Dookki Perth review: April Ooi reviews Korean buffet for do-it-yourself tteokbokki and other street food faves

Dookki is certainly a funny-sounding name to most English speakers, but don’t judge this Korean buffet before you try it — it’s a one-of-a-kind experience straight from South Korea. The restaurant chain is known for its all-you-can-eat DIY tteokbokki and since opening in Perth, I have been dying to try the customisable hotpot built around Korea’s most beloved street food. For $37.80 per adult, it is quite a fair price given the options they have. Obviously, the main attraction is making your own bubbling pot of tteokbokki. There are so many different tteok (rice cake) shapes to choose from including wide shapes for that satisfying chew as well as comically-long tteok. The sauce station is where you can customise the broth of your tteokbokki. There’s different levels of spice, and a whole range of flavours from a tame bulgogi to a heavy cream broth. The best part is that you can whip up your own concoctions, mixing different sauces to make the perfect base for your tteokbokki. I went with the signature Dookki sauce which I found a little sweet. I would probably add some cream next time, to even things out. Dookki offers a solid range of vegetables, noodles and meat that you can add to your pot of tteokbokki. Impressively, they also keep the beef well-stocked for a buffet at this price range. While your tteokbokki is cooking away, there’s a selection of other dishes to choose from on a bain-marie of Korean fried chicken — original, cheese and a sticky spicy glaze — along with dumplings, seaweed rolls, chips, vegetable tempura, and a cold section with gimbap (Korean sushi) and japchae (stir-fried glass noodles). You could also make your own bibimbap with a selection of pickles, kimchi, minced meat and rice. Some of the bain-marie items were not as crispy as hoped, but the chips and fried chicken were surprisingly crunchy and up to par with something you would order from a Korean fried chicken specialty store. Dookki really has it all — including an ice-cream machine and unlimited soft drinks. We paid an extra $15 to add a ring of melted cheese around our pot, which added a lot to the taste, texture and overall novelty. If you’re after a bit of fun, and a lot of value, I recommend giving Dookki a go. Dookki 80 Stirling Street, Perth OPEN Sunday to Thursday, 11.30am-9pm; Friday & Saturday, 11.30am-9.30pm CONTACT 9284 4707 BOOKINGS Yes THE VERDICT Good value Korean buffet with plenty of options. 14/20