Diana is offering an authentic Korean set menu experience comprising 20 dishes influenced by owner Sammy Jeon’s home province, Jeollannam-do in South Korea.
Back in 2021, Potts Point scored Diana, the lively Korean restaurant on Macleay St. The atmosphere is unique and unexpected for a Korean restaurant with non-traditional music and quirky paintings lining the walls. The new set menu experience has quickly changed our misconceptions about Korean dining from heavy barbequed meats to something more refined. Comprising 20 Korean dishes influenced by owner Sammy Jeon’s home province, Jeollannam-do in South Korea, this menu is designed to be shared and is truly reminiscent of South Korea.
We suggest coming to the table with no expectations of what’s on the menu for a full ‘trust-the-chef’ experience. To get started, choose from a beautiful selection of wines and in particular, those from Orange which are expertly picked by owner Sammy who use to work in the region. There are also beers on tap and a cocktail list that is very light-hearted and fun. We tried the Seoul Lady! with vodka, Cointreau, plum soju, cranberry juice and lemon, as well as the K-Pop Maniac with Ciroc vodka, grapefruit soju and green apple syrup.
We were delighted to begin our degustation with Hwae Moochim which is a Korean-style poke bowl prepared table-side. It mixes raw salmon, tuna, kingfish, abalone, thin-cut vegetables and sweet apple with a dressing of sesame oil, apple vinegar and gochujang chilli sauce. It was beautifully presented and fresh with the chilli packing a punch! Three other dishes we loved were Bulgogi, a more delicate steamed dish and braised spicy chicken with potato.
From here, the meal was in full swing and the twenty dishes promised started arriving. The banchan selection arrived first which are the small side dishes that accompany the mains. These are ever-evolving to reflect the best seasonal produce. We tried pickles, bean sprouts, bean curd, spinach, eggplant, dried fish, rice and many more. There’s a huge variety and your eyes definitely get excited to taste all the different delicacies.
The mains will also reflect seasonality and the chef’s favourite flavours at the time. We tried roughly ten main dishes which were all unique in taste and flavour. Notable mentions go to the Hiramasa kingfish served in a Korean yuzu with jalapeno, coriander and lime, as well as the Bossam where slow-cooked pork belly is wrapped in shiso leaves, cos lettuce, radish kimchi and the delicious ssamjang dipping sauce. We enjoyed the crowd-pleasing dish Japchae, which is sweet potato glass noodles, spinach, carrot, mushroom, egg, chive and onion. The meal also featured kimchi, L.A. Galbi short rib, wonderfully tender fish in broth, a spicy squid dish and a homely seafood soup.
If you can even imagine fitting in dessert, there’s a Mango Snowflake Ice cream or a Korean street food style twisted donut with cinnamon, sugar and a sticky butterscotch sauce.
Diana is a vibrant and fun Korean restaurant in the heart of Potts Point which you must try. The new traditional Korean set menu nods to Chinese cuisine and some Korean modernised favourites that are guaranteed to appeal to all tastes. It is $75pp and you will not go home hungry! Find out more here.