SUPERSTAR BBQ

London, UK

SuperStar BBQ is a Korean restaurant off Tottenham Court Road, a newly up and coming culinary destination with a high density of good quality Asian eateries. With so much choice nearby, new restaurants have to ensure they stand out from the crowd, and SuperStar BBQ does just that. As you walk past the huge glass walls, you are drawn in by a myriad of suspended sparkly lights, into a contemporary, yet cosy dining space. My co-blogger and I were seated in a spacious booth with a stove integrated into the table. We were both starving, and more than ready to get on with some cooking. We started off with some Korean beers, and had a quick glance at the menu. I am a sucker for KFC (Korean Fried Chicken, not the other one), so I obviously opted for Set Menu 2 which starts off with some spicy and crispy pieces of chicken. This was followed by a range of cold kimchi plates and an absolutely amazing glass noodle vegetable stir fry. The sesame and soy flavours that this dish brought forward was a great hint at what we could expect in terms of marinades for the meat. With generous helpings of sides and Korean pancakes, our stomachs did not have enough space for what was to come.

With two types of beef, chicken, pork and vegetables, there was a lot to go through. The waitress who brought all of these delectable little plates was friendly and not overly attentive, and we were to a certain extent left to our own devices when it came to the barbecuing. As the FoodGrid consists of two individuals who rarely cook, I was worried about how this meal would unfold. I asked the waitress the slightly silly question of 'how do we know when the meat is ready?' and she seemed puzzled as if they do not get that question very often. Fortunately, ever single piece of meat I grilled turned out to be juicy and tender, probably more thanks to the amazing marinade and the fresh quality of the meat, than my own skills. Placing the various meats on the sizzling plate, we wrapped the pieces one by one into crisp lettuce leafs, and selected one of the many sauces to go with it. Because of this, I didn't realise how full I really was until the last dishes of miso soup and bibimbap were brought out. This is a place where you get small portions, but certainly not a small amount of food. The dining experience was social and interactive, not to mention tasty. SuperStar BBQ is a perfect place to bring a first date or even a work contact, as the noise level is good, which makes it an ideal place to have a conversation. The fact that it is also an entertaining way of eating is a savior if the conversation were ever to halt. When visiting this restaurant, come prepared, come hungry and with enough time to really make a night out of this meal. 

www.superstarbbq.co.uk

We were invited to review SuperStar BBQ, and the opinions expressed are our own.

SPIT & ROAST

London, UK

Spit and Roast manages to satisfy two cravings I almost always have; a craving for a good burger and for fried chicken. In London, burgers are all over its food grid, but when it comes to fried chicken, it still remains a rarity to come across that excellent piece of juicy and crispy poultry. This is not say there aren't any good places serving fried chicken; it’s just not as common as finding a good burger, which makes the experience of finding a place that perfects it ever the more precious and enjoyable. Enter Spit and Roast, which I had the pleasure of trying on one of my lunch breaks from work at my new favorite eating spot in London: the Kerb food market in Granary Square. The Kerb is also home to The Grilling Greek, and the previous home of Bleecker Street Burger, both of which have been reviewed on the Food Grid. It was a sunny Wednesday, and arriving at the Kerb the queue stretched quite far back, but I happily waited eager to try the food emerging from the van with the longest line. Thirty minutes later, I ordered their classic and most famous dish, the fried chicken bap alongside an order of French fries, naturally. Ready within five minutes, I rushed to find a place to sit and dig in. The burger not only looks delicious, it tastes amazing. The fried buttermilk chicken is tender, crispy and just the right amount of oily, complemented with their crunchy slaw and Korean hot sauce, making this burger a fusion burger I suppose. With the summer season upon us, I have no doubt the lines ahead of Spit and Roast will keep getting longer, but I will gladly wait to have another one of their delicious fried chicken baps. 

www.kerbfood.com/traders/spit-roast

BUDDAKAN

New York, USA

Buddakan is a staple Asian fusion restaurant in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. The last time I went I was very last minute with my bookings and only got a late night table. I don’t mind though, as the restaurant almost has a nightclub vibe, and the place probably works best in the evenings. The huge restaurant covers two floors, with high ceilings and a grand communal table in the centre downstairs. Candelabras and gilded books decorate the spaces, with patterned screens in the upstairs dining areas. Buddakan draws a fashionable crowd, and was the site for Carrie and Mr. Big's rehearsal dinner in the Sex and the City film. I showed up in dirty converse and soaked clothes from the rain, so I was very casual compared to the girls in dresses and heels. I arrived straight from a dinner at Ippudo, so I was not very hungry. We only had dim sum, which I might have preferred either way. The main courses at Buddakan are very good, but not too dissimilar from dishes in your average China Town restaurant. Their brilliant small dishes are what really stand out. The steamed truffled edamame dumplings are an absolute must. They have such a creamy and filling texture. One day I want to go there and just order five portions of those. We also tried a range of shellfish and pork dim sum dishes. Another impressive dish was the hirata buns with glazed pork belly. I am quite picky with pork, as sometimes it has a flavour that I really don’t like. Buddakan executed it perfectly though, and I would urge people to try it if you visit. We asked the waiter to recommend one thing, and he suggested the Tuna Tartare Spring Roll. This was actually my least favourite dish, and we didn’t finish it. Buddakan is quite upscale and might seem a bit pretentious, but the prices are not bad considering the standard of the food. I would definitely go back, though I'd try to be more appropriately dressed for the occasion than I was this time.   

75 9th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

TWO PLUS

When in Korea, do as the Koreans do. So it’s fair to say that on my latest trip to Seoul I overdosed on Korean BBQ, it is just common sense to do so! Korean BBQ in Seoul is very popular and quite standard, where most joints offer the usual Bulgogi, which are strips of marinated beef, as well as Galbi that are either pork or beef ribs. Such a set up along with the usual trimmings of Kimchi (fermented vegetables), Japchae (stir fried potato noodles) and Gyeran Jim (steamed egg casserole) are what one usually expects along with a lot of Soju and Beer. Two Plus on the other hand provided a completely different experience, which was quite a relief, as after 10 days in Seoul I wanted to shake things up a little. Located in the posh Sinsa-dong province in Gangnam, Two Plus is a modern take on a traditional Korean BBQ restaurant with a very cosmopolitan vibe, and a rather westernized ambience. What’s special about Two Plus is that instead of only offering the typical meat selection one will find at any BBQ place, the have their specialty Aged Striploin. The Striploin at Two Plus happens to be 1++ Hanwoo grade beef (the highest for beef), thus the name Two Plus. Top-grade hanwoo is Korea’s counterpart to Japan’s wagyu. It was therefore obvious what we ordered. The meat, which arrived raw, was thick, juicy and generous in its portions. We were a party of 6 and hence ordered 6 steaks at 150 grams a piece. Once on the grill we each cooked our own steak to our liking. I cooked parts of mine to rare, and some to medium rare. The taste was merely that of quality, it undoubtedly rivals wagyu beef, which makes me think: Why is wagyu so much more popular? The meat melted in my mouth and was un-spoilt with any sauces or condiments, pure decadence. Words cannot do this beef justice. Along with many bottles of Soju and Beer this was by far the best Korean BBQ I have had in Seoul.      

Yeyoung Bldg. 532-9 Sinsadong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

KIMCHEE

Kimchee is a huge Korean restaurant in Holborn, with an equally extensive menu. After queuing for a short while in their cosy garden-like waiting area, we were seated by the window bar. The interior reminds me of the Busaba Eathai chain; sleek but not too authentic-looking. The waiter was ready to take our orders immediately even though you need a good 10 minutes to even get your head around the large selection of dishes. We started with fermented cabbage kimchee, which I am still not convinced that I managed to make myself like, but from what I can judge I think it was a pretty good one. We shared everything, and went for the Yang Yeum fried chicken in chilli sauce. I already knew I liked this from Han Kang, and even though it was quite different here, I loved it. It is a tad spicy, so it’s good to have some white rice on the side to calm it down. Another successful dish was the Marinated Rib Eye with garlic and sesame oil. It also came with an amazing red sauce that tasted like miso paste. The Soft Shell Crab didn’t impress me, but this was perhaps due to the fact that I was starting to get quite full by then. The Pa Jeon seafood pancake was ok, but again not spectacular. The thing that I was the most excited about, Portobello Mushroom with garlic and sesame, didn’t taste of anything at all. It was a meal of ups and downs, but I do think I would go there again now that I’ve ruled out some things that I won’t order. 

71 High Holborn, Loncon WC1V 6EA

HAN KANG

In the little alley that also houses Hakkasan lies a small Korean restaurant called Han Kang. I was introduced to it a few years ago, and it was a very welcome addition to local restaurants near my university. I’ve been there quite a few times, but only recently did I discover an amazing dish, their fried chicken. Turns out Koreans really know how to do it well. Only a little bit spicy, and crispy and soft at the same time. Make sure you order the wings and not the nuggets though, as the nuggets are a bit squishy. Some of the typical Korean dishes, such as Bi Bim Bap are flavourless aside from the chilli sauce, and too healthy-tasting for my liking, so I tend to go pick whatever seems the greasiest from the menu. The fried seafood pancake is a hit, and everything is better alongside the house hot sake. Downstairs are karaoke rooms with K-Pop, which indicates that this restaurant is authentic enough to be popular among London’s Korean society. Each table has an integrated hot plate where the waiters cook thin slices of meat from the BBQ menu. However, I’ve found that if I order anything from the barbeque and I am not accompanied by any Korean friends, they just cook it in the kitchen, which takes away from the experience a little. The flavour is still as great and fresh though. Han Kang does cheap lunch deals, and the prices overall are very fair for the quality of this restaurant.  It’s always busy at dinner time, so I recommend booking if you are in a large group.

 16 Hanway Street, London W1T 1UE

SUSHI HIROBA

A fusion of Japanese and Korean sushi, this Holborn restaurant feels very authentic from the moment you enter. The dark interior furnishings are definitely not current, but enough effort has been put in for you to be transported out of London. The downstairs karaoke also contributes to this genuine Asian vibe. We decided to sit down by the sushi bar, and only sampled dishes from there. The conveyor belt items range from £ 2.20 to £ 5.30, and students receive a 10 % discount. The standard sushi and maki bites of any sushi bar are there, but I also saw a lot of interesting little dishes I haven’t seen before. Some of the most unfamiliar ones I let roll past. Their unusual rendition of the Prawn Nigiri was topped with yellow cheese seemingly identical to that of McDonald’s. I particularly enjoyed the Salmon Avocado Maki with fish roe. The house red wine is not to be recommended, go for one of the Japanese beers instead. Sushi Hiroba is not the place to go if you are looking for healthy, low-calorie sushi. Most of the platters have mayo, sour cream, cheese or some other sauce lathered over it. I didn’t get that light, almost-full feeling that I often get after eating sushi, but that’s not always a bad thing. 

50-54 Kingsway, Holborn, London WC2B 6EP