This small KBBQ place suffers from an identity crisis. Is it a BBQ place or a snack shop/drinking hole? They try to serve up KBBQ alongside snack foods like Tteok-bokki and katsus which is NEVER done in Korea. Why not just focus on one thing and do a good job?
I've tried their Thornhill location several times before so I was a little skeptical (due to witnessing some hygienic issues in the kitchen) but decided to give this location a try after a long day with a toddler at the ROM.
Their induction cooking table top is definitely one of the coolest thing I've seen and a welcome feature especially when you're got a curious 4 yr old at the table. Despite the induction technology table tops, the issue with smoke has not been resolved as the management claims on their menu.
We ordered Samgyup-sal and marinaded pork and paid additional $2 per bowl for rice & a small Doenjang-jigae although the menu said it was $2 dollars for 2 bowls of rice and a small jigae. Anyways, I was not in the mood to argue with the absent-minded all male staff so I let it slide.
They serve up next to no banchan with your meal and the lettuce wraps and condiments are barely enough for 3 wraps. We had to ask them for utensils and the waiter just pointed at the pull-out drawer that's supposedly built into the tables. Well, excuse me for not knowing where to find my own eating tools. So, to sum it up, the service here is terrible. The food was mediocre with the exception of marinated pork which my daughter loved.
One thing that really put me off was the attitude of the staff. Most of them are indifferent (whether you're Korean or not doesn't seem to have much to do with it as I spoke to them both in Korean and English) and terrible at keeping on top of needs of their patrons. We were seated next to a large group of non-Korean patrons when we first sat down and when they finished their meals and left, the 2 waiters that were cleaning the table were cursing at the b*tches that left a mess. I could hardly believe my ears as they swore at the then-departed patrons in plain Korean as I sat their giving them a clearly disapproving look.
I would like to suggest to the owners about seriously reconsidering their hiring policies at this location and actually hire staff that can and are willing to work for their wages.