Korean BBQ involves cooking cuts of meat (often marinated) over a charcoal (or gas) flame and then dipping them into various sauces. My favourite sauce is a reddish bean type of sauce which goes especially well with pork belly. Generally, the idea is to cook the meat, cut into little pieces, wrap with lettuce (or eat with lettuce pieces), dip into sauce and voila.
There’s probably an art to this type of cooking but I’m definitely no expert and I think each to their own. If the grill is a charcoal type flame the only way to control the heat is where you place the meat. Place it in the centre for the highest heat and then move it to the side when you want to slow cook or just keep it warm. My cooking strategy depends a bit on the cut of meat but in general I will cook the entire piece until it is about 70% ready, and then cut it into smaller pieces so it can cook faster. If it is beef however, I prefer to just sear it for about 30 seconds each side rather than cook it through. Lastly, if you have mushrooms, leave the mushrooms in a cup like manner so they fill up with a healthy soup!
In Brisbane, there are so many different places to eat Korean BBQ and we are a little spoilt for choice. Today, we decided to try Hong Depot for some Korean BBQ, located in West End opposite Siam Samrarn. The place is quite modern and quite funky with a steam punk type of style. The 2 fire towers in the middle along with the charcoal grill is perfect for a cold Winters night. We settled for the 30 dollar combination set per person (min. 2 people) and some kimchi soup. The wagyu was really a treat and although not stuffed, we were quite full. Overall, the place is laid out nice, the service is pretty good and the meat is above average. I think there is a place in the CBD which has all you can eat korean bbq for $30 each which may be better value, but with the quality of the meat and the funky layout it is definitely worth a second visit.
Food: 8.5/10
Service: 8.5/10
The Ambitious Truth 