Clean lines, tight dimensions, framed menus hung on the walls, a temperature-controlled kimchi fridge, warm cups of barley tea handed out to the queue. Yeodongsik sure cares about the details, but it’s those details that make this tiny restaurant stand out among Lidcombe’s many and varied Korean diners, and draw crowds from all over Sydney.

TikTok and the perilla buckwheat noodles have something to do with it too, but the true believers know they’re just the warm-up act. Order the headline ppyeodagwi haejangguk and it’s a steadying claypot of beef and pork broth to slowly sink into; pick the sundae gukbap and it’s cloudy and mild, filled with jiggly glass noodle-stuffed Korean blood sausage and textural cuts of pork.

Rice, kimchi and condiments – chilli paste, say, or salted shrimp – add interest and flavour to suit your palate, while owner Justin Shin runs the floor with love and attention. Tiny, but mighty.

Good to know: The fridge is stocked with soju and softs, but the cloudy “Mark Holy” makgeolli is a shout, as are the house-made soju cocktails for just $8.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.