Sophomore experiences KBBQ for first time, and likes it

‘Twas a Sunday night, and I faced piles of homework and an empty stomach. Although I was craving Asian cuisine, I wanted to break away from my monthly outing to Panda Express. I’d also heard good things about all-you-can-eat Korean BBQs, and they sounded like a fantastic way to satiate my growling stomach for the night.

A close-by option was All that Barbecue in Cupertino, on South De Anza Blvd. As it was my first time eating Korean Barbecue, it was more than a little daunting when I saw the words “do-it-yourself food” on the establishment’s website. The closest I had ever gotten to making my own food was microwaving an occasional bowl of Cup Noodles. Soon, however, I quelled my  nerves and headed there with my family.

When I walked into the brightly lit, spacious and minimalistically decorated restaurant, the first thing I noticed was its lively ambiance. From the front counter, amidst the delicious aroma of various spices, I could hear the whispers and giggles of customers and the sizzling of the meats. I could also see a small grill located in the center of each table (cue mind-blown moment), and I couldn’t wait to find out what else this experience had to offer.

However, after looking at the menu, I was disappointed to see that there was not a single vegetarian option, and there was only a paltry three total chicken dishes on the menu. Since I do not eat beef, it was a little discouraging to see that over 75 percent of the options were automatically off the table for me (no pun intended).

My family and I settled on the Garlic Fried Chicken, Spicy Chicken Bulgogi, Garlic Chicken Bulgogi and shrimp. Since it is an all-you-can eat restaurant, each customer must pay $25 up front, rather than paying for individual dishes.

The food arrived in under 5 minutes, which was swell, but hardly a surprise considering that all orders are served raw. My family members, used to being served cooked shrimp, were a little scared to see their intact heads and beady eyes, but later calmed down after I cut the shrimps’ heads off.

Since it was our first time eating KBBQ, we asked our waitress to help us cook the meat. Unfortunately,, she did not speak English well and could not help us much.

As a result, we were left to figure the procedures out on our own, mainly by observing the other tables. We eventually realized that all we only had to do was place the meat on the grill and occasionally flip it with tongs until it looked edible; the task wasn’t as daunting as it had seemed at first.

Initially it was fun, but the novelty wore off after a while, and it didn’t take long for me to realize that I could cook chicken the same way at home if I so wanted.

That said, the food was nothing short of delectable. It was quite literally “hot off the grill,” and the different meats were chewy and juicy in nice bite-sized sizes. They surpassed my minimum personal standards of “tasty chicken,” and the various Korean spices made them delightfully unique.

Still, I did feel that my culinary options were rather limited. As I looked for something other than meat to fill my craving for vegetables (yes, I know it’s weird), I found that the only non-meat items were sides. These consisted of an assortment of pickled vegetables, steamed broccoli, kimchi and three different sauces — one spicy, one sweet and one sour.

Despite these minor constraints, however, eating Korean Barbecue was one of the most delicious food events of my life. And although the idea of cooking my own dish didn’t appeal to me, the restaurant’s Asian meats and diverse spices beat Panda Express’s Orange Chicken any day.