Nikhil R.
Yelp
I think I finally found the best Korean barbecue here in Utah. The experience at this restaurant from start to finish was incredible.
We came here after a strenuous hike and tennis session, so we were extremely hungry and ready for some food.
You can join the waitlist on yelp on the day of your visit, so make sure you do that when you are close to here! We were quickly seated within five minutes of arriving.
One part that I really appreciated was that the staff continually checked on us throughout our meal so that we could order more dishes. They also kept our waters full to the brim at all times! Customer service was perfect.
Now for the appetizers and side dishes. As soon as you sit down, you have a small variety of banchan (sides). You get a sweet soy sauce, a spicy Sambal sauce, and salt. You also get kimchi, spicy cucumber, and pickled radishes.
The dipping sauces were all perfect and exactly what I needed. Make sure to ask for a bottle of sesame oil! The real trick is pouring the sesame oil in the dipping container that has just salt. The sesame oil and salt combination is unbelievable.
The kimchi was great. Not too fermented, and the balance of sweet and spicy and tartness was in exact proportions. The spicy cucumber was fine and what we expected. My favorite however, was the pickled radishes. These were sweet and crunchy, and we ordered an extra bowl of those during our meal.
We ordered some other appetizers of plain rice, japchae (sweet potato noodles), garlic and japenos, lettuce wraps, and Korean fried chicken. The japchae was very flavorful and warm and filled with thinly sliced veggies. The Korean fried chicken was nicely fried pieces of dark meat covered in a sweet and spicy sauce. The freshly sliced garlic and jalapeños are excellent to throw on the grill throughout your meal to have a strong bite of flavor whenever you want to change it up.
We then get to the meats.
We started off with the prime boneless beef steak. This steak was pretty fast to cook after we cut it up, and it was so tender, fatty, and juicy. It didn't need any dipping sauces, however we were able to nicely enjoy the different sauces with it.
Next came the beef brisket. This is a staple of any Korean barbecue experience. The beef brisket also had a good balance of fat and meat, and the way it cooks allows for a lot of sauce to cling to it when you dip it. It was excellent in a lettuce wrap with some pickled veggies and rice.
Next we ordered beef belly and pork belly. The pork belly was really fatty and melted in your mouth as you ate it. However, the real star of the entire meal was the beef belly. It had the same flavor as beef brisket, however this was much fattier and much more juicy! It barely requires any effort to eat it! I would order this on its own and be so happy.
We finished off our meats by ordering galbi (marinated short ribs) and beef bulgogi. Galbi was excellent - super tender and so much flavor from the marinade. The bulgogi also really nice, as the marinade denatured all of the proteins of the meat, allowing it to break apart with just the slightest touch.
The last item on their menu is called papico, which is like a chocolate ice cream that is inside a plastic container. It was really fun trying something I had never tried before, and this Korean chocolate ice cream was a fun experience. You have to try to bite the plastic container to get the ice cream.
The all you can eat option at this place is $31.99, or you can order items à la carte. Personally, the all you can eat option is the best value since you can have the most variety.
I absolutely love this Korean barbecue place, and it easily takes the number one spot for the several places I've been to here in Utah. Yes, this is not technically in Salt Lake City, rather in Midvale, however it is a short 15 minute drive from downtown Salt Lake City, and it is worth it.