Soban

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  9     

I love the seafood pancake, Soban has the best one! Others food were good as well.
Service was ok, the manager girl is good but not the waiters. Highly Recommended, and if you can't wait for Kam Fook, the Chinese Yum cha, go to Soban.

Nov 23, 2011 

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  8      Value  8     

Great value and such huge portions. My partner enjoyed the teri-chicken kimchi fried rice. We were surprised at the size of the dishes, coming with complementary soup, kimchi, sweet potato and custard dip. The teri-chicken was crispy and absolutely tasty.

The seafood pa-jeon was large too, we were shocked and thought we wouldn't be able to eat it all. Crispy on the outside and so soft in the inside. Enjoyed it!
Definitely going back! Great and quick service!

Oct 30, 2011 

6.3 Average

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  6      Value  6     

Food: Bulgogi beef Jap-Chae was perfectly marinated and tender, Teri Chicken Bibimbap also recommended, the Fish Roe Bibimbap was average and the Pa-Jeon (seafood pancake) had great texture but the Mussels were impossible to chew, a real let down for a great texture dish.

Ambience: on level 6 of Chatswood S.C. near the popular Yum Chan, nothing stylish about the flat wooden tables or the decor.

Service: could improve with a bit of attention from the waiters and a bit of small talk... this is not the same job as cashier in 7-11!

Value: best are the $17 set meals which come with 4 very small sides of Kimchi, pickles, chilli, and a custard-like sweet. The a la carte dishes $19+ are not good value considering the small portions.

Jul 10, 2011 

7.5 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  6     

I tried Soban today after reading the reviews. I went for dinner on a Sunday @ 7pm. It was not busy, probably half full, might be due to the rain.

Food was better than expected. Food came out relatively quick maybe 10-15 minutes wait. There were two waiters but they seemed a little rushed. Service was good nevertheless. Ordered the seafood pancake, Soban bulgogi and kimchi stew, three bowls of rice plus three drinks for $87 total. So it’s not cheap for three people but the food were enough for four people so works out to be ok. Kimchi stew already comes with one bowl of rice, so they only charged for two bowls.

Doggy bagged half of the pancake leftover. Taste, location and convenience are positives. I would go again.

Apr 10, 2011 

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

Great place to go while in the shops or before/after a movie. Chatswood has never been known for good restaurants but this is close! Nothing fancy in terms of decor or ambience but good fast service and large, tasty meals.

Aug 26, 2010 

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

Great food. Try the rice wine for something a little different. Don't drive afterwards though. I like this place. And even though I no longer live in Chatswood. I shall return someday.

Aug 20, 2010 

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  6     

Came here with my mum today after we finished watching our movie. What caught our attention was the stark contrast between the everyday, bustling shopping centre and the warm, wooden design of the front doors and inside. Upon entering, we are greeted with a smiling waiter, though compared to the enthusiasm I received in another Korean restaurant about 2 weeks ago (MillioRe Korean Fusion Restaurant in Capitol, Ground Level), they could have been slightly more enthusiastic. We are brought to a table and are given beautiful Menus, though I didn’t realise the third menu was a drink and dessert one as they are indistinguishable.

Not in the mood for entrees because it was lunch, I went straight for a meal set, bulgogi bibimbap served in a hot pot with a variety of side dishes. The side dishes were interesting, I’m used to having them come out before hand as an entrée sort of thing, but they came straight with the dish. As a result, I went straight to eating the rice, completely deserting the side dishes.

Once again, I found myself comparing the food to that of which I had at MillioRe. The bibimbap was nice, but lacked the flavour that I found in the same bibimbap at MillioRe, as well as the willingness of the waiters (the waiter at MillioRe offered to mix it up for us). Because of the hot pot, the entire bottom layer of rice was somewhat sticky and hard to chew.

A good restaurant, I’d go there again, but definitely no more meal sets for me anymore.

May 22, 2010 

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  7     

Soban is a great place to eat. Soban is situated near Myer's inside entrance and the escalators. The meals are huge and we probably could have shared one dish between two! The food is tasty, fresh, a bit pricey but really nicely presented and the wait staff were very nice.

Apr 07, 2010 

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  6     

Paid this place a visit after a Korean friend recommended it to us. Had the seafood pancake, bulgolgi bibimbap and the spicy pork soup with glass noodles.

First thing that came out was the pancake and all I can say is that it was huge! Could easily feed three people for an entree and was too much for the two of us. Delicious! The balsamic dressing had a nice twang to it and the textures were great.

The bibimbap was good too! Although the seaweed and tofu soup it came with could've been a bit warmer and the banchan (side dishes) weren't up to scratch. Kimchi wasn't that good, the seaweed salad was dry, bean sprout salad was average and there was cold pumpkin soup too. First time for me!

The banchan comes at the same time as the mains so it was a little different than what I was use to. They have to work on their side dishes a bit more because I believe that really affects a restaurants reputation! (bad kimchi is never a good thing).

The pork soup was not screaming with flavour but it did have plenty tid bits that you'd trawl for before each bite. The slippery texture of the glass noodles made them hard to catch but it was worth it in the end.

Honestly, maybe its because their shop is in Westfield or that the take away bags are very nice, but the food is pricey for what you get. There are plenty of Korean restaurants in Sydney where you can get the same food (plus better banchan) for a lot less.

Feb 15, 2010 

5.8 Average

Food  5      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  5     

They bring the little complementary dishes with the meal and not before the dishes you ordered. I didn't like the selection they provide. The kimchee wasn't the best. I ordered the kimchee fried rice. The rice tasted fine except it was sitting in a big bowl of sauce. The sauce just overwhelming. My partner ordered mcakerel kimchee stew which is nice if you like that fish.

Feb 07, 2010