Korean Barbecue

Reviews 3

A

A Private User

upon arriving, my boyfriend and i were greeted by a hostess and seated. a single waitress was on duty and had a handful of tables, ours included. we waited 10 minutes in conversation before the waitress arrived to take our drink order, and she hurried off before we could get out our choices for the entree. just then another couple was seated immediately behind us. when she returned we informed her of our choices and she proceeded to take the order of the couple just seated. another 10 minutes go by, and we see the newer table getting appetizers and salads! finally our meal arrived and once she set it down i realized that the "homemade korean sides" that are supposed to come with korean dishes had yet to make an appearance. we wanted to wait for the server to return to inquire about this, but she never came back to check on us. so my date got up, walked to the hostess area, picked up a menu and brought it back to the table to confirm the sides that were supposed to come with the meal. when we STILL didnt get our waitress, he got up a second time to confront the hostess and the sushi chefs. after receiving the sides we tried to eat the food that we ordered, which was flavorless in one dish, and the other was not very appetizing (besides the sauce), my boyfriend didnt touch the rest of his meal after the first bite. the server came back to our area to check on the couple behind us, but turned on her heel without checking in with us at all. my date called out, "maam!" to get her attention. she whipped around to see what he wanted. he then told her that we would like our check, as we were not satisfied with the food. she made no acknowledgment to his comment about the quality of the meal and confirmed with him that he wanted the check. noticing she didnt address the reason he gave for wanting the check, he said to her, "yes, we would like the check because we are not satisfied with our meals at all." she returned with the check for the full amount of the bill. my date then requested to speak to the manager. when the manager approached us, my boyfriend explained that the service that we had gotten up to that point was unacceptable and that the server failed to bring our food in a timely manner, that she neglected to bring the side dishes, that she did not bother to ask how we were doing or whether we were enjoying our food, and that he felt we should not have to pay for food we didnt enjoy or eat. unfortunately the manager spoke little to no english, and much of what he said was lost on her. she proceeded to say something along the lines of, "but you asked for your check so we brought you your check." as if to say, irrespective of your complaint, because you asked for your check we expect you to pay for the meal and service. when he refused and began to tell her that it was not in her best interest to make unsatisfied customers pay for their meals, she called over the waitress to translate. she echoed the managers comments, but turned to ME, who had been silent in the entire ordeal, with each response to my boyfriends complaints. my date jumps in and tells her she is missing the point. why would we pay for something that we didnt eat or enjoy, and that he felt he should not have to pay for it. to this she said to ME, "but wed rather lose your business." this is what she says to customers complaining about the food and service of her establishment in front of a restaurant of paying customers. it was unreal. the manager finally conceded and we left without paying a cent. this was a long story, but if the establishment you choose to visit sends a CLEAR message that they would rather have you pay for terrible service and food and let you walk out of their doors never to return, instead of rectifying a problem to keep your business and see you come back, then they have no business in the customer service industry. period. -A. B.

MA

Matt Uhlman

We heard about "Korean BBQ" when a friend told us about a solid new spot that sold "Korean BBQ". While Im used to Asian inspired restaurant names begging us to reminisce about China town in any big city, the simple and straight forward name here lets me know they understand their audience. No nonsense, plays on words or double entendre, just straight to the point - MERICA style. They do indeed serve Korean BBQ here and while its only a small subsection of the menu, its why we go and why were excited theyre here! Up entering youre greeted by a small pond with a small bridge going over it. I imagine it has something to do with good luck and we were happy to cross said bridge. Wide enough for passage with a baby in tow for those going with little chilluns. If youre pond averse, there is safe passage around the bridge via the linoleum floor. Two main dining areas are at your disposal, the first for general dining, but you want the back room where the BBQ is set up! For those who havent had Korean BBQ yet, its fabulous! A large cast iron grill is placed above dancing flames and you cook the meat they bring out yourself. Pair with grilled veggies and plenty of flavorful accompaniments, and you got yourself a legit meal! The Bul-go-gi (read: delicious marinated beef) is some of the best weve had in years and when paired with veggies, rice and soup (the egg drop is boss!), you got yourself a solid meal and dinner conversation over how best to cook said meat. We had a couple other pork and beef offerings and both were good, but neither compared to the Bulgogi. Youre required to order at least two orders of meat for the BBQ and we found that one order was about right to feed one person. The menu is pretty extensive and if the restaurant we to be named based on all offerings, it would probably be something like "Pan-Asian + Korean BBQ" given the importance of highlighting the fact that theyre the only place in the area that has the BBQ offering. Standard beer offerings with a couple Chinese, Japanese and Korean choices, very nice and helpful wait staff and, for those partaking in the BBQ, very large booths for big groups (or a place for the kiddos car seat). Dinner with drinks ran about $20 per person and we left very satisfied and with some good stories and pictures of the occasion. Overall, were excited this place is here as it offers an additional choice to the ever growing offerings in the Iowa City area. Well worth checking out!

SA

Sam Abba

tonight i had easily one of the worst food service experiences ever. i came in specifically to get their hot stone rice dish. This is VERY hugely advertised by the establishment. Its called "Bi bim bap". ive had it a dozen times before and its delicious. However, tonight the dish came out literally 30 seconds after i ordered it.... like uncomfortably quick. in a way that leads me to believe i was given an old order that sat in a window waiting for someone else to order the same thing and recover effort and cost. The bowl was not even close to hot nor was the food in the bowl cooked in any way, including the rice which is supposed to crisp along the sides of the hot stone while it sits in front of you. This rice, however, was so goopy that it just got more and more mushy. the vegetables were raw. the egg that comes on the dish was rubbery it was so overcooked. Not to mention the yolk was gone. not as in it was overcooked gone, as in it was literally not there. all i got on to of a bunch of raw vegetables on top of the wettest, nastiest rice ive ever had, it was a ring of overcooked, rubbery egg white with absolutely no yolk. i frequent this place at least once a month but considering how awful, and i mean disgustingly displeasing this meal was i dont think ill ever return. please change your ways and become more consistent so i can enjoy this establishment again.