Grillin' 'n Chillin' — Korean Style

Korean BBQ places are a treat to visit. Every table has its own personal grill so patrons can watch and cook food to their liking. in Little Neck is the perfect place to try out this type of restaurant.

My last visit here was with my parents and my son. We walked in around 5 p.m. on a Saturday and were seated by a hostess preparing large lettuce leaves to be used with certain main courses. There were a few people seated already but there were still plenty of open tables. We sat towards the back at the half-booth tables. 

Our extremely friendly hostess-slash-waitress handed us our menus and served us some water. When she saw my son, she smiled ear to ear and ended up playing with him every time she stopped by our table. She also told us to call her over when we have decided on what we would like to eat.

I had some idea of what to order, so it wasn't long 'till we called her over. It consisted of the following: for the grill we got one order of bulgogi (slices of prime sirloin marinated in a special house sauce... my fave here) and one order of Saewoo Gui (jumbo shrimp BBQ in a sweet sauce). We also ordered a serving of Haemul Pajeon (a variety of seafood and vegetables shaped into a Korean pancake) and Bokkeumbap (stir-fried rice with egg and vegetables). Before deciding on the shrimp we had asked for salmon gui but were told they didn't have salmon. Our waitress was very helpful in explaining the menu to us and letting us know when we had ordered enough.

After our order they started to bring out a bunch of side dishes. These are called panch’an. Each Korean restaurant has its own variety. The first few we were served were actually sides for our other dishes. They were the lettuce leaves our hostess was preparing when we walked in along with two dipping sauces, one for the grilled steak and one for the pancake. The lettuce leaves are used to wrap up the steak.

Next came some individual sides to enjoy by themselves. Kimchi, tofu, rice noodles, boiled egg whites and veggies in curry sauce were the ones I knew. There were a few others that I'm not sure of but they were all delicious. Some are spicy, some are sweet and other dishes are mix of both. They are fun to eat and keep you occupied while you watch your food cook on the grill. 

Following the panch’an they brought out the Korean pancake and fried rice. The pancake was about the size of a medium Domino's pizza — enough for four people. It was crispy fried with all kinds of seafood and veggies hanging out of. It was very tasty especially when dipped in the sauce brought out earlier for it. 

While serving the panch’an they lit the grill and put the bulgogi on it. Our hostess and other waiters periodically stopped by our table to check on it till it was ready to eat. Once ready the served us some and told us how to eat it. The meat was delicious. It was very juicy and the marinade that it is prepared in is sweet. I tried it with some of the sauce they gave us to dip it in but I like the way it tastes without it better.

Since my mother doesn't eat red meat they switched the grill top when they brought out the shrimp. Again our hostess and other waiters helped in cooking the shrimp and served us when they were ready. The shrimp was marinated in some sweetness as well and was very tasty.

We asked for some white rice for my son and they gave us a small bowl. My mother had some of it, liked it and asked for a bowl of her own.

Also during our meal, they brought us out some Korean tea. It was lukewarm with mild flavor. It complemented the meal quite well and we all had a few glasses of it.

By the end of the meal we had finished everything they served us and we were all pleasantly full. Everything was extremely tasty and the service was amazing. Everyone who helped out with the grill talked with us and joked around with my son. They made us feel very welcome and excited for another visit.

Tae Neung Korean BBQ is located at 248-25 Northern Blvd. in Little Neck. The business is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.