So for a quick lunch with Mr S, we decided to go to G2. First impressions were good - very friendly staff. We ordered off the lunchtime specials menu. Everything was about $8-$11 buck, which seemed pretty good value compared to many places near by.
Inside, it's narrow but not overly cramped. It's decorated in a industrial chic vibe.
Our dishes came out promptly. I got the chicken teriyaki on rice. Tastewise, this was okay but nothing to write home about, although it had a very drizzle of aromatic sesame oil. The ingredients and presentation of the dish is just like a bibimbap. The only neg was that the rice wasn't hot... it was kinda luke warm.
While Mr S went for the spicy pork sizzling plate. The presentation was pretty impressive - sizzling pork with two big balls of rice (needless to say, we both had a chuckle). Mr S quite enjoyed his dish.
About a week later, Mr S and I ended up at G2 again. This time, I wanted to try the actual bibimbaps - in this case, the seafood bibimbap. My verdict is that you should spring the for the extra two bucks for the hot stone bibimbap. While the flavours were nice, it was kinda mingy on the seafood - which was a mixture of dried squid pieces, shrimp and shiitake mushrooms.
Mr S went for the fried rice w chicken. While Mr S liked the dish, I think he preferred the sizzling pork dish from last time.
And then even more recently, Ms C, Mr U, Mr J and I were celebrating a milestone, and decided to come to G2 for dinner. I was more interested in the dinner experience as Ms C has had very positive things to say about it.
The thing with G2 is that the dinner menu is pretty much all Korean bbq. We sat upstairs this time, and there was already a delicious smell of grilled meats and the exciting sounds of the meat sizzling.
The first thing that struck me about the dinner service is the striking copper rangehoods above each table. The second thing that struck me is the incandescent, glowing embers that get brought out from the kitchen to your table.
Feeling hot, hot, hot!
With the narrow space, many diners and all the incredibly hot embers being brought out, you almost fear that this would become the inspiration for a new WorkCover ad. However, the staff are very careful and very safety-minded.
Another cute impression is all the hidden storage space under each booth, where you can stash away your coats and bags.
As the four of us all had very big lunches, we opted to share two serves of the 'G2 pork course' set menu. This came with a chef choice entree, which was a rare beef salad w red onions, rocket and a tangy dressing.
The deal here is that the staff bring the marinated meats to your table and also do the cooking. They come and go to your table, and when it's ready, they cut it up and put the cooked meat at the edge of the grill for you to help yourself.
My dish with a few things: rare beef salad (underneath), black rice, picked onions, pork scotch and pickled radish (on top).
The meat that came w this set menu were pork scotch in a plain, sweet and a spicy marinade. The meats were tender and flavoursome, and you can't beat the bbq flavour. You can then dip the meats in
the trio of sauces that's provided for each person.
The set menu comes with black steamed rice and banchan - the various small dishes of veggies and nibbles. In this case, we had (from top left clockwise) pickled radish, kim chi, pickled onions (delicious!) and a finely shredded cabbage and seaweed salad (also delicious!). You can ask the staff to top up the banchan if you run out.
We ended up ordering a separate serve of sweet marinated chicken. This was also quite nice.
Verdict
Food – 7-8 (7 for lunch; 8 for dinner)
Ambience – 7
Service – 8
Price – 7-8 (8 for lunch and I'd rate it as a cheap eats; 7 for dinner and I'd rate it mid-range)
Overall
I'm much more of a fan of G2's dinner menu than its lunch menu.
For lunch, it is a bit cheaper than its peers, but that's reflected in quantity of some of the ingredients.
For dinner, G2 does a great job for a fun night out. The novelty, the food and the service make it a memorable foodie experience. I'd recommend it!
Address
G2
301 Elizabeth Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9642 3424
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