I've always noticed Hanabi as one of the last restaurants on the strip of shops of Lidcombe's Joseph Street. But the truth is I've never bothered to visit it due to thinking that it was no good. It's been years and in that time I have seen this place go from looking old, empty and rundown to it's latest more modern renovation. This includes the new signage, shop front, and displays. I have also seen it pop up more in my friends Snapchats and Instagrams which really challenged my perception that this place had bad business!

So let's get to why I finally ventured out… 

Terry recently invited the girls out to Hanabi to try their famous chicken and cheese hotplate. This became the perfect opportunity for us to also surprise our girl, Jasmine with a we-didn't-forget-your-birthday-even-though-it-was-months-ago celebration. 

Being the usual last one in the group to arrive, I easily found myself outside the restaurant front… 

Gorgeous rustic cafe-style interiors.

Photo taken as we were leaving, but this is the hallway you walk down to get to the outdoor seated area.

SURPRISE!

I find it is actually very packed and popular on this Wednesday night. There is an abundance of Korean bbq tables and chairs to accommodate for the masses in all types of groups. They are evenly spaced giving this area plenty of room to walk around in and never finding it too narrow. There are also those outdoor heater lamps perfect for when it's chillier in the Winter months or late at night. Although with all the heated coals from the bbq and shots of soju about to be ingested, do you really need this? Hehe jokes 😇

Because you can also see a car in the photo above, I will note that there is a carpark just out the back. We all just discovered this so the cars weren't parked there but it would be great for next time because it's really convenient to walk to after the feed about to ensue.

The large TV screen plays various Kpop music videos which are a lot of fun to watch!

I'm reunited with most of the girls in my group who could make it + Patrick (Jasmine's boyfriend), and we all catch up quickly as they send me lots of compliments on my new short hair. This particular day was the first time many of them had seen it in real life.

As with every KBBQ experience, one must choose their alcohol. Pat goes for a beer and the rest of us decide to share a bottle of soju. I think I recall seeing on the new advertisements that they are very proud to now serve beer on tap, not just by bottle!

Asahi Beer $7

Sauces & Side Dishes & Condiments

There are two sauces for each individual - Korean dipping sauce also known as ssamjang 쌈장 & the other being sesame oil, salt and pepper. Both delicious and the perfect complements to all the meats. For side dishes there are kimchi, radish kimchi, cucumber salad, potato salad, and acorn jelly. We are spread on two tables so we get two generous sets of side dishes. Also everyone also gets their own little dish of shredded slaw with a light vinegar-soy sauce dressing. I love this and I end up eating everyone's leftovers, NO SHAME. As for the condiments there is mustard and vinegar but no one really touches these. The bottles are also super sparse as well.

Table starting to come together! And you can see more of our side dishes in the above picture as well.

KBBQ Meat Set A $75

We only got one meat platter for the six of us because we were also getting other dishes as well. I think that this platter is a decent assortment of meats for the bbq. It is a bit more expensive than a usual platter in my opinion though. The marinated beef ribs are very well marinated and tasty! As for the pork belly, it's more fat than meat as you can see.

You are provided with tongs and scissors to cut the meat, hooray!

I'm very lucky I don't have to cook the meat today hehe

White Rice $2 each bowl

Only ordered a few of rice to share between everyone but it ended up being neglected as everyone was busy filling up on other things.

Ox Tongue $18

A must-order for our group! Some of these pieces of ox tongue are cut really thick but overall still very tender. If you've never had ox tongue you are probably feeling quite disgusted by the mention of eating it but HEY, Asians eat just about every part of the animal. No wastage! Hahaha but on a more serious note, once you've tried it you will be converted. All the top layers of the tongue are stripped off so no, you do not taste and feel any tiny textural bumps.

Spicy (Bibing) Naengmyun $13

Not actually that spicy despite how bright red this looks. For some reason everyone didn't really dig this, but I thought it was really nice with that great vinegary zing to it. The noodles are really all tangled up though so you will definitely need the scissors.

Now here comes the star of the night…

😍 😍 😍

Now mixing it up…

Ta-dahhh!!!

Chicken and Cheese Hotplate $38

This hot plate is so huge and incredible looking. The four sides are filled with beaten egg (left), cheese (top and bottom), and corn and cheese (right). They pour in the egg mixture as soon as the plate is placed on the stove. If you think that looks like miso soup, no worries because mE TOO. HOW EMBARRASSING. Moving on, the centre has chopped up cabbage, carrots, green onion, brown onion, rice cakes, and raw chicken coated in a spicy sauce. Reminds me a bit of ddukbokki, no? To cook this you will have to mix the centre over the heat getting all the ingredients coated in the sauce, and ensure the chicken is cooked thoroughly before eating. So yes, it takes a while until it's ready to eat. But it is great to have this ready right after all the meat from the bbq is about to finish up. Of course anything with corn or cheese has my heart and it is so delicious with the spicy chicken and veggies!! The egg didn't end up cooking very well and it was pretty much eaten towards the end of the meal. 

Chili chicken coated in melted cheese! SO GOOD!

Shots of Soju, $10 a bottle

It's a Wednesday night and we're gonna drink if we want to! 🍶

It ended up being a very satisfying meal. I was blown away that a really nice Korean food and BBQ joint has existed in Lidcombe, and I had been overlooking it for so long because I didn't like how empty and dull the shop front always looked. 

I was still finishing up the food when we all without Jasmine's knowledge decided to go and grab the cake from the staff. They were so nice and friendly by the way! 

The lights were switched off as the entire restaurant and guests joined us in singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🎉

The great thing about these kinds of places is that there is a sense of community. Everyone is here to share a good dinner, good drinks with some good family/friends.

She's so cute!

Happy Birthday for 4 months ago, Jas!

We love you so much 💖

TL;DR:

Price: Expensive

Quality: Good

Service: Friendly

Ambience: Rustic and cafe-like out the front, communal, loud and spacious out the back