Wagyu House

Ten minutes outside the Inner West, a circus tent of lighting alerts you to this Korean mecca of meat. Pull your vehicle directly into what appears to be the centre of the restaurant; get met immediately by a smiling waiter. First timers are directed into one half of the restaurant – ‘The Butcher’ – which also owns two NSW wagyu farms. They deal in whole carcasses, slicing, diced and skewering them into an extensive, white-plate selection, ranging from mixed to marinated meats, vegetables and seafood. Spoiled for choice, we eventually lean towards marination: Chilli Seafood Sticks ($10/3), Angus Short Rib ($25) and Pork Belly Chilli ($20.64/259g) while bemoaning not bringing more friends! We pay, and they’re loaded into a shopping basket with a unique array of beverages – Baek Se Joo ($22/300ml) mellow Korean ginger and ginseng fermented rice wine, Asabiraki Sake ($35/300ml) and budget-friendly Korean Hite Beer ($7). By the time we’ve walked across the car park, our table is brimming with twelve different banchan – small vegetable sides – from kimchi to pickled cucumber and daikon, bean sprouts with sesame, and ultra-sweet carrot and potato hunks. There’s also a cabbage-based Korean coleslaw, two dipping sauces and lettuce leaves for wrapping your mouth-wateringly good self-barbequed charcoaled selections. Be warned: it’s joyous but very messy.

Wagyu House
668-670 Parramatta Road, Croydon
Ph: (02) 9797 9999
Korean $$