Melbourne takes its soup as seriously as it takes getting in line for a hot new thing, and so it’s no surprise that the queue out front of Sagye, Melbourne’s first gomtang house, is a thing. But is this new Korean hotspot’s brothy and beefy bowl of goodness worth the wait? Absolutely,
Steaming away within the imported, heat-retaining bronzeware is a broth simmered low and slow for at least eight hours ahead of service, and often overnight. There’s not one, not two, but three premium cuts of wagyu – brisket, shank and chuck-eye roll – each of which brings its own layer of flavour as the fat renders out. And the result? A clean, clear and warming soup that you can dial up, down and around the traditional flavours of gomtang. The Gomtang Special, meanwhile, introduces the gelatinous pleasures of beef tendon to the mix.
Tendon or no, the gomtang at Sagye is all built around rice served toryeom-style. That’s a technique that involves ladling the broth over the rice, over and over again, until each and every grain reaches its full potential as a supremely savoury vessel of the soup it sits in.
The menu is just five items long, with a serve of three plump pork mandoo to start and two variations on gomtang as main courses. All excellent options on their own, but the experience really comes to life by leaning into all that’s complimentary. You’re looking at complimentary kimchi, complimentary broth top-ups and complimentary rice refills, and perhaps most importantly, complimentary bori-cha, the Korean barley tea, in place of water. The team at Sagye say it’s a better and more balanced complement to the delicate flavours of gomtang, and having tried it, we tend to agree.
Sagye has just 23 seats, and an unhurried approach to service, so you’d be right in thinking a seat at the table is piping-hot property. But this soup season, if there’s one broth worth battling it out in line for, we reckon this is it.
Sagye, 250 Russell St, Melbourne, open 11am-3pm and 5pm-9pm Tues-Sat, @sagye_melb