Chris A.
Yelp
I now have a new favorite KBBQ restaurant. I had only known the king of Orlando KBBQ for a long time, and I thought it was amazing, no reason to branch out. But then this place dropped a bomb with an amazing Bite 30 menu this year, and THEN they got mentioned in the inaugural Orlando Michelin guide. Hype, hype, hype.
So, being one of the top menus, I had to check it out. Here we go.
Apps:
Goon Mandu (your choice of beef handmade beef and chive dumplings or savory cabbage and mushroom dumplings). Super crispy, not oily, and there were four of them. Packed to the brim with beef. Very delicious and appreciated.
Teokbokki (Korean rice cakes simmered in a sweet and spicy sauce with bulgogi onions and fishcake). I had not had this before. Soft gnocchi-like rice dumplings just soaking in an amazing sauce (save the sauce for the rest of the meal). A little sprinkling of bulgogi meat on top, very nice app.
Mains:
BBQ (your choice of pork or chicken to cook at the table). Of course. The reason we're all here. So much pork, and a thing of white rice, and six amazing banchan(s?), and a bunch of lettuce leaves to make wraps. I think the quality of the meat was better than the top KBBQ dog in Orlando. Tell me what you think, but this was fun and it was a lot of stuff for a discounted menu event. Much appreciated.
Dolsot Bibimbap (a mix of zucchini, daikon, carrots, bean sprouts and shiitake mushrooms with beef bulgogi and a fried egg on top of a bed of rice in a sizzling hot stone pot). I am obsessed with bibimbap. And this was a good bibimbap. That rice on the bottom of the stone pot was extra crispy, and I was there for it.
I find that bibimbap is so fresh and ingredient-forward that it lends itself very friendly to sauces. So save that dumpling sauce, save that teokbokki sauce, and utilize that spicy sauce that's on the table. Very fun.
Baesuk (a honey poached pear stuffed with ginger cinnamon jujubes and pine nuts). This was a perfect example of a non-American not-too-sweet dessert. Fresh fruit with a slight sweetness and a great broth and awesome texture from the pine nuts. If you've never had a dessert like this, I recommend trying it.
Hotteok (a Korean rice flour pancake filled with toasted nuts, cinnamon brown sugar, and brown butter). This was interesting, too. A fluffy, cinnamonty pancake with a blob of vanilla ice cream and some chocolate and caramel syrups to set it off nicely.
I also ordered a separate Sikhye (a traditional sweet Korean rice beverage, in addition to its liquid it contains grains of cooked rice). This was nice. Almost like an horchata, but with rice at the bottom. Bizarre, for sure, but once I got used to it, it was lovely. Definitely get this instead of a boring soda.
Overall, this was probably the most bang for my buck I have ever gotten at a Bite 30 restaurant. Quantity and quality wise. No telling how much profit they lost out on, but they gained a customer for life. Will be back. Will bring people will me to introduce them to this wonderful place.