While Jetstar was flogging cheap flights to Seoul last week, Sydney’s biggest Korean department store was flogging aloe vera drinks and Dr Jart cosmetics to the crowds at Lidcombe Shopping Centre.

The newly opened Kmall 09 is the second Sydney location for the Australia-born retailer. At 2000 square metres, it’s more than double the size of its Eastwood sibling, with a second level slated to open in June. By then, general manager Jun Moon says it’ll be the largest Asian shopping destination in Australia.

“We want to give customers every kind of ‘K’ thing. K-food, K-beauty, K-living and so on. We’re soft opening for now, and the main focus is the first floor.”

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When Broadsheet went for a peek on Thursday, the place was bustling. Shoppers were browsing a fire-engine red wall of gochujang varieties and aisles devoted to every Asian snack under the sun. The green grocer was as big as a metro Woolies. We could have walked away with a five-litre tankard of soy sauce and a tub of Cosrx snail essence cream. Regretfully, we didn’t.

Unlike the big supermarket chains, Kmall 09 also packs in a fleet of Korean eateries. Nowhere else in Sydney can you get a three-tiered platter of Korean fried chicken; a bowl of ox-bone noodle soup; or a plate of Korean blood sausage with your weekly shop. Truly, nowhere.

The eatery the team is most excited about is Samjin, an Australian first according to Moon. “Samjin is the most popular fish cake shop in Korea. They have shops in luxury department stores like Hyundai. We are master franchising it for Kmall 09.”

Soon there’ll be a bottle shop stocking soju (Korea’s favourite bev), beer, sake and baiju. The second floor will offer additional dining space and a huge section devoted to K-Pop content. They’re all slated for the grand opening next month.

Kmall 09 is a boon for Lidcombe Shopping Centre, and one of two major openings to hit the complex this year (a TK Maxx is opening on May 16). Moon says Lidcombe’s proximity to the M4 and Strathfield’s Korean enclave made it an ideal location. And with Korean cuisine sweeping the city’s fine-dining scene and K-pop bands now seeing Australia as a major touring stop, it feels like the opening of Kmall 09 is right on time.

Kmall 09
Lidcombe Shopping Centre
Level 1/92 Parramatta Rd, Lidcombe

Hours:
Daily 8.30am–9.30pm

kmall09.com.au
@kmall09