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Korean BBQ and traditional cuisine
It was my first time being there but I've always wanted to try Korean BBQ especially all you can eat. When I got there the employees seemed nice and I didn't expect anything just a good meal with my friends.
At first it wasn't long until we got served but after we got our first batch of food ordering again seemed to feel awkward. Servers would pass us without a second glance even though we had clearly finished the water pitcher as well as eating. We even tried to call one of the workers passing us by but he simply brushed us off asking us to ask someone else. That would have been understandable if tables were assigned tables but they were not. Even after we finally grabbed someone's attention it took at least an hour for them to get back to us. Again, it would have been understandable if it was full house but there was barely anyone there.
Even though the service needed improvement, the food there was pretty good but that still doesn't mend for the long waits. The experience excluding the service was interesting and good as a VERY occasional outing. The real ticker would be when we were paying and the man in the front desk and urged a "no tip?". I definitely won't be going there for a long time.
My friends and I had the all you can eat. We ordered just about everything on the all you can eat menu and the food came pretty quickly.
If all you want is BBQ meat then this place is decent. However, I was craving sushi tonight and was greatly disappointed. The salmon maki roll came to us warm and the sushi rice had a funny taste to it. The seafood pancake was a bit greasy but tasted alright.
On the plus side, we had a good server. We ordered a bit more than we could handle and when she brought the food to our table, she simply took it back when we told her.
It's interesting to see the divergence in opinions on this site. My girlfriend and I have dined at this restaurant three times and enjoyed the unpretentious environment, excellent value ($20 for 5 dishes after 9pm) and solid food. We've been full and satisfied every time, and really appreciate the diversity we can have in a meal for two, especially since the restaurant also provides the standard banchan dishes (potatoes, kimchi, bean sprouts) with each meal.
The bibimbap, jap chae and short rib were comparable to the other reliable Korean landmarks I dined at in Downtown Vancouver. I particularly enjoyed their kimchi pork dish. None of the dishes left me thirsty and the flavours were balanced overall. As I recall there are over 15 dishes one can choose for the 5 after 9 deal.
I haven't had the AYCE BBQ or ordered from the standard menu yet. I see there are some traditional Korean soups and stews I'd like to try sometime. They have bo ssam, which is the inspiration for one of David Chang's signature dishes - can't go wrong with pork butt!
I can imagine that some people wouldn't be happy with the service, as the servers do get quite busy and it's quite a large restaurant. However, when we got their attention they were always helpful and provided what we asked for. For the prices they charged, I thought the service was quite good.
The restaurant can get a bit smokey if you are sitting close to tables that are barbecuing, so it's probably best if diners leave their wool coat/other fancy clothes in the car, lest your coat smell of beef short rib.
I know a lot of people are exaggerating when they say ''worst,'' but this definitely is not an exaggeration. The service was atrocious.
Our family had AYCE during their dinner period. After the standard 'sides' arrived and some of the meat for BBQ, nothing came over again. After waiting 35 minutes, I went up to the counter where the food was being put out for the servers, to inquire. The waiter was rude, saying that they were simply busy and that we just had to wait. I informed him that it has been an unreasonable long wait and then politely, but firmly asked that they check on our order. He then just quickly grabbed what seemed to be a random order and said it was ours (it was in Korean so I couldn't read it) and again just rudely said we had to wait; there clearly was no order to those order receipts on that counter.
After another 15 minutes, I spoke with the first worker I saw to ask for the manager. The worker could barely speak English and just ignored my question and just like the other guy, told me that our orders were coming. After this second visit, they finally started bringing things over, but had most of our order incorrect!
The food was only 'okay' and many menu items were not available though they were on the menu. DO NOT visit this awful restaurant.
We went for lunch with our kids and ordered the choose 4 dishes for $19.95. We ordered the bulgogi ($2 extra), seafood pancake, jajangmyun and some udon dish. I was surprised the portions were regular sized. The food was great and I enjoyed them since I love korean food a lot. I thought of ordering extra but we were full.
Service-wise, it took a few times to holler a waitress (no bell on the table. strange for a korean restaurant). I asked for a scissors from a waitress, she went and never came back with it. Had to ask another for it.
I have come to a conclusion (after eating in most of the top korean restaurants in the lower mainland) is that if you aren't a Korean or can't speak Korean, don't expect top service. To me, as long as the food is great and the service is so-so, I don't care much.
Food: Typical Korean dishes.
Service: Waitresses weren't rude, just very rushed and a bit disorganized.
Value: We chose the 5 items for $20 package. Portions were a bit on the small size even for this price.
Ambiance: This place is generally nicely decorated, but the vending maching in the restaurant looks REALLY tacky for the amount of effort they've put into decorating the restaurant. They need to turn the heat up- it was really chilly.
Overall? I'll probably return- the complimentary dishes were really delish.
Second time I've been here for lunch with my coworkers, cause they all like this place.
First, this place seems huge, but thankfully also new and clean (including the w.c.), so I hope that extends to the kitchen. Huge plasma TV's adorn various corners of the place for some reason, though sadly, no Korean TV shows.
What they say about the service, well, it's true. Don't expect to get in and out quickly here. I'm going to cut them a bit of slack because the waitresses always seem earnest and they're trying ... they're just not as sharp as they should be, but they're doing the best they can. Don't hesitate to ask about tardy food or be shy about getting their attention, else you might be there a while.
The food? Honestly, not that bad, not in our experience yet. (Have not tried the BBQ there). The menu is reasonably large and they have a couple of unique items there, but it is more or less the same old thing. A disappointment, having been to Seoul, we know how much better it can be.
No, it is not amazing. If you are bowled over, you should get out more. But it is decent food (okay, maybe I should give it 2.5 stars) and more or less reasonably priced.
Wouldn't regret eating there, but neither would I make a special trip to sample this place either. For Richmond, not bad, but there is better Korean food to be had in GVRD.
We've gone to Kyung Bok Palace a few times since they came out with the AYCE bbq. The menu at $25 is a bit more expensive than comparable places like Shabusen. The place is nicely decorated. Only real complaint about ambience is that the overhead vents don't seem to do anything, which makes the place pretty smoky when it's busy.
From the AYCE menu, the bbq meat selection is actually fairly limited. The chicken and short ribs are pretty good, but I wish they had different flavoring varieties (spicy, etc) and maybe lamb. What's unique about this place is not their bbq meats, but the other dishes that are on the menu. They have a lot more korean cuisine available on the menu than Shabusen. The ox-tail soup and prawn tempuras are always good. The sticky rice cakes with spicy sauce has a good kick to it and is one of my favorite korean dishes. They also have some deep fried chinese dishes that are kind of average.
It's a big place, so the service is sometimes not all that reliable. As with all the other AYCE places, we sometimes do not get everything we order, or it comes an hour later. I always thought part of the fun of korean bbq was to cut up the meat on the grill and cook it yourself. However one time at the restaurant, a waitress came over and grabbed the scissors and tongs out of my hands, and proceeded to show me how it should be done. I found that to be a bit rude, but I'm sure she meant well.
Overall the place is not bad, but it's also not the best I've ever had. When closer to Vancouver we prefer to go to Shabusen, but Kyung Bok Palace is a pretty good location and decent korean bbq if you happen to be in Richmond.
Went for the 19.99 per person AYCE BBQ... They charged us an extra 2 dollars for lettuce even though they didn't mention this when they were explaining how the AYCE worked... The food quality was OK, although they just had 1 marinated meat... (Beef Kal Bi)... The service is the major issue at this place... With an AYCE, dishes have a tendency to pile up but we had to request someone take the dishes away...
We did the all you can eat BBQ / sushi. The food does taste good (depends on who is cooking) and is if of good quality. The major problem we experienced here is that we ordered sushi and it never came. We were there for 1 1/2 hours and we asked about the sushi 3x's. They just say they will check on it. When we got the bill, it was listed on the bill but quantity was 0. Looks like it was entered into their system, and that was it. If they were out then they should have said so.
Another poor service attribute would be not clearing empty dishes and drink pitchers from our table. They would come by and drop off new dishes but not take the empty ones. They were eventually removed when asked.
While the food that did come was good and the restaurant itself is in good shape, the failure to deliver what was ordered is unacceptable.
No concept of customer service whatsoever. Arrogant owner/management who doesn't give a damn what you think or if you come back or not.
Came here for $17.95 lunch BBQ all you can eat. Price is not cheap for lunch so I expected a half decent meal.
Wrong. Marinated Beef came totally unseasoned, no sauce, no marinate. In fact all but one meat item came marinated. When questioned the waitress simply stared at me and said she doesn't know anything and walked away, no attempt to call over the manager or correct the situation.
Steak and chicken were not sliced for you (came in a big chunck) and I was told to use the scissors to cut it myself. Wow, I am paying $18 to cut meat? I was totally confused and angry as the same time as I rememberdKorean BBQ to be completely different when I last tried.
Having given up on the meat items and decided to order the salmon roll which is included in the all u can eat menu. Waitress' response was a again a simple "NO, we don't have it" and walked away. No attempt to cross it off the menu or inform the customer when first seated. After making a big fuss the owner told the kitchen to make the salmon roll for me. Turns out they do have the ingredients, but of course cost cutting seems be the management's only focus here.
Over an hour and half passes and not once did the waitress change the charred and blackened cooking element for us. Nor did the waitress turn on the bbq for us when our meal began. Both of these are standard services at most other Korean BBQ restaurants.
Completely horrendous dining experience.
We love to eat. Today, i had two korean restaurants for today- in my lunch and my late dinner. My husband and I went to this place and it was very good. Very good food, very good price, and not bad for their service =) The ambiance is cozy and relaxing.
If you want to have Korean barbeque, check it out. I highly recommend this one =)
We'll surely go back there soon.
I don't know why I keep coming to this place....but I do...the food is consistently ok...nothing spectacular...but definitely not bad.
The service however is probably the worst out of any restaurant I've been to. No one will ever attend to you when you walk in... you always have to wait a few minutes before anyone greets you...then when you talk to any of the servers...they are very indifferent...you can't even tell if they heard what you said and asked for....its not like they are rude...just indifferent...
I'm sure I'd be back sometime though, as the food is decent...and if you go during certain hours, its not a bad deal.
My friend and I went here for lunch. We had the set menu where you ordered 5 dishes from a list of 25 for $19.99. We ordered the tempura prawns(4), spicey and sweet chicken, sweet and sour deep fried pork chops, chicken teriyaki and beef teriyaki. All the dishes came out fresh and hot. I was impressed with the value set menu. The food tasted pretty good. The service was good, they served the food in a timely manner but after the food was placed you do not here from them. The restuarant itself is very clean and I will plan to come back to try their all-u-can-eat Korean Bar-b-q.
Food: Had a rice bowl (Bi Bim Bap), beef, sweet potato noodles stir fry, seafood pancake, and tofu hot pot. All tasted very good, not too oily or greasy, except for the pancake.
Service: Very very slow. Took 90 min to get 5 dishes!
Value: Had the choose 5 dishes (from a list of 25) for $20 menu. The portions were on the small side but still satisfied 3 average-appetite people.
Ambiance: Very spacious. Looks clean. Brightly lit. Nicely and appropriately decorated as a Korean restaurant.
Tried this Korean place for the first time and I found it overrated. The food is good and you have the option of all u can eat or regualr menu. But the service is horrible, our tea was empty for most of the evening as they ignored us until we asked for the bill where they were quick to deliver. The food is good though but a bit pricey for what you get, don't think I will be going back.
This place is just wrong.
My first visit...
We were greeted at the front with a grunt. Our orders were not taken too politely. When they came wrong, we got blamed. I'm allergic to seafood, you see, so there's no chance I would have (even mistakenly) ordered shrimp. We had a hassle trying to get it changed. The food was not great. The bill came without us asking for it, though you couldn't get more hot water for tea if your life depended on it. Rather than a thank you or goodbye as we left, we were barked at "Don't go through that door! They're closing the mall in a minute. Use the other one, instead."
The second time (not my choice... I was with friends)...
The mandatory grunt at the front. A hassle to get paid attention to in order to place our orders. Like during the first experience, they only spoke to my Chinese dining partners, not to me. (The servers are all Chinese. I'm caucasian.) One server made a comment how 'it was surprising a white guy could eat spicy food'. Hmm. No water for tea. When finally we complained about a 45-minute period with NO service (even with hand waving and everything), the server told us our section was closed and there was no service there anymore. (They seated us there.)
What's more, when I told the staff member that the restaurant had terrible service, he looked directly at my Mandarin-speaking friends and started explaining away in Mandarin. I had had enough. I happen to speak Mandarin fluently as a second language, and I understood everything. I took a strip off of the waiter in Mandarin and we walked out.
When are restaurants in Richmond going to learn... customers don't HAVE to spend money at YOUR place!! We have choice! No surprise that restaurants in Richmond keep changing ownership with the seasons.
I went to this place last night for family dinner. It looked like it was a full house. The place was well decorated as a Korean restaurant.
Considering the number of tables cooking bbq, it wasn’t that smoky. We had AYCE BBQ for $20 since their regular menu didn’t have much choice to select.
The reason I give them a plus is for the beef sirloin which was a typical steak size; yet I have never seen restaurants serve sirloin for all you can eat. The marinated short ribs were well marinated and tasty. The soups itself was solid, not amazing but ‘okay’ for AYCE.
Service was not bad. At least we got everything what we asked for. They changed our bbq plate regularly which I hate to ask for. It was better than most of the Asian places since they could understand English!
Overall, I will definitely come back for their sirloin and their side dishes (very tasty sweet potato)!
Been here twice. Each time was disappointing.
Food: Some meat comes unmarinaded which is fine, but they give you this gross plate of oil rather than some dipping sauce. Other stuff like seafood pancake and jap-chae were good, tho. The sizes of their combo dinners were good.
Service: Bad, bad, bad. We couldn't get any service. Had to physically get up from table to flag servers down for anything from tea to extra chopsticks for cooking raw meat to ordering more to getting the bill.
Ambiance: Very bright. Nice, clean tables. Ventilation/exhaust fans above tables are for show only--they don't actually turn them on as you can feel for yourself as you put your hand up to it and there's no air intake, so you come out smelling worse than you have to.
Definitely will not go again.
We passed by this place a couple times and thought it would be a good place for korean food, but it turned out to be a real disappointment. Honestly, in my opinion, this is really the worst Korean BBW restaurant I've ever been to. The BBQ meat is tasteless - it's not even marinaded - and the portion of the food is not even enough for 2 people and yet the combo menu said it's for 4 people. At the end, the waiter forgot to serve us the sweet soup. I have to say that the server's attitude is not bad really, but the food really sucked!
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