Authentic Korean Stew at Masizzim Restaurant at The Glen
Masizzim has landed in Australia with its reputation for delicious authentic Korean stew, opening at the stunning The Glen. The World Loves Melbourne was invited to experience the best of Korean cuisine and to be enlightened to what Korean food can be. Masizzim has a strong reputation overseas and we were keen to try something new and unique in Melbourne. The location of the restaurant is excellent with a touch of class in the restaurant district of The Glen.
Masizzim is showing Australians that there’s so much more to Korean food than just BBQ and fried chicken with its first Australian restaurant, which brings signature home style meat stews, ribs and rice balls to The Glen’s new dining precinct.
First things first, the snacks. Which the staff replenished during our meal.
Masizzim (pronounced ma-see-zim) comes from the Korean word for delicious, “masi”, and “jjim”, meaning stew, and refers to the restaurant’s specialty Galbi Jjim, a family favourite braised-meat dish usually reserved for festive holidays and high-end restaurants, which Masizzim will be bringing to the people of Glen Waverley at a weekday price point. Already we read of this restaurant's success from Seoul to Singapore and we are excited it's now available in The Glen.
Lighting the tea light for the stews.
Beef stew was comforting and outstanding and we chose the spice level one, perfect. Using quality cuts of Australian meat.
Normally in Korea these stews are expensive so that the "common man" finds them unafforable and only for special occasions. Here at The Glen we found the stews to be at a great price; in fact if you get the serving for 2 it's a large amount of food.
Pork stew is also highly recommended. Melt in our mouth.
Chicken stew also a winner.
Beef stew was the larger serving while the chicken and pork stews were single serving. Generous sizes.
The restaurant’s South Korean founder Lee Dong-Jin uses his 63 year old mother’s original recipes, and has even brought her to Australia to give the tick of approval when the restaurant opened. The chefs we spoke to said they had training from Korean chefs from Masizzim.
Attractive modern restaurant in The Glen.
Forget bibimbap and kimchi, this is Korean comfort food in its truest form. The various Galbi Jjim’s on offer are based on Lee’s mother’s authentic secret recipe pastes imported from Masizzim’s Korean kitchen to ensure authenticity, with the stars of the show including beef short rib, pork short rib and spicy chicken stew, all made with locally-sourced Australian meats.
Dumpling lover? Try the Mandu dumplings with crispy exterior.
Steaming pots are designed to share alongside cheesy egg rolls, savoury pancakes and Jumeokbap, or ‘fist rice’, a mixed grain rice ball originally eaten by soldiers in the Korean War, which gets its name for being easily transportable and able to be eaten with one hand.
Feasting at Masizzim is a joyous culinary experience.
Put on the gloves and mix and form your rice balls! Delicious and fresh.
Highly recommend the pancakes, this one with calamari and leek.
Egg roll is also a must order, with spicy dipping sauce.
Dessert comes in the form of traditional Bingsu, a picture-perfect shaved milk ice dish tailored to order with toppings like cheesecake, fruits and rich chocolate pieces. Once again these are large porions for the price and totally delicious.
To extend the authentic Korean experience Masizzim is serving Soju and Max beer from Korea alongside draught classics such as Heineken, Corona and Furphy.
The distinctly Korean fit-out features natural wood booths and a full wall mural surrounded by slate, steel and stone. Service here is top notch with helpful and engaging wait staff.
Designed by Corso Interiors, who worked on the likes of Bad Shepherd Brewery, Freddie Wimpoles and CreativeCubes Co., this is an elevated take on shopping centre dining.
Masizzim landed at The Glen’s new dining precinct in August 2019 (shop 1-002).
Trading hours are Sunday – Wednesday 11am to 9pm and Thursday – Sunday 11am to 10pm. For further information visit www.masizzim.com.au or check out @masizzim_aus. Highly recommended.