It’s been a while since I’ve been on a lunch sized adventure. For the most part I bring my lunch to work but if I do buy, it’s likely to be from one of the nearby cafes or the supermarket. On a scorchingly hot day I had to head up to Chinatown in my lunch hour to buy some ingredients. After pfaffing around in the supermarket, I thought a quick bite up that end of town might make a nice change. Many restaurants in Chinatown have a lunch time special as it’s very quiet during the day and I do like a bargain.
Chingu Korean & Japanese Table BBQ fit the bill, offering a range of lunches for around $12 each. I’ve talked before about these curious Japanese/Korean fusion restaurants but, they seem to work. After I sat down I noticed a very big table enjoying a work lunch. When the waiter came to take my order, he said it would be ‘some time’ due to the big table. I asked him how long as I really didn’t have time for the more than dozen people to be served. He enquired with the kitchen and they said they would make my meal first. That’s service!
I have been to Chingu previously with friends and enjoyed a similar lunch special of Bibimbap (a type of rice and meat bowl) so on this occasion I ordered the Spicy Pork Bento Box. It arrived at my table within a very short time. Talk about value. A generous portion of finely sliced pork and onion served in a spicy gochujang sauce was accompanied by rice, salad, a variety of steamed and fried dumplings, a piece of sushi and endamame beans.
The pork was indeed spicy but I kept coming back for more and the bottle of iced water delivered with my meal helped to cool my brow. Whilst I had not actually seen a picture of what I was ordering, for $12 I had expected a much smaller dish. In what is a very rare occurrence for me, I could not finish my meal. Not long after my own meal was served the large table of revellers also received their meals so they are obviously organised in the kitchen and take large groups in their stride.
If you are out and about in Chinatown or the Brunswick St Mall, you can do much worse that popping into Chingu for a generous lunch and good service.
Chingu Korean & Japanese BBQ
31 Duncan St (Chinatown Mall)
Fortitude Valley Qld 4006
This looks like a bargain. How nice of them to serve you first.
I read on a review site that the service wasn’t that great but I thought they were very good.
Good to know! I love a good lunch too, it’s one of the few things I miss working in an office (by which I mean an office that’s not in my house…).
It was excellent value Mel. Maybe you’ll be in Chinatown one day.
Hi Fiona, just stopped by to let you know you’ve been featured today over at Carole’s Chatter. Cheers
Thanks so much Carole!
Sounds like really good value for your money Fiona 🙂
That spicy pork looks amazing, I will definitely be popping in for an easy dinner! Thanks for the great review Fiona.