kumkang mountain 금강산

price has recently increased about 15% more so menu is not exactly up-to-date here and hours now changed to only mon- sat. our family comes here quite often, we like to visit kumkang when they are not busy. the staff could be a bit unfriendly in peak hours (when asks for refill of sidedishesfor example). food is good, plenty of choices with delicious side dishes, and they open til late night (11pm) always a bonus. the only thing is that if you order the big stew dish that you can share, it does not come with rice ($2 extra pp)! also, each person must order one dish or there would be additional charge. plenty of parking on site though.

seafood pancake was legit, bbq pork was almost the best in akl and pork bone was tasty as well. the portions and taste were both very satisfying. sidedisheswere also very delicious. would definitely come back to try other dishes.

we came on a saturday evening and were not greeted straight away, we had to stand awkwardly, waiting for someone to notice us. after a few minutes we managed to approach someone who pointed a table for us to sit at. we sat down and another 5 minutes went by without being given a menu or any other sort of acknowledgement so we managed to find some menus were some staff were standing.

we came here already set on the cold noodles as it was so hot this day and we didn’t have an appetite for anything else. we ordered a 물냉면 (cold buckwheat noodles) and 비빔냉면 (cold spicy buckwheat noodles). 물냉면 usually comes with a few slices of beef, but it didn’t at this restaurant which was a bit disappointing. everything was good and refreshing, just what we were looking for. the 비빔냉면 was also refreshing but a lot more flavourful with the sesame oil and gochujang. overall thedisheswere perfect for a hot day, light, refreshing and cooling.

we only got 2 sidedishesand the kimchi was the worst i’ve had in my life. the cabbage was completely crunchy, it had not been left to ferment for long, if at all. i feel like they slapped on the marinade and just served it straight away. very disappointing.

the maindisheswere great, but i feel like other important aspects such as service and sidedisheslet us down way too much.

my favourite korean restaurant. i have come here many times and the food is always good. 6-10 sidedishescome with the main, highly recommend the beef stew for those who love a bit sweet dish. sometimes the service was good, sometimes was not so good.

our go-to korean restaurant. the place needs a bit of updating and you do feel & smell a little bit afterwards, as it is not very well ventilated. but, they do do great korean food here. portions of the maindishesare quite generous and tasty. this place always give you 6 sidedisheswhich you can top up, and they are all very tasty.
they do the best home-made kimchi here, and we very often buy a box of their kimchi to take home. consistenly good food which has kept us coming here for years now.

i was very disappointed of this restaurant. they have policy of 1 person had to order a dish! i came with 3 adults and 1 baby and 1 4 yr. i ordered 3 maindishesand they said i have to order 2 more. if i don't, they will only give 1 round of side dishes, i said, let it be, coz my baby does not eat rice ( he was only 3 months old) and my 4 had eaten, so he wont be eating so much. so they only gave us 4 dishes. we quickly ate and did not even finish our meal, we were so upset.  i complained to the owner and she doesn't speak english, then the daughter showed up and instead of being nice, she said it was their policy and i said the policy was not good. my baby was still 3 mth old, he wont eat rice, it could kill him. she said she did not care. i was like. i was very unhappy. in my opinion, as i love korean food and had tried so many restaurants in auckland. their food is below standard, over priced. overal;: my experience was not good at all. i rather go to another korean restaurant. definitely will not be coming back! service was so awful.

i was having a flu and craving for some hearty food. ended up here and ordered their yukgaejang (beef soup) and bulgogi. they serve a variety of sidedishestogether with the meal as well. food wise i found them to be average and price is a bit on the higher side.

the young waitress very kindly greets us when i dined here with a friend. she is very approachable, friendly and helpful when needing anything, superb customer service. the other staff are okay. really enjoyed the big portions of bulgogi and bibimbap and the delicious sidedisheswith free refills. prices are quite expensive but overall due to the excellent customer service i received this has to be one of the best korean bbq restaurants i have been to. cannot wait to return. well done.

my colleagues and i have visited kumkang mountain for lunch many times. reasonable price and tasty food are offered in this korean restaurant. i love the spicy pork rib hangover soup! and the bibimbap is good too. sidedishesare okay. service is average.

kumkang's beef stir-fry is amazing. i am not good with spicy food, and it was so hard to find a korean restaurant with great tasting food without the heat  - but this is the place. the variety of sidedishesthey have are impressive. if you go there, don't miss out on the pancake and apple salad side dish - those are my favorites. as for the atmosphere, it was busy/lively most of the time i went, which i liked. it's just more fun and appetizing to be at a lively restaurant.

very poor overall. be careful with what you order because they may serve you with different sidedishes- cheaper in value. we ordered a set menu which comes with 10 side dishes. the dish is the same as what the two korean ladies ordered who seat next to us. however, the sidedishescome out for us are different from what they have got. the only expensive side dish - crab was not served. the owner first explained that we have to order separately but i showed them that we have ordered the exact same set menu. then they said the crab is out of stock. as customers we were not advised what you get so it's all in a lucky draw and you get what they serve you. their explanation was poor and we were not told that the sidedisheswas out of stock. also, a normal bottle of soft drink is charged almost double the price compares to restaurants at a similar level. no price labels on the drinks. so again, you don't know how much the drink cost until you pay.
taste is very average. i question the honesty of the restaurant. we also wanted to be seated at a corner seat but was told it's reserved without any sign. we were there for more than an hour but no one used that table. then we were told customer might have cancelled the seat.
i would not go again myself in future. i believe in basic honesty if you are doing a business. i'd like to share this poor experience with people who do want to try.

pro tip: when you dine at kumkang, don't wear clothes that you're not planning to put in the wash after dinner! the aroma of korean barbecue is strong here; you can even smell it from the outside.

aside from the barbecued meat, we also ordered the stuffed chicken soup. but it was the korean pancake that stood out the most – i'd highly recommend it!

their sidedishesare a bit different to what i've gotten at other korean restaurants. a good variety though, with a mix of spicy and non-spicy ones.

service here is friendly even for non-koreans; the younger staff members are fluent in english.

good food and nice side dishes. ordered eel and wife ordered spicy fish egg soup. came with plenty of sidedishesand meals were good portion. i particularly liked potato salad, noodle with veges, and kimich side dishes.

went with a friend for dinner. it is a busy restaurant, which i always take as a good sign.  ordered spicy chicken, seafood pancake, and fried pork cutlet. the food was tasty, and the little sidedisheswere really good too. the service was good/average. it's not five-star hotel service, but i got my food on time, and the waitress came over when i asked for help. i had my hand raised up to ask for coke and my friend looked at me strangely, shaked her head, and pressed this little bell button thing on the table, and the waitress magically came over to our table.

we are regular customers, we go there almost every weekend because we know we won't be let down by the flavor! if you like or wanna eat some authentic korean food, i highly recommend this place!!! we used to order bbq but weather like these days, we go for soup or the food served in clay pot.

taste (main food):
this place is by far the best korean restaurant (in my opinion) with some reasons. the taste is really authentic and i think they don't use msg because i don't have urge to drink water after their food.    

taste (side dish):
there is a saying that you can tell from the food taste of a restaurant by tasting kim-chi. here, the kim-chi taste is sooo good as well as other side dishes! i've been to quite a few korean restaurants but here serves the best sidedishesin my opinion and they are different every time we go.

waiting staff:
not so kind but not so rude but there were one very kind male staff (who seems not working there anymore) once.

cleanness:
you can tell if the place is clean or not by looking at their toilets. their toilet is always kept clean. fyi, i've only used female's one so not sure about male's but i guess it'll be the same.

price:
i forgot the cost of bbq but separate one portiondishesare from $15 that comes with 5 or 6 delicious side dishes. very good value for money and taste good too.

overall, good taste, good value, clean. highly recommend this place especially cold and wet season.