#aucklandeats: Indulge in Skyline Views and the Freshest Korean Food

Lok Green | 39 Birkenhead Avenue, Birkenhead, Auckland 0626

Believe it or not, Korean food is my favourite cuisine so you bet I was racing to go to this restaurant as soon as I heard about it. Lok Green actually opened on the 1st of September so this restaurant is VERY fresh (just like their food 😉). Hence, they still had congratulatory flowers, hwahwan (화환) that decorated the store. Rather than opening up a new Korean-fusion spot, Lok Green serves more authentic Korean featuring a LOT of seafood which is totally up my alley.

As soon as you walk in, the restaurant feels quite indulgent and upclass, tying both modern and traditional features in. The industrial flooring, tables and lights mixed with the wooden accents and a huge painting to decorate makes the place very aesthetic. Although I sat near the entrance, I did notice they had an upstairs seating area, which I feel like will get you a better view of the skyline. Yep, this restaurant is actually located right next to Kaimataara ō Wai Manawa, a lookout where you can view the city, harbour and gulf islands! Makes this restaurant a more exciting and memorable visit, in addition to the yummy food. 

Instagram | @lok.korea

From a full raw fish (회) platter to all kinds of grilled fish, I was surprised by how much seafood Lok Green offers here! I went with quite a few people, and we just couldn’t resist the raw fish platter, especially after seeing the beauty of it on their Instagram. We went with the medium size and got served salmon, shrimp and scallop on top of turnip that was all beautifully presented. Every slice tasted very fresh and made the perfect starter! 

As we decided to go on a rainy day, we ordered two hearty stews, Soft Tofu Stew (순두부) and Al Tang (알탕), to complete our meal. Originally, these Korean stews are meant to be quite spicy, but the waitress actually asked you your preferred spice level which I thought was very considerate. We decided to just go for the normal spice level, which was just perfect. It was overpoweringly spicy but still had an enjoyable kick! The Soft Tofu Stew was packed full of tofu so you get it in every bite. As for the Al Tang, it unexpectedly came with tofu in addition to lots of fish eggs (알). I didn’t think I would enjoy the Al Tang as much as I did but because it didn’t have that fishy taste, I just kept going for more! These hearty soups were exactly what we needed to get ourselves out of the cold. 

It’s a classic to go for kimchi-jeon (김치전) but I was surprised at how delicious this tasted, even though kimchi pancake is quite a simple dish. It had the most perfect crispy exterior, yet the inside was very fluffy. Plus they didn’t skimp out on the kimchi either! To top it off, they added squid too which added additional texture to every bite. Though it seems a little pricey, the squid and the size of this pancake made it all very worth it. Oh, I have to mention that their mains come with quite a few delicious and very flavourful side dishes too! It seems these change every now and then so I may get a different combo the next time I visit. 

Zoey Lim 

Though, my friends and I didn’t order it this time, Lok Green also do a take on K-BBQ utilising pork belly and scotch tenderloin 🤤 My colleague went the previous week and ordered the tenderloin which was an experience in itself! They provide you with a small grill so you can BBQ the meat to your own preference. It’s pretty cool that this creates an interactive and fun experience while you eat.

Instagram | @lok.korea

The trip out may be considered far if you don’t live in the North Shore, but I’m telling you that’s where a lot of the delicious Korean restaurants are. I haven’t seen many Korean restaurants that offer a menu that has such a wide variety of food and incorporates so much seafood into the mix either. This definitely makes me want to visit again and try out their Beef Tartare and their one-person BBQ menu too. If you want to check them out, go before the hype reaches them!