Guhng The Palace

Guhng is one of the best Korean barbecue restaurants in town. Outside, the McKillop St restaurant's heritage-listed facade resembles a 19th-century tavern, where flagons of beer are slammed on tables and food is served by a matronly host. The restaurant's interior is more modern than its vintage exterior suggests. Mod-Asian fixtures like red mesh pendant lights gleam against the dark brick and original stone walls, and the signature brassy-hued exhaust pipes (the gold standard in Korean barbecue-world) hanging over every table look positively futuristic.

Korean barbecue, at its core, is a communal dining experience, and Guhng's barbecue sets cater to large groups. The Angus set is large enough to feed four moderately hungry meat eaters. The bite-sized pieces of beef on the grill become smoky in a few minutes as the fat melts and sizzles off the coals, and they remove it from the heat while the juices are still running. The garlic herb beef tenderloin is best cooked to medium, and the marinade is very mild – it still needs a dip of light sweet soy sauce and chilli from the condiments cabinet.

Guhng looks a little fancier than your typical Korean barbecue restaurant but it's still welcoming, even to big groups who can book the upper roooms for private functions. They also understand that the fun of Korean barbecue is being able to do your own grilling if that’s what you feel like doing, but will happily answer your questions or help out before you set fire to your dinner.

Location: 19 Mckillop St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Website: www.guhngkorean.com