Jang Ta Bal, Sydney CBD near World Square

I recently had dinner with my foodie friend Jackie from Does my bomb look big in this. We head to Jang Ba Tal which has two locations in Strathfield and Sydney CBD. We head to Sydney CBD location by entering the lift on Liverpool st, not too far from World Square.

Matt and I are big fans of Korean BBQ, previously being local residents to Eastwood - we have experienced a lot of high quality KBBQ venues. As we enter the brightly light venue, we notice a small display of all the meats. Craig (Jackie's other half) comments on how the meat looks of such high quality. He suddenly raises my expectations of the meal.

I look at the menu and look at all the different options. We decide to order a series of meat dishes and also some additional dishes.

I order a cheeky Hoegarden beer ($9) and pour this into a bowl cup. Craig and Jackie talk about how this can actually alter the taste of the beer in the same way a wing glass can influence taste. I find this fascinating and make a conscious effort to notice any differences in taste. I do find that the flavour of the hoegarden beer does taste better in the bowl cup v.s from the bottle.

I also start snacking on some of the korean sides, my favourites being kim chi, pickled daikon, potato mash and later on snack on the onions that go perfectly with the cooked meat. 

A series of meat dishes come out and are ready to be cooked. Firstly, there's the Premium Wagyu Scotch Fillet ($35). This is a nice hunky, chunky piece of meat which you can put on the hot grill and cut up with the scissors. I can hear satisfying grunts from Matt and he devours this particular premium wagyu. 

I also enjoy the Premium Wagyu Short Rib Meat ($35) which is probably my favourite with all that marbled fat that sizzles and quickly enters my mouth. I complement the flavours with a mouthful of raw onion in a sweet light sauce and some spicy kim chi. It's a flavour party in my mouth as I follow this up with a sip of beer. Internally, I am in blissful Korean BBQ heaven. 

Then there's the sliced Bulgogi Marinated Meat ($24). I've never seen sliced bulgogi before so I am eager to try this dish out. As this dish is thinly sliced, you have to keep an eye as the meat cooks very quickly. It's delicious and a nice change in texture.  I also eye off the pork belly ($20) which we will cook after all the premium wagyu meat. It's the pork belly that probably makes the most sound with the fat sizzling and sliding down the metal tray. Matt enjoys the pork belly and comments on how tasty this dish is.

I am also happy when the seafood and shallot pancake ($16) is also served. It's my favourite with the crunchy textures from the fried batter and the shallots that is well complemented by the soft seafood pieces of octopus, mussels and is broken through with a light spicy soy sauce. It's quite a decent size but quickly disappears when you share among friends. I highly recommend.

If you like variety, you may also consider ordering the Korean Cold Noodle w Chilli Paste ($13)  which is made of glass noodles, a generous amount of onion and capsicum. The noodles are quite soft and have subtle Korean Chilli tones. I eat some more kim chi to spice up my life. 

The highlight of the meal, as agreed by the four of us are the Super Spicy Cheesey Pork Ribs ($40). I am immediately fascinated by the cheesey ribs and in particular I spot the tteokbokki at the bottom. I politely ask Matt to rip off some of the meat off the rib as I don't want to get my hands dirty. He obliges with love. The saucey ribs are so tasty and in particular the combination of the sauce and cheese is heavenly. I highly recommend.

I am quite full by this stage and there's still food coming out including this egg pot. The soft egg makes for a pleasant friend to the wagyu. I first experienced egg with Korean BBQ in Korea and thought it was a really nice change. Matt scoops up some egg while I sit and recover from the mountain of food.

Summary: Overall, I had a really flawless experience at Jang Ba Tal. The meat was of high quality, the food was tasty, the staff were friendly and my food feelings were very happy. My favourite dishes were the Premium Wagyu short rib meat and those Super Spicy Cheesey Pork Ribs. You won't be disappointed.

Price: Approx $60 pp

Location: Level 1, 73 Liverpool St, Sydney. Near World Square

Opening Hours: 
Sunday, Monday to Thursday 5pm to 11pm
Friday, Saturday 11am to 1am

Weekend Food Escapes dined as guests of the venue or their representatives. All photos, opinions and words are my own.