THE bulgogi pizza served with a side of pink pickled radish is a best-seller at Mario Tokyo, a Japanese-influenced pizza and pasta joint in Strathfield that is run entirely by Koreans.
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Welcome to Sydney's melting pot.
The restaurant's manager, Min Chung, said fusion food (bulgogi is Korean-style marinated barbecued beef) was very popular with the area's multicultural diners.
The shopping centre is packed with Korean businesses, including takeaways and grocers selling staples such as kimchi (fermented cabbage), bibimbap (mixed rice) and japchae (noodles).
Strathfield has the biggest Korean community in NSW, and tomorrow there is a coming-out party of sorts.
The Strathfield Taste International Food Festival is a first-time event as part of Strathfield Council's Spring Fair, showcasing the food of the area's Korean, Chinese and Indian restaurateurs. The Korean chef Chung Jae Lee, from Mapo restaurant in Adelaide, is the star attraction and will be demonstrating his methods for traditional dishes.
Jun Yoon Song, owner of the Korean takeaway Dduckgochi, will be serving chilli rice cake, Korean barbecue chicken and Korean sushi. Steamed dim sim, twist-fry potatoes and other delicacies will be on the menu at a number of Korean food stalls.
Linna Lee, from the Strathfield Korean Business Association, said the area had more than 250 Korean businesses, many of them restaurants and food retailers. The association, composed of Korean retailers and professionals, encouraged the broader Korean community to become involved in council activities, she said.
The South Korean government's tourism arm is sponsoring tomorrow's event.
Jennifer Doherty, from the Korean Tourism Organisation, said Australia was one of the country's fastest growing source of tourists, with 100,000 Australians visiting last year, and visitor growth at 30 per cent for the past three years. Food is the major marketing drawcard.
''Australia is quite a big market for Korea; young people love to visit because of Korean drama, movies, music, Korean food,'' Ms Doherty said. Interest in the country had grown dramatically in the past few years and generally since Korea co-hosted the 2002 World Cup.
''Australians have travelled to a lot of places in Asia, and now they're looking further afield,'' she said.
Ashfield's Big Yum Cha, celebrating its Asian dining precinct, and the Marrickville Festival are also on tomorrow under the umbrella of the Crave Sydney International Food Festival.
Today the Sydney Fish Markets is hosting the For the Love of Seafood festival and a traditional Italian ''blessing of the fleet''.
