Ahem, Sura. Korean BBQ. The first time I went, we had the Korean BBQ for two, and the amount of meat was a generous two person serving. Pork, chicken and beef, marinated and ready to go on the grill. And if you don't know, Korean BBQ is where you cook your own meat on grill in the middle of the table. The kitchen just provides the meat, the tongs and the sides (salad, miso soup and kimchi in this case). Cooking without chargrilling everything or starting a small oil fire was a bit of a challenge, especially as you wanna keep talking and having a beer with your friend at the same time. Luckily the wait staff seem to keep an eye on you. The food was excellent, even if I cooked it myself.
The second time I went was just the other day. My friends had lived in Korean for a good period of time, and were used to Korean cuisine, and wanted to get the dishes and flavours they were used to as a reminder of that time. The ability to order off the menu with well pronouced Korean help endear them to the staff. As did the offer of dried squid treats from the local Korean supermarket.
Two of us went for the the Dolsot Seasac Bibimbop. This is a selection of vegetables and small slices of beef and sprouts, topped with an egg, served on rice in a baking hot stone dish. The amount of beef was minimal (I had to ask later if I'd ordered a vegeterian option), but the action of the hot dish crisped the rice on the bottom, and mixing in the vegetables made for a tasty, filling dish. The sprouts were alfalfa sprouts, not bean sprouts as I'd have expected. But that's just the difference between imagining what your going to get and actually getting it.
My other friend ordered a Tofu and Chicken Jijigae, a hearty stew, slightly spicy served in another baking hot stone dish. This came with a side of rice as well. I tasted a small amount and it wouldn't have been added to my wish list for future visits, but the other two liked it well enough.
We also shared a Seafood Jeon, which is a Korean style of pancake. This was baked with clams, various vegetables and shrimp, and was fantastic. Would be a great bar snack, or small plate appy with a good beer. We were also served a variety of pickles and kimchi. The kimchi isn't very spicy or garlicy, and I've been told the best in town is at Saigon Nights (a Vietnamese restaurant...). But these are nice to flavour up your food. We also got plenty of hot jasmine tea to wash it all down with. Would be nice to be left the pot behind.
The place was buzzing, and we had to wait a few minutes to get a table. A lot of the clintele are (I believe) foreign students, and judging by the waiter chatting to them, a lot from Korea. Normally a good sign. But then hundreds of people eat in MacDonalds, and it's not a good sign for a traditional North American burger, so I'd take that with a pinch of salt. What it does mean is that restaurnat has a great buzz about it, with chat, the sizzle of BBQ'd meat and the steam coming of the stews and soups running out of the kitchen.
No music to drown you out, or soak up the ambient sound. Seating is one of several booths or big long tables to really group together. The rest of the decor is pretty spartan (except for plenty of extraction hoods to get cooking smoke of the BBQ), but the focus here is the eating, the communal experience of BBQ-ing or sharing dishes.
Final Bill :
Dolsot Seasac Bibimbop - $11.95 (x2)
Seafood Jeon - $8.95
Chicken and Tofu Jijigae - $9.95.
Total ~ $45 including Tax.
Location : 1696 Douglas Street
Telephone : (250) 385-7872
Website : None
Telephone : (250) 385-7872
Website : None
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