by the chilli chicken resurfaced so we made sure to stay clear of that option and went with the the fried chicken with melted cheese. If you decide to order this, make sure to play with all that #cheeseporn-worthy stringy cheese while it's still hot. The chicken itself is moist and crisp and at the end, under all that chicken and cheese, you'll find a slice of bread, soaked with oils and strong chicken flavour, which you can enjoy with the remaining cheese.

So if you're looking for a good Korean feed closer to home, Stra Pocha is worth trying out!

Stra Pocha
19-21 Everton Rd
Strathfield NSW 2135
t: (02) 9745 5959