MELBOURNE REVIEW
Restaurant Shik fills a gap for switched-on Korean.
Coriander can be controversial in Korea. Peter Jo mentions this while delivering a platter of glistening wagyu intercostals. The meat, marinated with soy, garlic, ginger and an intense dried-fish and mushroom stock, is buttery and assertive. It’s served with soy-pickled onions, perilla leaf, ssämjang, cos leaves for wrapping, and the coriander, shiny with a soy-vinegar dressing shot through with sesame oil, gochugaru and salted krill.
Many Koreans reject coriander as a non-traditional ingredient, says Jo, but he’s done his research and found historical precedents, so it gets the nod at his restaurant, Shik. And because its sharp, red-f lecked dressing works seamlessly with the rich, fatty beef, it’s a decision we can all be happy about.
This is the way Jo gets the job done. There’s a kind of freeform observation of tradition at his first permanent solo venture. It reflects a career that includes working in his family’s restaurants, a series of pop-ups under the alias Kimchi Pete, and stints at highcalibre Sydney eateries such as Momofuku Seiobo and Berta.
Jo is enthusiastic about traditional Korean technique, but he’s also a true believer in the cuisine’s ethos of focusing on what’s available locally.
His version of the Korean tartare yukhoe, for example, mixes roughly chopped Rangers Valley tri-tip with cubes of Korean pear and cucumber, sweet mayo and a scattering of crisp fried saltbush.
The banchan section of the menu includes familiar kimchi made from cabbage (though with a noticeable emphasis on ginger), as well as a three-part seasonal kimchi plate. Korean pickling techniques are applied to vegetables such as beetroot, pumpkin, fennel and Brussels sprouts, often to toecurlingly good effect. The greentomato jangajji has a soft acidic flavour and a firm, attractively chewy texture that will make it a favourite with pickle fans. Same goes for the perilla leaves cured in salt and doenjang, delicately floral and ideal for rolling around rice.
Firm-fleshed bonito replaces the more traditional blue mackerel in a spicy stew. The broth also contains hefty slices of braised radish and halved onions, while a flurry of chrysanthemum leaves adds a pleasant herbaceous note as they collapse into the broth.
Shik’s two rooms match the food’s classic-modern moves. Designed by Jo’s partner, architect Yina Yun, the dining space takes familiar Melbourne design features – timber floors, Edison globes,