Chung Ki Wa is the latest incarnation of Korean dining at the location previously known for the "Seoul Garden". The family had been great fans of dining at Seoul Garden for years, but had fallen off the wagon and gone several years without a stop in to eat.
So when given the chance to pick a place to eat lunch with a couple of colleagues, I dusted off my restaurant archives and checked to see if we could still get Korean at the corner of Dequindre and 15 Mile (Maple) in Sterling Heights. So happy and pleased to find the answer was YES.
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| Some Bulgolgi (marinated Beef) plated up and Dae Ji Bulgolgi (spicy marinated pork) on the grill |
For this trip to the we opted for the Barbecue at table options. If you are not familiar with this variety of Korean dining you are missing out. A small gas grill is embedded into the table with large exhaust hoods over the table. You order plates of prepared meats that you then grill at the table as you eat.
The most well known Korean Barbecue offerings are Bulgolgi (marinated beef) and Kalbi (marinated beef short ribs). Since Fabrizio and Dmitriy had not tried Korean Barbecue we opted to try the Bulgolgi and my personal favorite Dwa Ji Bulgolgi (spicy marinated pork).
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| Fabrizio starting into the Banchan and Bulgolgi |
The Banchan, a selection of side plates served traditionally with Korean meals, was fair. Kimchi, seaweed salad, spicy turnips, bean sprouts in sesame oil, and others arrived at the table. Then the main event. They fired up the grill and we started grilling up the Bulgolgi. The little grills quickly cook the meat to your taste, lightly charred at the edges so you nicely caramelize the marinade and leave the meat juicy medium well throughout. The meat is sliced very thin so it really only takes a minute or two.
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| Dima ventured outside his norms and discovered another winner |
2101 15 Mile Rd.
Sterling Heights, MI 48083
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