Bibim, to mix – Darlinghurst
I walked past this little place about 60 times before going in for lunch. It’s unassuming, shiny on the outside, and on William Street, the butt-hole of this city. But yesterday I did wander into Bibim, to mix on a lunch break and was so surprised by the food that i’m going back tonight for dinner. And potentially again tomorrow. AND EVERY DAY AFTER THAT.
BIBIMBAP-BOOM.
Korean eats set off a tiny fizzle of sparks in the past year and showed potential to seriously hit the mark of a major food trend, but then tacos descended, and Seoul food was left behind in the dust a little. But little Bibim, to mix stuck around, and while off to a slow start (from what I could see in my walks past), it has lately been picking up the pace. They’ve got tables outside (something which Miss Chu battled with the council over for about a year) AND they now have a liquor licence, which means you can order a glass of Soju, a distilled rice liquor, with your bibimbap or haemul-jo – a prawn, calamari, garlic chive and onion pancake with vinegar dipping sauce.
For those who need a little brush up on what exactly a bibimbap is, the word literally means “mixed rice” in Korean. It’s a bowl of steamed rice topped with sliced and sautéed meat (beef, chicken or pork), tofu or kimchi tuna, with julienned carrots, daikon, cucumber, mushrooms, spinach and zucchini, topped off with a fried egg and a large pot of hot sauce, which all mixed with your chopsticks equals a tasty, tasty dish, for only $12.50. And, if you order the dolsot version, your bibimbap will be served in a super-hot stone bowl, in which the rice is crisped up and turned a crunchy golden brown (the dolsot is the way to go). Sides of tofu, spicy pickles and and egg roll would also be an ace decision. The ingredients are fresh and the flavours are spicy and pungent, but in a good way.
Do you Bibim, to mix? Well, you will now.
Bibim, to mix
169 William St, Darlinghurst
(02) 8095 9830