Authentic Korean food from world class chef

When Korean chef Sean Hwang decided to open his own restaurant in 2019, the City of Logan was the obvious choice.

“Logan had more opportunities to introduce my cuisine – better than Gold Coast and Brisbane, because it’s located between them, so there is more accessibility for customers,” he says.

The result was Manok Park, a foodie gem tucked away in Underwood serving casual, authentic Korean food.

After first travelling to Australia on a working holiday in 2011 and working in high-end Sydney restaurants, Sean returned to Korea only to find himself missing the weather and lifestyle. His older sister lived in Brisbane, so he made the permanent move here in 2016.

With extensive experience in the kitchen, Sean found a role at Aria at Brisbane’s Eagle Street Pier. When the fine dining restaurant closed after three years, he decided it was time to open his own venture.

By then, his sisters Victoria and June lived in Australia and the three banded together to establish Manok Park in 2019. His eldest sister Victoria is the business manager.

“I dream and she makes it happen,” Sean says. “It’s rare to be working with all your siblings and spending so much time together after you have finished school. It can be challenging, but also a good opportunity.”

“Manok Park” is named after their mother and is a nod to her influence on Sean’s talents.   

“She taught me how to make kimchi the traditional way. She also taught me to make our famous traditional dish, Ganjang gejeng (raw crab marinated in soy sauce) and Yangnyeom-gejang (raw crab marinated in soy sauce and spices).”   

Sean uses local ingredients in all his dishes and aims to use as much of the fresh products as possible to minimise food waste.   

Former Aria Head Chef, Ben Russell, is a self-confessed “big fan”. He says Sean’s taken the skills he learned in a fine-dining kitchen and applied them to Korean home-style cooking.   

“It’s fantastic.”   

Sean is enjoying Logan’s expanding dining scene.   

“Logan is growing up with new venues. There is more population and growth, and there is a strong younger generation in Logan.   

“These days after pandemic, people can’t travel. So, (Manok Park) is a good opportunity for people to try Korean food.”   

The licensed restaurant is open every day for lunch and dinner except Wednesday.  For more Korean fare, check out the bakery-cafe Bake It which is also located in Underwood.

MANOK PARK 18/11-21 Kingston Rd, Underwood P: 07 3341 5592 INSTAGRAM: @manok_park