Vora Cafe
Phone 03 9670 2008
***THIS CAFE HAS NOW CLOSED***
Vora Cafe is an unusual little Korean place that sits quietly and without much fuss on Hardware Street. EG and I had walked past it many times but had never felt drawn in. To be honest, if often looked quite dead. From the street you look through the front door to a darkened kitchen, and to the right in even more subdued lighting was a dining area that occasionally supported a smattering of economising Korean students. Nonetheless, it was a place that intrigued us, and after many months, we decided to try it out.
We kicked off the meal with some passably good gyoza - pan fried dumplings filled with minced pork and vegetables that came with a lightish dipping sauce. They were a teeny bit on the oily side.
I chose the dolsot bibimbap - rice served in a hot stone bowl with a selection of vegeables and kim chi (pickles), topped with a sunny side up egg. All the ingredients were wonderfully fresh, and the kim chi straddled the sweet / sour / hot balance quite nicely.
EG chose the seafood kimchi soup - a hot pot of viciously red liquid packed full of cabbage chards of and seafood mix. It was not overly spicy, but still very flavoursome. The seafood was well cooked and the dish came with a bowl of steamed rice.
Service was friendly enough; you order at the counter before taking a seat and they bring out the food to you. The dining room too is not so bad when you sit down, although there is still something a little unsettling about the chi of the place. It more feels like a place to be fed (ie. an eat and run), as opposed to a place to kick back and relax for a good meal with mates. But it’s cheap and offers passable Korean fare.
Written by mellie on
January 19th, 2008 | Tags: cafes, Korean, restaurants | Category: Uncategorized
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January 20th, 2008 at 7:37 am
I must have been past a hundred times without going in but am keen for a try now. Sounds like a passable cheap eats spot and the food looks tasty and comforting.
January 21st, 2008 at 4:07 am
Hi mellie,
You are so right about not trying out a place because there’s no draw factor with crowds or it looks more like a take away joint.Its frustrating because sometimes you could be bypassing an undiscovered gem and this place looks like a good one for a cheap eat. The seafood kimchi soup looks especially good- the red colour is striking and compelling!
Definitely something to try out soon!
January 21st, 2008 at 8:53 am
Hey truffle - yeah, it’s not a bad cheap eats. But just around the corner on Lonsdale is a place called Korean Food & Tea, which I think is a lil’ better than Vora. Try them both out - I would be interested to see what you think.
Hi m’s nemesis - yes, I must admit the main drawcard for me was to see if I could discover another gem. I don’t know if I would go so far to call it a gem - it really is just a somewhat tasty cheap eats. As mentioned above, I think the Korean Food & Tea is a tad better (watch out for the blog shortly).
January 22nd, 2008 at 5:20 am
For a cheap eats, sounds like something to try… I havent been rocked by Korean before (Hwaro BBQ) but I’ll somewhere a go at least once.