Popo Lee review: April Ooi visits Northbridge Korean restaurant for viral soy-marinated crab, noodles, gimbap

My sister rotates between three core dishes: Nando’s chicken tenders, spicy cream rigatoni, and instant noodles. She’s not picky per se, just a creature of habit. I like to push her outside of her comfort zone, but when I suggested Korean food, our conversation went a little like this: “Do they have rice?” she asked, hopefully. “Yes,” I said. “But you’re not just eating rice.” She sighed. “Fine. But it better not be sweet when I’m craving savoury or packed with random corn.” Challenge accepted. Thus we headed to Popo Lee in Northbridge, which specialises in Korean street food and hearty meals to share. We were blown away by the black bean noodles, $18.50. Despite the dark, ominous colour of the sauce, my sister went straight for the hot chewy noodles. The sauce wasn’t too bitter and the mixture of potato and pork was excellent. They do cold noodles too, and the kimchi bibim noodles, $19, was covered in a thick chilli ferment. The mix of fresh kimchi, chilled cucumber and sesame seeds made for an excellent combo. The menu is vast but we tried to explore a bit of everything. We ordered the salmon and prawn gimbap, $28, a sizzling plate of cheese buldak chicken, $35, and a half serve of their boneless fried chicken, $21.50. The salmon sashimi in the gimbap was still defrosting, which was disappointing. However, the chicken dishes really shone. The Buldak chicken was covered in extra spicy sauce, and I enjoyed finding hidden fried rice cakes among the pile of hot cheesy protein. We could pick two different flavours for the fried chicken, opting for original, and of course, spicy. The chicken was breast pieces, but my sister actually prefers her chicken on the drier side, so it was perfect. To shake things up, I added soy-marinated crab to our order, $45. I had seen the dish trending online, but even as a Korean food aficionado this was new and pretty out there for me. Served raw, the crab is a popular delicacy for its sweet-savoury flavour and squishy crab meat texture. The menu specified that they use female crabs only. I wondered why until I noticed all the roe tucked into the flesh. Apparently female crab meat is denser and sweeter too, and I could definitely taste that in this dish. Popo Lee not only surprised me, but my sister too, standing out as a solid choice for Korean food in Perth. The range and noodle dishes are unmatched. Whether you’re craving classics or looking to explore new dishes, Popo Lee delivers as a satisfying choice. Popo Lee Shop 1/134 Aberdeen Street, Northbridge OPEN Sunday to Thursday, 11.30am-10pm; Friday to Saturday 11.30am-11pm. CONTACT 0403 816 866, popolee.com BOOKINGS For groups of eight or more. THE VERDICT A delicious spot for Korean food lovers, and newcomers eager to explore. 16.5/20

Popo Lee review: April Ooi visits Northbridge Korean restaurant for viral soy-marinated crab, noodles, gimbap

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