The Cremorne restaurant, by a husband-and-wife duo, is all about understated Korean cuisine.
Quincy Malesovas
Sogumm, owned by Changhoon “Kimi” Kim and his wife Suhyun “Su” Kim (Gimlet, Hazel) is part of an emerging subset of Melbourne venues – including Chae and Ondo – that focus on the more understated strands of Korean cooking.
Vegetarian bibimbap is Kimi’s signature. Rice is seasoned with doenjang and topped with spinach, bean shoots, zucchini, mushrooms and a Korean mountain herb called chwinamul. Wagyu bibimbap is made with yukhoe, a raw beef dish similar to tartare, and seasoned with ganjang.
Gomtang, a clear beef broth, is the sort of dish you’d love to eat when you’re sick. With thinly sliced brisket, shin shank and beef tendon served over a mound of rice, it’s a study in restraint, seasoned only with salt. The spicy cold noodle dish bibim guksu spotlights gochujang as a punchy contrast to abalone and calamari.
Potato kimchi jeon, a flour-free pancake bound with shredded potato, and slow-baked Jerusalem artichoke skewers glazed in doenjang hint at the future dinner offering – but for now, service is lunch only while the couple awaits a liquor licence. Until then, sip on house-made sikhye, a naturally sweet and milky rice punch, and yuja ade, a sparkling spin on medicinal Korean tea made with yuzu, apple cider vinegar and ginger.
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