Hamilton is alive with culinary culture and U SHAO BBQ, Hamilton’s first Korean BBQ is just another wonderful addition to our ever-expanding culinary landscape. Last weekend my friend Marco and I were invited down to the grand opening of U SHAO BBQ at the corner of John and Main Street East for a BBQ experience unlike any I’ve had before. At first I found myself asking why would I go to a restaurant to cook food for myself, but within the first fifteen minutes I wanted to grill everything in front of me. And I think I did.. poor Marco had piles of food on his plate.
Four days later and we were back down At U SHAO BBQ for a delightful family night out. As soon as Tehya and Dan heard about my experience the Sunday before they were excited to come along and now that Caron is quickly coming out of her dining “shell”.. she was game as well. Little did she know that she had to do the cooking, something she abhors.
A modern interior with clean lines and a sort of minimalistic feel, U SHAO is very inviting and the vibe you get from the staff compliments that warm and inviting feel. If you’ve never been to a Korean BBQ as I was the first visit, you’ll find it strange to see a grilling surface centered on every table in the house. With both sides of the restaurant dedicated to individual tables (could easily work for larger parties and handicap seating) and the middle of the restaurant is filled with ‘booth’ like seating. These booths can accommodate up to four people as is a bit of tight fit once the food starts to arrive. With the grill in the middle of each table, your leg room is a bit compromised with the gas and other pipes which feed and vent the grill. If you have tall or heavey people in your group, I would suggest getting one of the outer tables.
After ordering our drinks, we settled in to complete the order form. Basically all you’re doing is saying how many orders of each item you’re interested in eating, in the little boxes next to each item on the menu. By his time our waiter had already cranked-up the fire under our grill and we could already feel the radiating heat of the flame. The grill is designed in such a way that there are vents on the side to suck all the smoke and any sort of grill scent away from the restaurant itself so you don’t leave smelling like grilled meats.
Since the list of items to order is huge, I’ll try my best to remember what we ordered. I must also mention at this time that when Marco and I first went, we ordered 2 of each meat and vegetable we wanted to try.. we struggled to finish it off. So I would suggest if you’re a party of 2, get 1 of each item you want and as you go along you can get more. Since there were 4 of us, we got 2 of the following… chicken, lamb, short ribs, beef, shrimp, fish, pork, mushrooms, pineapple, onions, green peppers and I got a single order of sticky rice. If I recall correctly there was also, calamari, tofu, lettuce, kimchi, beansprouts and few other items on the menu. The grilled pineapple was a hit with the ladies so you may find that you’ll want to order more.
When the waiter arrived he was carrying stacks of perfectly marinated meats for us to get grilling. The head chef is very proud of his marinades and rightly so. The thinly sliced pieces of meat is marinated perfectly and with the grilling over the flame, all the sugars and flavors are only heightened. Dining at a Korean BBQ is a sort of community effort, as everyone gets involved in the cooking process.
I’m sure you’ll find what works for you, but we loaded our grill with a full assortment of meats and vegetables and allowed that to cook. Since they’re sliced very thin they don’t take long to cook. Trying not to cross contaminate we used the tongs for handling the raw meats and our chop sticks for the fully cooked food (ask for forks if you struggle with chop sticks) … we then moved the fully cooked meats onto our plates. As we dined we added more raw food onto the grill so at no time were we ever out of cooked food. Be sure to ask for the hot sauce and the sort of sesame oil / soy sauce combo they created inhouse. Remember that if you run out of anything you’re free to ask fro more… it’s all you can eat. Your waiter may ask if you want your grill changed.. if you find that it’s coated with burnt meats etc have them change it.
It’s great fun grilling at your table, something I didn’t appreciate until I actually tried it and the food is simply outstanding. Hats off to the chef for some amazing marinades which are all uniquely different, but compliment each other. Don’t forget to leave room for the frozen desserts which also come as part of your dinner and be sure to try the mango ice cream.
I strongly believe that not only is U SHAO BBQ a spot to dine out when you’re ready to try something international, but it’s an experience in itself and I love the concept. The staff are very friendly and always at your call so don’t feel intimated if it’s your first time. With wide aisles, automatic doors and tables which can accommodate people in wheel chairs and other mobility devices, they’ve thought about everyone at U SHAO BBQ.
Look for a lunch menu in the coming weeks and we were told that they’re working very hard at a take out menu which will also be released in the coming weeks.
U SHAO Korean BBQ Restaurant
27 John St. South Hamilton Ontario L8N 2B8
905 521 8880 (for reservations)
Before you go we’d love for you to leave us your comments below, even if it’s just to say hello. And don’t forget to join us on FaceBook (for our latest updates, including discounts, coupons and more pictures from our time at U SHAO BBQ) and do tune in to our videos (escapades!) on our youtube channel we’ve created.
