09 Oct Koba, Melbourne CBD

Mexican and Korean cuisine are hot trends in Melbourne at the moment. What could go wrong by doing both? Well, a lot actually. Fusion food isn’t exactly perfect all the time, especially when the cuisines seem so different. Fortunately Koba has successfully melded street-food from both countries to create a unique menu for us to enjoy. Koba underwent a renovation and revamping of the menu not too long ago. More traditional Korean items like tokpokki, bibimbap and fried chicken feature alongside not-so-Korean items like korritos, tacos and corn dogs. It’s a small, funky place with limited seating: maybe five counter seats and two small tables for two inside, and walls decorated with graphics cleverly playing on the themes of well-known retro video games.

Pork Korrito – Kimchi Rice, Melted Cheese, Tomato Salsa, Zucchini, Carrot, Cabbage, Coleslaw, Mayo ($9,50) Kimchi Fries – Cheese, Kimchi Sauce, Onion Relish, Sour Cream ($7)

My pork korrito was filled with kimchi rice, kimchi, melted cheese, tomato salsa, zucchini, cooked cabbage, coleslaw and some sort of spicy mayo. It was filling but didn’t leave me feeling uncomfortably heavy because of the fresh and healthy ingredients contained within. Now on to the…less healthy kimchi fries: the crispy fries were topped with cheese, kimchi sauce, onion relish, sour cream and seasoning. Although I’d heard many good things about these, they were still better than I expected – I couldn’t help finishing every last bit in the basket.

Hardware Street is full of popular eateries and being almost directly opposite the venerable Hardware Societe, Koba faces some stiff competition. Despite this, Koba offers something quite different to the food scene and I think it holds its own.

Koba
119 Hardware Street
Melbourne, VIC, 3000
(03) 9973 8425
http://www.eatkoba.com/