Seoul BBQ & Sushi is a Korean Restaurant that is located at 593 Hartford Road in New Britain, CT.

As I went into the establishment, the waiters and waitresses cheerfully greeted and seated me at one of their tables. All the tables in the restaurant contained grills in the center of them. The waitress offered me Boricha, Korean barley tea, which is considered to be a well-known alternative of water in Korea. Boricha simply consists of roasted barley, which is a cereal grain, and water. Even though I personally felt like it wasn’t my cup of tea (technically it was) the Boricha had a pleasant sweet scent and taste to it. I would definitely recommend that those who love tea should try Boricha.

Mark Moon, who is the manager of Seoul BBQ, offered me Gun-Mandu (Homemade Deep Fried Dumpling) as an appetizer. The dumplings were very crispy and tasted absolutely delightful with the dumpling sauce.

The waitress brought about fourteen side dishes that came with my meat order and the Buchu Jeon (Leek Pancake) to my table. The appetizers were served in tiny plates and ranged from small vegetables to short amounts of seafood and much more. The flavor and layout of the Buchu Jeon is similar it an omelet and had quite a delectable factor to it.

After I savored the flavors of these dishes, the waitress returned with Galbi and Bulgogi (types of beef) so she could cook them on the grill Korean style. Before she started to cook the meat, the waitress gave me a chopstick helper which was an invention to help those who have trouble using chopsticks to eat their meals. I accepted this offer and the chopstick helper definitely did its job. The waitress placed the sets of Galbi and Bulgogi onto the grill and they immediately began to sizzle. The sound of the cooking beef was satisfying to my ears and the aroma was remarkable.

When the waitress served me the cooked Galbi and Bulgogi, I was impressed with how it looked. By simply gazing at the meat, I could already tell it was going to be tender with its smoky brown color and texture. The moment I tasted the Korean beef was the moment I could remember most specifically. The meat was so sweet, juicy, tender, and most importantly, unique. I’ve tried various types of meat at several different restaurants in my life, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never tried meat that had this particular flavor at any other restaurant. This fact alone makes Seoul BBQ special, especially in New Britain.

Seoul BBQ not only serves dishes that are in the Korean cuisine, but the Japanese cuisine as well. I had made two orders of sushi. One order was for Ikura (Red fish eggs) and the other was the Kimchi Roll which consisted of: kimchi, avocado, egg, tomato, and masago (Capelin fish eggs). As I chewed the Ikura sushi, I could feel the fish eggs popping in my mouth and releasing an enjoyable salty flavor. As for the Kimchi Roll, it was a beautiful Korean and Japanese fusion that balanced the tastes of spicy and salty.

Lastly, the waitress offered me a cup of Sikhye (Korean Rice Punch) for dessert. The drink actually contained cooked rice at the bottom of the cup. As I took a sip of the Sikhye, I immediately received a sweet taste that reminded me of rice pudding and sticky rice. The drink was very delightful and I honestly preferred it over the Boricha.

Seoul BBQ is a restaurant that CCSU students should visit to gain experience of the Korean and Japanese cuisine as well as learning about their culture. From the great customer service and hospitality demonstrated by the kind servers to the delectable dishes, Seoul BBQ is a great restaurant overall and can interest customers who are curious about tasting Korean food. So if there are any CCSU students that never tried Korean or Japanese food before, Seoul BBQ is an excellent choice to start with.