Just Open: Donco, Geelong

Filling a niche and tapping into their Korean heritage, Don Koh and Yunie Choi have opened their first restaurant, Donco, in Newtown, Geelong.

The 45-seater overlooking Pakington Street boasts a smart gunmetal-hued fitout with dark timber furniture and contemporary flatware and a menu of Korean classics: bibimbap, bulgogi, bossam (slow-cooked pork) and anju – tapas-style share plates of crisp lotus root chips, pan-fried dumplings, a palace-style beef and mushroom roll with pickled garlic shoots and Koh's signature dish, tofu kimchi ball.

Koh has also put his spin on Korean fried chicken, which he serves with assorted pickles. He swaps Aussie lamb ribs for beef in the traditional galbi and adds a lively kimchi slaw.

The drinks list is a concise selection of table wines, cider and beers together with a more esoteric range of Korean soju (rice spirit), makgeolli (cloudy rice liquor) and sake. Korean wild grape wine leans towards a sweet sherry or port in style, and there are fruit-driven black raspberry, plum and herbal ginseng wines.

There's also a small takeaway menu of bibimbap, fried chicken and rice bowls.

Open Mon-Wed 5.30pm-10pm; Thu-Sat 11.30am-2.30pm, 5.30pm-10pm.

Shop 13, 321 Pakington Street, Newtown 03 5298 3656, donco-k.com