Tanlu Grill

Cook-at-your-table Asian BBQ - we all seen it in one form or another in the Lower Mainland.  From the classic Korean BBQ to Japanese Yakiniku spots, there is no shortage of grilling your dinner restaurants.  However, most, if not all of these places feature propane-fuelled BBQ setups.  Nothing wrong with that, but on a recent visit to a charcoal grill in Richmond, I noticed that the intense head from the coals added more charring, caramelization and smokiness.  With that, I was excited to try out Tanlu Grill located in Central at Garden City also in Richmond.

Before we even ordered, we were presented with a selection of Banchan.  It included kimchi, fish cake, stewed potato, celery and pickled daikon.  We also found a green salad as well as romaine for wrapping the grilled meat.  The one item that was a bit different was the potatoes as it featured whole baby potatoes that were soft and coated with a sweet glaze.  They brought the flaming coals to our table and as you can see, it was ready for some grilling.  We appreciated that the exhaust was adjustable and really did a great job in preventing smoke from getting everywhere.

We ordered some meats to cook on the BBQ and the best of the bunch was the Royal Marinated Galbi.  Due to the intense heat from the coals, we had to keep a close eye on the meat as the sugars started to burn.  Once we got into a rhythm, the was completely caramelized and had an intense smokiness that created a flavour bomb of umami, meatiness and a sweet savouriness.  Moreover, the meat was super tender, yet still retained that classic short rib chew.

Going for another cut of beef, we chose the Sea Salt Marinated Beef Rib Fingers.  For those who don't know, this is the meat found in between the ribs.  Hence, they were rather fatty and are also meaty in texture.  When cooked on the charcoal grill, these seared up nicely due to the fat and hence, there was some smoky char.  There was enough marinade for the rib finger meat to stand on its own.  However, we had Tanlu House Dipping Trifecta at the table.  Also, we had bean paste, garlic and peppers to compliment the lettuce wrap.

One of the best values on the menu is the Pork Platter consisting of pork jowl, marinated pork shoulder, pork belly and pork sausage for $50.00.  The large slices of pork jowl were fatty and crisped up on the grill.  Despite not being marinated, the pork jowl was meaty and aromatic from the fat.  Pork belly was fatty, but rendered well on the grill and was delicious when wrapped in the romaine with the bean paste.  Due to the sugar content of the marinade, the pork shoulder had intense caramelization and smokiness.  It was also super tender and juicy.  As for the sausages, they had a nice snap while the meat was firm with a nice rebound texture.  They were sweet and full of umami.

We got some non-BBQ dishes to compliment our meal.  Served cold, the Beef Shank marinated in chili oil had a noted spiciness.  There was no shortage of thick slices of tender beef shank.  Normally, we would find thinner slices, but due to the robust nature of the chilis, the meat was able to stand up to the spice.  With slices of crunchy cucumber added to the mix, we had both texture and a refreshing bite to balance out the chilis.

Bubbling hot, the Dolset Bulgogi Bibimbap was plenty saucy.  As such, it didn't develop a socarrat (rice crust) despite the scorching hot stone bowl.  Despite that, the amount of sauce did not degrade the texture of the rice.  It was still chewy and was a good textural foil to the buttery soft beef.  With the sauce reducing in the hot bowl, it became intensely sweet with some balancing savouriness.  

When the plate of Japchae first arrived at our table, we were a little concerned with the excess moisture on the plate.  It may have been due to the ample mushrooms and spinach.  However, after a bit of time, most of the moisture was absorbed by the potato starch noodles and the dish wasn't any worse off.  The noodles were still al dente with a gelatinous chew while completely seasoned with an impactful sweetness.  Loved the crunch from the big pieces of woodear mushroom and the butteriness of the mushrooms.  Spinach was not overdone being still vibrant with an appealing colour.

At the end of our meal, we were presented with Marshmallows on skewers.  Yep, we were able to toast our marshmallows over the hot coals.  This was such a treat as it created a smoky and crispy crust that gave way to a melty and silky sweet centre.  Overall, we enjoyed out meal at Tanlu.  It cannot be overstated that the charcoal grill makes all the difference in the world.  The heat is more intense and it helps add depth through smokiness and caramelization.  Pro tip - do not over order on the meat as it is quite filling.  You can always order more as you go.

*Partial credit for this meal*

The Good:
- Charcoal makes a big difference in terms of smokiness and caramelization
- Good quality meats
- Excellent exhaust

The Bad:
- A bit too much moisture in the rice and noodle dishes 

 

HAAN Korean BBQ (AYCE)

I've been to Haan Korean BBQ in the past and it was a good experience.  Now, they have something that is a bit different.  They are doing AYCE (All-You-Can-Eat), yet not in the conventional way.  Instead of a big menu with multiple items for over $50.00, they have simplified it to either "Beef" or "Pork" AYCE with only 2 meat choices for each one.  On Tuesdays, it is the Beef AYCE for only $30.99 and on Wednesdays, it is the Pork AYCE for $29.99.  These included side dishes and a few other items.  Pretty good value if you don't need too much variety.

With either choice of AYCE menus, it included Banchan, Kimchi Pancake, Rice and Lettuce for wrapping the meat.  For our side dishes, we had Potato Salad, Kimchi, Marinated Daikon and Pickled Daikon.  I particularly enjoyed the creamy potato salad and I gladly ordered more of it.  The pancake was pretty flat, but had a nice crunch and kimchi flavour.

Also included was the Bean Paste Soup served bubbling in a ttukbaegi (Korean Stone Bowl).  It was pretty good with cubes of soft tofu in a broth that was flavourful and slightly spicy.  We had the sweetness from the onions that helped balance the spice from the peppers.  Once again, since it was AYCE, we ordered a few more of these.  Great for a cold day!

For the Beef AYCE, there were two choices of meat including the Fatty Beef and Beef Bulgogi.  The bulgogi was my favourite as it charred up well on the grill due to the sugar content of the marinade.  It was tender and didn't need much in the way of extra sauce (which was provided).  As for the fatty beef, it was also tender, and yes, I dipped it into the sauces (Bean Paste, Korean BBQ Sauce and Sesame Oil with Salt).  The meal also included Seasoned Mung Bean Sprouts as well.

I personally preferred the Pork AYCE where it included Pork Belly and Marinated Pork Shoulder.  Naturally, the fatty pork belly was tender and charred up nicely on the grill.  As for the pork shoulder, it had a smoky crust due to the sugars in the marinade as well as the marbling of fat.  For me, I would choose this on Wednesdays, not only because of the meat, but also it is also a dollar cheaper.

Now, some of you might lament the lack of meat options but in reality, how many choices do you need?  Normally, you would only choose a few to re-order anyways.  Sure, there isn't Galbi here, but it is also not $50.00 either.  Considering basic combos for one person run in the high $20.00 range, then this AYCE is well worth it if you are hungry.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Has everything you need for a complete meal
- Pork was good quality and tender

The Bad:
- For those who like variety, this isn't it

JJang Korean BBQ and Social House (AYCE Menu)

As mentioned in my previous posts and by many news outlets, AYCE (all-you-can-eat) has made a stunning comeback in the past 2-3 years.  It is mostly driven by the unpredictable economy where we see rising food prices.  With discretionary spending going down when it comes to dining out, customers are choosing more wisely.  So many restaurants, such as hot pot and DIY grill, are moving towards the AYCE model to give more value for every dollar spent.  One place that has just adopted this strategy is JJang Korean BBQ out near the Olympic Oval in Richmond.  I've been here before and quite enjoyed their set meals.  This time around, we were going to see if their AYCE is worth it or not.

There is one inclusive price where adults pay $48.99 (Mon-Thurs) and $53.99 (Fri-Sun & Public Holidays).  This seems quite reasonable given that their items are exactly what they served on their a la carte menu (except for the short ribs).  Much like any Korean BBQ meal, we were served some Banchan including stewed potatoes, sprouts and kimchi.  We also had the requisite romaine lettuce (to wrap our meats and rice), along with sliced garlic & jalapenos as well as bean paste, salt and dipping sauce.  I thought the Banchan were solid and we could get as many refills as we wanted within the 2 hour limit.

Onto some of the cooked items first, we were impressed that they resembled the a la carte version and ate very much like it.  The Spicy Soft Tofu Soup was bubbling hot and featured silky tofu in a spicy and flavourful broth.  Equally good, the Gamjatang featured large and meaty bones topped with perilla seeds.  The the broth was meaty and full-of-depth.  We also got the Bibimbap and it was also a full order with all the toppings in including beef, fried egg and gochujang.  It was pretty good!  The only smaller items was the Cold Noodles and Kimchi Fried Rice, which were served in a regular bowl.  It was okay too with ice to keep it cold while the noodles were al dente.  The fried rice was chewy with just enough kimchi for flavour.

There was a wide selection of meats and I got nearly all of them including Marninated Galbi, Lamb and Chuck Flat (Black Pepper, Onion Sauce and Original).  These were sliced thin and cooked up quickly on the hot grill.  As a result, these were tender and crisped up easily.  I thought the most impactful flavour was the onion sauce as it caramelized on the grill.  The other 2 weren't that noticeably different.

Next we had all of the Beef Tongue (Black Pepper, Garlic & House Special), Ribeye and Premium Short Ribs.  Normally, beef tongue can be quite tough, unless you have braise it first.  Well, the ones we had here were raw and sliced thin.  Surprisingly, they were buttery tender.  The garlic sauce had the most flavour here.  Our one small piece of ribeye steak (you can order more than this, but we didn't want to over order) was tender, but a bit hard to keep medium since it was such a small piece.  As for the boneless shortribs, they were buttery, beefy and tender.

Continuing on with the beef theme, we had all the of the available AAA Sliced Beef options (Original, Black Pepper, Garlic & House Special).  These were beautifully marbled and sliced thin.  Due to the fat content, these crisped up even better than the chuck flat.  Also, it ate very soft due to the fat and of course, it also tasted more beefy.  My favourite of the bunch was the garlic sauce once again. 

Surprisingly, we found smoked Duck slices and they were fantastic.  Soft and full of smoky duck flavour, these were worth ordering again.  The big pieces of Chicken chicken thigh were good, but really needed the dipping sauce and/or bean paste.  The small slices of Pork Belly were meaty with just the right amount of fat.  Would've been better as a bigger slice, but with AYCE, it was understandable.  We also really enjoyed the Unagi as they seared up well on the grill with caramelization.  Nice buttery texture on them.

Continuing on with the menu options, we also had the Beef Finger Meat and Black Pepper Beef Cubes.  Being the meat in between the beef rib bones, the finger meat was fatty and had that tender chewiness.  Really thought the beef cubes were excellent being soft and full-flavoured.  The Mackerel was good but hard to cook perfectly without making it dry.  Being reformed Scallops (from smaller scallops) didn't hurt our eating enjoyment.  They were bouncy and sweet.  The cut-up pieces of Abalone were good, but once again, would've been nice to have a whole piece.  Head-on White Shrimp were pretty typical, they had a nice snap and were sweet. 

Onto some veggies (and one fruit) for the AYCE, we had the Zucchini, Oyster Mushroom, Enoki and Pineapple.   Nothing amiss with these as they were fresh and the doneness was up to us.  We wanted some char, so we cooked them longer.  As for the pineapple, yes, they were canned, but hey, they caramelized well on the grill and were sweet.  Overall, the AYCE at JJang was good quality.  In fact, the cooked items were indistinguishable from the a la carte versions.  Would come back.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Wide selection of meats

- Good quality

- Cooked items were like a la carte versions

The Bad:

- Wished some items weren't cut up into such small pieces (maybe could ask?)

- Free parking downstairs is only for 90 minutes

Jing Tan Grill House

I've had my eye on Jing Tan Grill House for quite some time.  Looking over their 3-tiered AYCE (All-You-Can-Eat) menu, it seemed like the Deluxe for $39.85 looked like the sweet spot.  You basically have everything you would want except for Wagyu Beef, Lobster, Lamb, Scallops and Oysters.  However, upon sitting down and eyeing the menu, I decided I needed to do the Supreme (with the aforementioned items) for $68.85.  They use charcoal grills here without the benefit of temperature control.  However, nothing cooks like charcoal as it really chars meats better than gas.  Ventilation is quite good, so it wasn't smoky at all in the restaurant.

In addition to the AYCE menu, there is a self-service bar that features Potato Salad, Wakame Salad, Tofu Skin Salad, Woodear Salad, Edamame, Fruit, Spring Rolls, Fried Dumplings, Shrimp Chips, Fries and Dungeness Crab.  I actually enjoyed all the salads.  Good flavour and texture.  I didn't try the potato salad though.  I was a little surprised to find crab there, but it was "okay".  Not live crab for sure, but it wasn't mushy though.  Was overcooked a touch.  Would've liked to see the fried food kept warm somehow.

So the Supreme menu has certain items that may make you rethink whether you want to spend more money (like me...).  The A5 Miyazaki Wagyu was absolutely buttery and delicious.  They did limit this to only 1 order per person.  We also found SRF Wagyu which was obviously less buttery, but still tender.  Yep, they also had whole Ribeye Steak that was limited to 1 per person.  This was only average as the meat was tender, but not marbled enough (despite having lots of fat around the edges.

We actually got another order of the SRF Wagyu (max 3 per person) along with the Premium Boneless Shortribs (also max 3 orders per person).  I thought these short ribs were quite fatty and if you like the fat, this is for you.  I tried eating multiple pieces with all the fat, but it was just too heavy.  We actually preferred the regular short ribs in the Deluxe menu.  On the bottom, there was some Wagyu Beef Tongue.  The trick to these was to cook them for a long time to help activate the fats (as in rendering it), so the meat would be tender enough to eat, rather than being chewy.

We had some other meats from all parts of the menu including Marinated Pork Shoulder, Pork Neck, Lamb Rack and Beef Short Ribs.  Really enjoyed the tender and flavourful pork, especially the sweet pineapple.  The pork neck was at its bouncy best with great marbling.  The lamb rack chops were pretty good, as long as you don't overcooked it.  Now for the aforementioned short ribs.  They were tender with the classic short rib chew.  Nice sweet and savoury marinade on them.

Disregard the Wagyu beef tongue in this picture as it was a repeat, but below, we had some Chicken Knees and New Orleans Chicken Wings.  I thought the chicken knees could've benefited from some better trimming as there was more than cartilage in each bite.  We had unchewable pieces of bone.  The wings were split and cooked quickly as a result.  The meat was juicy and tender from the savoury marinade.  The Unagi was fantastic, but was hard to cook on the grill as it stuck to it.  It was buttery and well-sauced.  The Abalone was the typical small ones you'd find at the supermarket.  With that being said, they were nice texturally having that dense squishy chewiness.  Added some Shrimp for good measure.  They were your typical frozen white shrimp.

As part of the Supreme menu, we could order the Lobster Tails (limit one per person).  These were par-cooked and needed to be finished on the grill.  We found them already fully done from the kitchen, so warming them up on the grill overcooked them.  Still nice to have some lobster!  The Oysters were also par-cooked, so it didn't take too long to finish them off on the grill.  They were buttery and briny with some sweetness.  A bit of sweetened soy on top added some saltiness and the garlic did its aromatic thing.

We got some shellfish in the form of White Wine Mussels, Clam Vermicelli and Scallops with Garlic. All of them were par-cooked as well and needed to be finished on the grill.  The problem with these is that they take up a lot of real estate on the grill and take some time to warm up.  Since there is a 2-hour limit, you might want to order these only once.  They were good though with fresh shellfish that were all the right textures.  Good flavour for all of them as they were topped with garlic and sauce.

As you can see, the amount of space on the grill is typical, so you need to cooked strategically.  Also, since it is charcoal, there was some hotspots and some coldspots.  Needed to move things around to get some char or to prevent burning.  When done right, the stuff is delicious.  We ended off with some complimentary Ice Cream which was more icy than creamy.  But whatever, it was included and helped cool our mouths from the barrage of hot food off the grill.  Overall, we quite enjoyed the experience at Jing Tan as the charcoal grill produced some great searing.  Also, the food quality was above average while the service was fantastic.  Would come back.

The Good:
- Above-average food quality
- Surprisingly good service
- Real charcoal grill

The Bad:
- Grill size is average, but some of the items take up a lot of room and slows the cooking down
- Limited parking spots

I Love K-BBQ

Honestly, I love Korean BBQ.  The grilling of the meats, marinated and non-marinated, it just makes things interactive and you can cook it to your own specifications (as long as it is cooked through!).  Also, the rest of the meal is great too, including Banchan, a soup of some sort and a bunch of sides.  Great for dining as a group whether it be family or friends.  Imagine my joy when I found out about a new place in Coquitlam called I Love K-BBQ.  My sentiments exactly!  Located in the old Tabom spot, they offer up Korean BBQ on a stone grill. 

Jackie and I came for a tasting of their menu and we ended up with 2 of their combos.   Both of them included a soup, Corn Cheese, Salad and Banchan.  The Lucky Combo had Prime Boneless Short Rib and Beef Short Rib.  The Happy Combo had Pork Belly, Pork Jowl and Marinated Pork.  Since they butcher a lot of their own meats, the quality control was evident.  I found the Prime Boneless Short Rib to be high quality with even marbling.  Hence, it cooked up buttery and soft.  Pork belly was also a good balance between fatty and meaty.

We added some other dishes to try to including the Cold Noodles and also the Spicy Cold Noodles.  First of all, the temperature was on point being cold, but not giving us brain freeze.  Noodles were appealingly chewy with the cold noodles sitting in a flavourful broth.  The spicy one was definitely so with a balancing amount of sweetness.  Both came with a half boiled egg and pickled sliced daikon.

So we got the usual Seafood Pancake as well and it was pretty loaded with bits of seafood.  We found shrimp, mussels and squid hidden within a slightly dense interior and a really nice crispy exterior.  It wasn't overly greasy either.  The Steamed Egg was excellent being fluffy and light with a consistent texture throughout.  It was also lightly seasoned being sweet with plenty of natural egg flavour.

We got one last dish in the Grilled Spicy Pork Intestine cooked with onions and cabbage as well as rice cake.  This was quite good with chewy (in a good way) pieces of pork intestine.  Sure, it was at its gamy best, but I personally love the taste.  There was a good amount of sweet spice that was caramelized.  Rice cakes were appealingly chewy and also took on the same flavours.

Looking at the Stone Grill, you can see that it is tilted so the fat could drain.  The cooking surface was most hot in the middle with the edges being just warm.  This worked well with the cooked meats being moved over so they could be kept warm.  At the end, Fried Rice was prepared on the stone grill (after a scrape clean) with nori and cheese.  We were able to create a socarrat at the bottom that was crispy and nutty.  A great finish to a tasty meal!  Overall, the food at I Love K-BBQ is solid and generally high-quality.  It is a fine addition to the cache of Korean restaurants in Coquitlam.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Meats are high-quality

- Loved the stone grill, can just clean it rather than replacing it

- Other dishes are solid too

The Bad:

- With the stone grill, the fat does splatter quite a bit, at least they offer bibs

- Parking can be a bit tricky on Austin

Stone Korean BBQ

Sometimes it is hard to differentiate between many of the Korean BBQ spots in town.  Naturally, some are better than others in terms of meat quality, banchan selection and overall value.  However, what if I told you there is a new Korean BBQ out near Lougheed Mall (right next to Price Smart) that employs large stone slabs as their BBQ surface?  Yes, do we really need another Korean restaurant on North Road?  Well yes, especially when it is a new modern space and unique.

We ended up ordering the Signature Pork Combo for $42.00 per person (minimum 2 orders).  This included a nice selection of Banchan, Jjigae and Corn Cheese.  For the Banchan, we found potato salad, spinach, slaw, kimchi daikon, spicy octopus and chwinamul.  Really liked the selection, especially a few less seen dishes. We also found romaine so we could wrap our pork belly as well as some pickled Napa cabbage that served the same purpose.

 

For our combo, we were served a good amount of meaty and fairly lean pieces of pork belly.  There was enough fat for flavour and texture though.  As you can see, things were cooked on a big stone slab.  The middle was hottest while the sides were only warm.  This was enough to keep the corn cheese (with an egg yolk) melty, the soup hot and the kimchi warm.  As you can see, the pork belly seared up nicely.  Really enjoyed the pork, especially dipped into the jalapeno condiment. 

 

About that Bean Paste Soup, it was included with the combo and it came bubbling hot.  Nice fermented saltiness to it without going overboard.  Some soft veggies in there, adding some sweetness.  We added the Seafood Pancake for good measure and it was seared up super crunchy.  It was nutty and aromatic with a soft, but not mushy centre.  There was a decent amount of well-cooked seafood with only a balanced amount of green onion.  This was pretty good and I would order it again.

 

We were served a bonus dish that was the Korean version of Beef Tataki.  These medium-thin slices of beef were tender with the slightest of chew.  It sat in a sauce that was soy-based but had sweetness and aromatics.  Lastly, we added the Jjapaghetti (yes, the instant noodles) at the end finished off on the stone grill.  Unfortunately, these noodles were overdone and stuck to the stone slab.  There was also too much moisture and prevented them from caramelizing properly.   Other than the Jjapaghetti, everything else was really good and well-portioned.  Combine that with a modern dining space with plenty of staff, Stone Korean BBQ should be one of the better options along North Road for Korean BBQ.

The Good:

- Modern and spacious

- Good value

- Delicious

The Bad:

- Jjapaghetti add-on needs to be improved upon