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Sogumm, owned by Changhoon “Kimi” Kim and his wife Suhyun “Su” Kim (Gimlet, Hazel) is part of an emerging subset of Melbourne venues – including Chae and Ondo – that focus on the more understated strands of Korean cooking.

Vegetarian bibimbap is Kimi’s signature. Rice is seasoned with doenjang and topped with spinach, bean shoots, zucchini, mushrooms and a Korean mountain herb called chwinamul. Wagyu bibimbap is made with yukhoe, a raw beef dish similar to tartare, and seasoned with ganjang.

Gomtang, a clear beef broth, is the sort of dish you’d love to eat when you’re sick. With thinly sliced brisket, shin shank and beef tendon served over a mound of rice, it’s a study in restraint, seasoned only with salt. The spicy cold noodle dish bibim guksu spotlights gochujang as a punchy contrast to abalone and calamari.

Potato kimchi jeon, a flour-free pancake bound with shredded potato, and slow-baked Jerusalem artichoke skewers glazed in doenjang hint at the future dinner offering – but for now, service is lunch only while the couple awaits a liquor licence. Until then, sip on house-made sikhye, a naturally sweet and milky rice punch, and yuja ade, a sparkling spin on medicinal Korean tea made with yuzu, apple cider vinegar and ginger.

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