Jeju KOREA BBQ Restaurant Mount Austin Iberico Platter

Post by Chiefeater VK

From the outside, Jeju KOREA BBQ Restaurant Mount Austin doesn’t immediately inspire confidence. The signboard wasn’t lit when we passed, and the lighting inside looked rather dim from the outside.

But there was one thing we couldn’t ignore. The place was packed.

That was enough to make us curious, so on our final night in Johor Bahru, we decided to give it a try. And once we stepped in, things looked different. It seems the tint they employed had dimmed the lighting when viewed from the outside.

And what a treat it turned out to be. Before the barbecue even started, the table was filled with banchan.

There must have been more than a dozen little dishes around the grill — kimchi, vegetables, egg, pickles and other small bites. Better still, the banchan comes with unlimited refills.

Thankfully, we paced ourselves because we had ordered the Iberico BBQ Set.

The platter comprised three cuts of Spanish Iberico pork: pork jowl, finger ribs and abanico.

Iberico pork naturally carries more intramuscular fat than ordinary lean pork, and that becomes particularly useful over a Korean barbecue grill. As the fat renders, it bastes the meat while encouraging browning on the surface. That combination gives you plenty of flavour without needing elaborate seasoning.

We enjoyed the platter immensely.

The various cuts also gave us different textures rather than feeling like one enormous pile of similar pork. Some pieces were richer and fattier, while others had more chew and structure.

Thankfully they had someone to help us grill the pork.

And it was generously sized. There were two of us and, despite being hungry, we only just managed to finish everything.

That RM168 set also came with a choice of soybean stew or kimchi stew, making it a fairly substantial dinner before you even consider all those refillable side dishes.

So first impressions can certainly be misleading. From outside, Jeju Korea BBQ looked a little dingy to me. Inside, we found a busy restaurant, a table overflowing with food and one of the more enjoyable meals of our JB trip.

So glad we stopped here.

Pricing

Iberico BBQ Set – RM168.00

Subtotal – RM168.00
Service Charge (5%) – RM8.40
SST (6%) – RM10.08

Total: RM186.48
Average per pax: RM93.24

MVX Summary

MVX Score: 8.3/10

M – Meal Value
RM93.24 per person is substantial, but so was the meal. The Iberico platter was generously sized for two, came with stew, and the wide selection of banchan could be refilled without additional charge.
Score: 8.5/10

V – Venue
The unlit signboard and dim interior did not make the strongest first impression, but the restaurant was bustling and comfortable once we settled in. This is very much a Korean BBQ environment where the food and convivial atmosphere matter more than polish.
Score: 7.5/10

X – X-Factor
The combination of a generous Iberico pork platter and a table almost completely surrounded by refillable banchan made the meal feel abundant. It also proved why a packed restaurant can sometimes tell you more than the signboard outside.
Score: 8.5/10

Business Hours

Monday to Thursday
11:30 am to 10:30 pm

Friday to Saturday
11:30 am to 11:00 pm

Sunday
11:30 am to 10:30 pm