Ham Ji Park would be a competent but otherwise unremarkable Korean restaurant in Strathfield if not for two things. The first is the anticipatory warmth of the service. We’re greeted, seated, and saved from online ordering by a warm and friendly waitperson. As soon as our order is placed, the waitperson loads up our table with freshly made kimchi, dipping sauce and daikon pickles, making sure we understand what goes with what. She offers top-ups before these bowls are even half finished. I feel like I’m dining as a guest in someone’s home, where nothing is too much trouble.
The second point of difference is Ham Ji Park have a half-and-half menu that allow solo diners or couples to eat a more diverse meal in a cuisine where dish size and price are usually predicated on group or family sharing. We opted for black bean sauce noodles with sweet and sour chicken ($23) and deep-fried chicken in hot pepper sauce with a simple vegetable fried rice ($25). Both dishes, served in child-like separated plastic bowls were freshly prepared and arrived very quickly. The black bean noodles were more gentle than they appeared. The Korean fried chicken (K.F.C.) was fractionally sweet but had a decent chilli kick to balance it. Frosty Korean beers - we chose Kloud ($7) - with your K.F.C. should be a given, though the booze list here also includes Korean soju, Chinese liquors, and inexpensive (but unlabelled) house-wines.
