When the long-time favourite eatery Restaurant Mason announced the closing of its doors, the Newcastle foodie community has had a little hole in their hearts. But as they say, as one door closes, another opens…

That door you ask? Is none other than CorEat, an Australian restaurant with Korean flavour influences brought to you by the man known to have initially brought Blooming Garden to Beaumont St in Hamilton, Sunny Chae.

Originally from a small town in South Korea, Sunny comes from humble beginnings. Growing up, both of his parents were busy working the day away, so dinner time was a special time dedicated to sharing company and food!

It’s no surprise to see Sunny now not only working in the kitchen but operating his own restaurant bringing his unique flavour profiles to the people of Newcastle with CorEat.

Injecting fresh life, personality, and flavours into the much-loved former Restaurant Mason location, CorEat has invited eager customers in to dine since their official opening in June 2022.

“I have always had a dream to open my own restaurant… I was looking around for the restaurant and I found out about Restaurant Mason. From the moment I first saw it, I felt that this was the restaurant I had always dreamt of” Sunny shared.

The space continues to offer its cosy interiors, inviting diners to relax during their stay. With neutral tones throughout and incredibly friendly and attentive service, a visit to CorEat in Newcastle’s East End is a must on any foodie’s to-do list.

The name, CorEat is Sunny’s way of representing how he would like diners to gather and enjoy their meal…

“The name can represent how I want people to be able to gather together with their loved ones and eat high-quality food while having an enjoyable time.”

The menu has been classified as Australian cuisine with a Korean influence and looking over the dishes, you can spot little points throughout that nod to Sunny’s heritage.

“Now that I am opening my own restaurant, I’ve been thinking, as a Korean chef, to add Korean flavours to the original Western-style dishes I’ve previously cooked. I’ve tried to create a menu that involves using more local ingredients in the dishes… I also harmonised the ingredients from Australia with ones from South Korea to represent my continual longing for my hometown.”

Starting with the lunch menu, available from 12pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, our absolute favourites would have to be the Crab and Smoked Salmon Open Sandwich, the Prawns wrapped in Crispy Noodles with Cucumber Salad, and the Korean Fried Chicken Taco. 

Moving into the dinner menu, available from Wednesday to Sunday, our top picks from the starters would have to be the Crab salad with Smoked Salmon complete and the Wild Mushroom and Tofu with Kombu Sauce dish both of which pack a flavour punch!

“This particular dish is composed of mushrooms from Hunter Valley and tofu with a Soy Kombu Sauce that is made with kombu (kelp). The ingredients that make this dish are also from my homeland and the local area.”

Onto the mains, our picks would have to be the King Prawns, the Squid Ink Tagliolini Prawn Pasta, the Duck Leg Confit, and the Pork belly 2 Way.

“The Prawn Pasta is a favourite of my children. This dish went through slight alterations to suit the restaurant by combining squid ink tagliolini, and katsuobushi with the original recipe. I have put my family’s love into this dish.”

You can’t visit CorEat without experiencing dessert, and our choice would have to be the Yuzu Berries, and Matcha Eton Mess or the Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee.  

“For dessert, the Yuzu, Berries, and Matcha Eton Mess is one of the most popular dishes so far. Yuzu tea is one of the most popular citrus teas in South Korea. I bring this tea to Eton Mess for refreshing the taste with fresh vanilla cream.”

Not just focussing on bringing his Korean flavour influences to the food, the drinks menu also features some exciting new flavours including the inclusion of some different types of Korean liquor.

“My Childhood is a cocktail that I made from the combination of a strawberry popsicle, pearl which I enjoyed as a child, and the Korean liquor, soju. It is one of the interesting drinks of our menu that has a special ability of reminding you of childhood memories.

“Another special cocktail on our menu is Seoul Night. It is a drink that was created to express the active and bright nights of South Korea’s capital city, Seoul.”

Experience this truly unique restaurant in Newcastle’s East End and sample the delicious flavours of Sunny Chae’s creations at CorEat.