Mino Korean Charcoal BBQ

If you want a great Korean BBQ experience in the ‘burbs, you could do a lot worse than booking a table at Mino Korean Charcoal BBQ in Camberwell. It’s a fun and interactive experience and the food is fresh and tasty. Dining in a group has never been so enjoyable.

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Mino Korean Charcoal BBQ

Location: 1380 Toorak Rd, Camberwell, VIC 3124 Ph: 0493 146 297

Everything about dinner at a Korean BBQ restaurant lends itself to a highly sociable night out.

Yes, you can turn up and order for one – at a push – but you might feel slightly uncomfortable when the majority of interesting dishes are ‘minimum order 2 portion’. Should you feel slighted by this? No. The fact of the matter is that Korean BBQ is a social event with everyone chipping in and sharing dishes – and cooking duties. With that in mind, it pays to get a gang together before you book.

For more of the Best Korean BBQ Restaurants in Melbourne, see here.

The Space

Whilst the exterior is neat and unassuming, the interior is a schmick, copper-hued womb of warmth.

MINO Korean Charcoal BBQ - Best Korean BBQ restaurants in Melbourne.

The black brick feature wall across the back of the eatery sets off the wood and shiny copper exhaust fans, adding a golden glow to the dining space. The lighting is bright, but not too much – which is quite a feat. Instead, it highlights the gleam of those copper fittings. It’s a smart design choice as those fans are part and parcel of a Korean BBQ, whether you find them ugly or not. And the ones at Mino Korean Charcoal BBQ definitely aren’t ugly.

In fact, the overall feel is modern and clean, with a nod to the industrial chic vibe that us Melburnians appear to covet.

The Food

When you come to a place like Mino Korean Charcoal BBQ, it’s all about the coals and the char. And the best way to experience that is through a BBQ Set.

At Mino, as with most Korean BBQ restaurants, the Set Menus are for 2-4 customers and come with a number of entrees and Banchan (side dishes) as part of the price. In this case, we had a Stew, Corn Cheese, Vegetable Dumplings and Steamed Rice, along with our proteins. Then there were also plenty of interesting dipping sauces and condiments. These included Korea’s most famous creation – Kimchi – and some fantastic pickled lotus root.

Incidentally, the Stew came in 2 versions – Soy Bean Paste or Kimchi. As not all of our group are chilli-freaks, we went for a half and half combo and both were extremely flavoursome.

Banchan - Side Dishes - Mino Korean Charcoal BBQ Restaurant

From there on in, it’s all about the protein and how hungry you are.

Depending on which Set Menu you decide on, there’s Black Angus Scotch Fillet, Pork Belly (Plan/Soy or Chilli), Marinated Chicken Thigh and Black Angus Brisket Bulgogi or Short Rib Fillet. Meanwhile, the Premium Set for 3 People at $169 is a feast of Wagyu with Scotch Fillet, Oyster Blade and more. And if you’re pescatarian, no problem. For an additional $33 you can a couple of King Prawns and Scallops to any of the regular BBQ Sets.

In the end, we plumped for the Set 3 for 4 people ($167). This gave us a range of Black Angus cuts, along with Soy Marinated Chicken Thigh and Pork Neck.

Black Angus Brisket Bulgogi - Mino Korean Charcoal BBQ Restaurant

First up, let me say that the quality of all the meat was excellent. All the cuts were very fresh and packed with flavour. And there was lots of it.

If the idea of barbecuing yourself doesn’t appeal, the staff at Mino are more than happy to step in and do it for you. Indeed, as we were all nattering so much, our servers took control pretty quickly. As a result, everything hit our plates charred to perfection.

Different ingredients were popped on the BBQ plate, turned, moved to the side to rest and then cut up to serve. All with the minimum of fuss. It made our dining experience both entertaining and relaxed. And that’s a massive tick on a Saturday night out with friends.

As we dragged ourselves through the last of the juicy Chicken Thighs and smoky Mushrooms, we were offered extra Rice. Needless to say, we were all too full.

If you love Mediterranean food, try SOWL Restaurant over in Carnegie.

The Drinks

Beer and Soju are the go-tos at Mino Korean Charcoal BBQ.

However, despite being licensed, this gem of an establishment also welcomes BYO. So you get the best of both worlds.

The Running Postman Wine Bar is another popular local dining and drinking spot.

Overall

Whilst not the most obvious location for a good KBBQ restaurant, Mino is definitely worth hunting out.

The food is superb quality – especially the meat – and the staff are beyond helpful.

What’s more, the decor is clean, crisp and inviting and the scent of real charcoal is hard to resist when you open the door.

Just make sure you book. The Camberwell locals know that they have a good thing in Mino Korean Charcoal BBQ and this spot is always buzzing with life on a Friday and Saturday night.