For a while, I wasn’t sure this review would get written. After I paid my first visit to the newly opened Kpub Korean BBQ last summer, an unfortunate fire closed their doors for repairs. I was nervous. Setbacks are especially hard for young restaurants to absorb. I put my notes for the meal on the shelf and kept an eye on their social media. Happily, Kpub is back and I’ve been back to Kpub. Sometimes it’s nice to be wrong.
First, indulge me while I take a quick stroll down memory lane to the leisurely midsummer meal I enjoyed with my friend Justin Williams of Justin Eats Alaska. The restaurant offers a lunch combo, but we wanted to try and share a number of dishes, so we ordered a la carte.
The banchan spread was impressive and is always a fun way to start a meal. In between bites of kimchi and bean sprout salad, we split an order of fried Korean dumplings (Gun Mandu, $10) because I’m genetically incapable of passing on any dumplings on any menu, and the Gan Jang chicken ($13) because Justin is a local expert on all things fried chicken. We also shared an order of corn cheese ($7) because, well, corn and cheese.
The dumplings were crispy and juicy and full of flavor. The corn was, well, corn and cheese, in other words, perfect. But let’s talk about the chicken. Super sticky and crispy with an assertive hit of honey-sweetness, it made me think, ever-so-slightly, of chicken and waffles. It was the highlight of our appetizers.
For our entrees, I opted for the galbi ($32) and Justin went with the dolsot bibimbap ($25), both of which were well-executed classics. The price tag on the galbi seemed high to me until I saw the giant stack of tender, juicy ribs. There are few things more satisfying than picking up each thinly sliced rib by the bone and nibbling away. It is both carnal and dainty at the same time. And there were enough leftovers for a second lunch.
Justin loved his bibimbap and swore off his usual bibimbap purveyor (I won’t name names). Served in a hot stone bowl, this dish was as tasty as it was beautiful with a combination of minced beef, elegantly julienned vegetables and a glossy, gleaming egg on top.
More recently, and since the restaurant’s reopening, I joined two good friends of mine for dinner intent on ordering from the barbecue side of the menu. I hadn’t had Korean barbecue in years and was glad to have my friend Sun, a Korean food enthusiast and talented chef, to help guide us.
It was a snowy, blustery night and the space, with its warm color palate and spacious booths, was welcoming and cozy. There is a beautiful bar to the left as you walk in. I didn’t see anyone sitting there but made a mental note that it would be a nice spot for a drink and a snack.
With apologies to my readers who have requested more vegetarian content, this is not that content. We opted for a barbecue combo designed to feed between three and four diners ($210) that included Cha Dol Baegi (thin sliced brisket), Kot Dung Shim (thin sliced ribeye), Seng Galbee (unmarinated short rib), LA Galbee (marinated sliced bone-in short rib), Joo Mool Luck (marinated, cubed boneless short rib) and Kot Sal (described as special flower short rib because its marbling resembles a blooming flower). This combo also comes with a choice of doenjang jjigae (a soybean paste stew) or egg custard (which we selected) and corn cheese (I know, I know, I have a problem).
One of my favorite things about Korean dining is that you get to enjoy a wide variety of food with minimal decision-making. While we waited for the main event to arrive, we worked our way through the delicious array of banchan, which included braised soybeans, a dish of Korean fishcake, and my favorite sesame cucumbers. It’s a light and lively way to start a meal that promised to be very meat-heavy.
When our barbecue arrived, it was a bit overwhelming. A cutting board was piled almost absurdly high with a carnivorous feast. Our server got the ball rolling by turning on our cooktop and beginning to cook our thinly sliced short ribs and vegetables. From there, we took turns flipping the slices and pulling them off at different cook temperatures. When each type of meat was either consumed or cooked and put aside, our server got us started on the next course. It was fun and interactive and a real lesson in how different the flavors of each cut of beef can be. The thinly sliced meat was fun to roll up with a bit of salad, rice, kimchi and one of the dipping sauces, while the juicy thicker cuts, are delicious on their own.
If you go:
Kpub Korean BBQ
3801 DeBarr Road
907-258-3199
kpubak.com
Tuesday-Sunday: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (lunch specials until 3 p.m.)
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