Spice up your night with sizzling Korean BBQ at Koryo!
Written: Oct 10 '00 (Updated Dec 10 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: delicious food, reasonable cost,
Cons: service could be better, plain decor in main room
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| smiles33's Full Review: Oakland |
Craving kalbi/galbi/Korean short ribs? Or perhaps you love those marinated bean sprouts as I do, asking for second and even third servings of this “panchan” (Korean side dish). Then it’s time to head to a Korean restaurant! One of my favorite Korean restaurants is located on the edge of Oakland and Berkeley, near Telegraph Ave. and 42nd St.
Tucked in a corner of a plaza of mostly Asian American establishments (the Music Box noribong/karaoke, a sushi restaurant, and another Korean restaurant), Koryo Wooden Charcoal BBQ is a step above the typical “hole-in-the-wall” Korean restaurant (think Brother’s Korean restaurant in the City) but not quite the “taking-the-in-laws-out-to-dinner-for-the-first-time” restaurant (something a little more upscale like the Seoul Garden Korean restaurant in Japantown in the City). In fact, Koryo has two faces to it.
The main entrance opens onto a rather plain but acceptable dining area (though there is a large aquarium to the left of the door that seems to only host one lonely fish). The typical rectangular tables and wobbly chairs (where you have to always lean forward or risk rocking back and forth), the overhead vents above each of the larger tables, and the unimaginative décor don’t win points with those who prioritize ambiance in one’s dining experience. But the room to the right is much more distinctive.
What first catches your eye are the three traditional Korean-style tables (read: extremely low tables flanked by tatami mats rather than chairs) on a raised platform, complete with decorative screens. As is the custom, the steps up the platform are littered with shoes, so diners should avoid these tables if one is unwilling to shed shoes or sit on the floor.
There are also a few large tables that look like cross-sections of a very old and very large tree! Groups of 6 or more are likely to be seated in this area. I sat at a table back here when I went to dinner with my fiancé’s family and found it quite unusual. The surface of each “tree table” is varnished smoothly but the edges jut out at curvy angles (imagine a gnarled old oak tree’s asymmetric diameter), so “strategic” diners will find a part that doesn’t jut out so far as to limit access to the grill in the middle of the table!
On to the most important part – THE FOOD!
For those who have not had Korean barbecue before, most meals are eaten family-style and begin with a number of small side dishes known as “panchan” (8-15 small dishes that vary by restaurant but always include a number of different kinds of kimchee dishes--fermented spicy cabbage, daikon, and other vegetables). This is usually followed by a few main courses that tend to be meat-heavy. “Kalbi,” which is short ribs, and “bulgogi” which is thin slices of marinated beef, tend to be staples. The meal is supplemented by steamed white rice, lettuce leaf “cups” and a spicy bean paste to spread in the lettuce cup with rice and meat!
I love panchan, and this is often my test of a good Korean restaurant. The variety, the number, and the quality of panchan helps determine whether I return. Koryo offers a large number of dishes, including my favorite marinated bean sprouts, as well as marinated chilled cucumbers, kimchee (the spicy fermented cabbage often referred to as the Korean national dish), other types of kimchee (like marinated daikon), roasted potatoes, a white gelatinous dish (I don’t know its name, but it’s rectangular, topped with a few sesame seeds, and difficult to pick up with chopsticks), and my fiancé brace33’s favorite, dried anchovies. I love seeing the table completely covered with over a dozen different panchan!
Of course, I also love their kalbi and bulgogi, as the marinated meat is absolutely delicious! Korean marinades typically are soy sauce-based, with a generous dose of garlic. The smell can drive me crazy, especially if I've been waiting long. Luckily, Koryo's does take reservations!
Koryo also offers a number of dishes in addition to the standard fare, but this is the most common meal among most American diners--be they young Korean Americans or non-Korean Americans. For those more open to unique dishes, I know there are some specialties on the menu that may not be as appealing to typical American palates (e.g. tripe, intestine, and octopus).
Other tidbits of food info
Part of the dining experience is cooking the meat yourself at your table with your friends, but one can request that the kitchen do it for you. If you choose to cook, they will bring a mini-grill with hot charcoal briquettes to your table. After turning on the overhead fan, conversation levels must escalate in order to be heard. Not the best venue for a first date. In fact, you may want to avoid cooking if you're set on making a good impression.
This is particularly desirable if you do not like smelling like Korean BBQ for post-dinner activities. Then again, just sitting next to someone cooking their own meat will infuse your clothing with the distinctive smokiness of Korean BBQ.
A caveat to diners visiting Korean restaurants for the first time—meals are usually not as cheap as those at other Asian restaurants. An order of bulgogi which serves one (or two small appetites) is $14.95 and kalbi is $15.95, and most people order at least one meat dish per person. Or, to include a little more variety, when I go with a group of at least 4-5 people, we like to order 2 orders of kalbi, an order of bulgogi, and include other specialties like “jabchae” (a sauteed noodle dish with beef and vegetables - $9.95), “soondubu” (a spicy soft tofu stew with beef and vegetables - $7.95), and “bibimbab” (beef, vegetables, and a fried egg over rice in a hot stone bowl – $8.95).
We rarely order appetizers because they tend to be relatively expensive and we prefer the main courses, but there are plenty of options such as “pa jun” (a “pancake” made with green onions, scallops and oysters that I like in particular - $8.95), “sae woo jun” (pan-fried prawns - $11.95), “mandu” (Korean dumplings similar to Chinese potstickers - $7.95) and “saewoo twigim” (prawns and vegetable tempura - $11.95).
Koryo also offers a very well-priced lunch menu with 15 choices, where kalbi is $7.95 and bulgogi $6.95. I’ve never had lunch here, so I can’t comment on the portion sizes or what else is included (panchan and rice?). Lunch hours are from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and offer the budget-conscious diner the opportunity to feast on Korean BBQ!
The menu is quite extensive and I obviously can’t cover them all. Suffice to say, there are ample choices of broiled, sauteed, stewed, and fried dishes and one can check the menu on Koryo’s website!
Service? What service?
Let me preface this section by stating that I am not a Korean American (though many assume I am because of my facial features and height) and do not speak the language. This colors my experience at most Korean restaurants (excluding those that cater to non-Korean clientele).
In terms of prompt basic service, I have no complaints with the waitresses at Koryo. Most times, the waitresses check in a few minutes after seating us and take our order. The food is served promptly and without much delay. The waitresses also place the first “round” of meat on the grill for us. However, when it comes to requests like extra napkins, a refill on a drink, or an additional order, it becomes a major ordeal catching the attention of someone. After countless entreaties in English, I’ve had to walk up to the serving counter to make a request. I’ve also had friends help themselves to extra napkins or a refill on water after much frustration. Yet this problem never happens when I dine with Korean-speaking friends. They speak in Korean to any passing waitress and the waitresses actually respond with the requested item.
In addition to this benefit, I’ve also learned that Korean-speaking friends also literally get better service. From personal experience and what I’ve been told, Korean-speaking diners are usually offered a free entrée, which my Korean American friends refer to as “service.” At most restaurants, they serve a free soondubu (the spicy tofu stew I mentioned above) or sometimes just free sodas. However, I find that I’m never offered service when I’m unaccompanied by a Korean-speaking friend. So you see, I now try not to go to a Korean restaurant without one of my Korean friends.
You are reading an epinion by smiles33. If it appears under someone else's name, it has been plagiarized! Please report it to Epinions and email me to let me know: smilesesq@yahoo.com. Thanks.
The final verdict
While the meat dishes are not particularly large (the portion is intended to be one serving), the other dishes are enough to feed 2. And when I’m with Korean friends, nothing goes wrong (or is quickly remedied). So I still rank Koryo fairly high with 4 stars. The reasonable cost, the delicious food, the large variety of panchan, and the proximity to Berkeley make it one of my favorite restaurants. The best plan would be to bring friends and try a number of different dishes. Or, as brace33 and I like to do-—order a large amount and just take the leftovers home! The average cost of a meal tends to be between $15-20 per person, depending on how many dishes we order. I highly recommend this restaurant, especially when one can’t get to the restaurants in Los Angeles’ Koreatown!
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Koryo Wooden Charcoal BBQ
4390 Telegraph Ave., #J
Oakland, CA 94609
510-652-6007
www.koryobbq.com
11 a.m. – 2 a.m. 7 days a week
Recommended:
Yes
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