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Have fun at BBQ
(bestfoodinchina.net)
Updated: 2008-09-12 17:31
Eating at a Korean barbeque restaurant is always a lot of fun. At this restaurant you can have either one. Each table has a ventilated hood over a cavity in the middle where briquettes are placed and covered by a grill. Diners order raw entrees, vegetables and various side dishes called Banchan and get to cook them right at their own table. Here English is not spoken but the menu has pictures and an English description making navigation reasonably easy. We met the owner Mr. Bai, a 28 year veteran of the food industry, who spent several years in Japan learning and refining his own version of Korean/Japanese fusion cuisine. His knowledge of the proper cuts of meat assures a tasty tender barbeque. His two floor restaurant also has an open kitchen with a giant griddle (presumably to make Jeon, a fried Korean pancake) and open barbeque pits for grilling skewered meat or eel brochettes, broiled whole mackerel and broiled salmon head among other things. Korean tea was a new experience for me here. I was told it was a “wheat” tea, though with research I think what we had was a roasted barley tea. Barley is a grain staple of Korean food that goes way back because rice was not an indigenous crop until its relatively recent introduction along with more modern farming techniques. My first impression was almost of a salt-less beef broth: a robust brew that I enjoyed. We had a generous sampling from the large menu including very thin slices of fresh ox tongue and beef sirloin (neither one marinated save for a squeeze of lemon Mr. Bai dressed them with just before grilling) and what I believe was scored and marinated short ribs wrapped around a bone and cut into bit-sized pieces at the table with large scissors (traditionally Korean). As this was family-style dining these tender cuts arrived carefully arraigned on a large platter in concentric circles like a giant open flower—nice presentation. Taking only seconds to cook on the grill, these morsels are dipped in sauces and wrapped in lettuce leaves. The sauces included soy sauce, a mild chili sauce, clarified butter and a salty yellow bean/garlic/soy sauce/chili condiment. Of the many possible Banchan we had scoops of potato salad, whole raw garlic cloves, Kim chi, preserved pickle and raw salmon. The Kim chi and preserved pickle (in this case turnip) are signature Korean food. Basically brined cabbage, turnips or radish (variations abound) and red pepper powder, ginger, garlic, salt, onion, fish sauce or anchovy are mixed and allowed to ferment and pickle. Delicious! We also had broiled mackerel, the skin crispy with tender flavorful white meat accompanied by sesame seeds and ground red pepper for dipping and two hot soups. One was spicy beef soup Korean style made with transparent noodles in an orange chili broth and the other a traditional less spicy yellow bean-based soup with mushrooms, leaks, garlic and a little meat, both satisfying. The kitchen delivered a plate of fried glass noodles with beef and veggies much like a chow mien and quite good—I kept going back for more. Beef stomach (yes Mom I’m eating offal in China) cut decoratively and looking a bit like oysters were interesting, quite chewy with a smoky earthy flavor. A note to the more adventurous: since I’ve been in China, I’ve tried quite a few new foods including ox tongue, testicles, donkey meat, eel, and frog, most of which I would try again. We finished with a traditional North Korean cold soup made with buckwheat noodles, beef slices, cucumber, cabbage and apple slices in a tangy salty and fruity iced broth, garnished with hard boiled egg. Curiously addictive. Great food at reasonable prices, Korean hot pot and barbeque and the fun of family and friends cooking it up right at the table add up to a unique and satisfying dining experience. Check it out! Yi Fan Shi Dai BBQ Restaurant |
