The Global Kitchen: Restaurant review of The Hot Pot and BBQ Buffet- Korea

 

Last night, I had the opportunity to join a friend in trying a new restaurant in town. The Hot Pot and BBW Buffet. It was very good and an all around food experience. It was a little pricey so won't be someplace I go frequently but it is well worth it for the experience.

First, the table was interesting because you cook all of the food at your table so you have spots for the hot pots and a grill pan at the table. The grill pan is if you do the Korean BBQ (we did not). Not all of the tables had the option for both some just had the spots for the hot pots. You could control the burners at your seat so if your pot or grill needs adjusted you have control of it. 

Second, the menu did not have all the options but gave a good idea of what would be available. The Hot Pot buffet and Korean BBQ were $30 per person but you could do both for $36. You ordered a soup base from the wait staff, and they got it all set up for you at the table and got it started cooking. While they did that you went to the buffet and grabbed the raw ingredients you would add to your pot. There were a lot of options from beef, chicken, pork, to exotic seafoods like octopus, squid, and things like tofu and meatballs. Then there were the vegetables everyday things like mushrooms, potato, romaine, but also special items like seaweed, watercress, bok choy, etc. You had noodles you could add to your pot, and they had a make your own dipping sauce bar. 

                                          

I ordered the red curry broth but they had everything from an original soup baste with minimal flavorings to a spicy one. I chose the red curry because it had a little spice but was not too spicy. It was perfect for me and so tasty. I will advise you do no realize how small the meat shrinks up when cooked so I would suggest doubling what you think is enough. My favorite items to add to the hot pot was the corn and the watercress. I had not had watercress before but I actually really liked it.         

                                         

I tried a couple different dipping sauces, but their house made teriyaki sauce is really good. I added a little brown sugar and healthy bunch of cilantro to mine and it tasted so good. 

I would highly suggest everyone go check them out. I know I plan to go back and try the Korean BBQ next time. It is quite the experience, and you definitely get plenty of food. The wait staff was very friendly, and they make sure that you know what to do and were on hand for any questions we may have had. 

They do offer a selection of different ice creams as dessert. 

Overall, this was a great experience, and we had a great time trying something new. If you remember my post about the Japanese Sukiyaki the Hot Pot is similar to that. Just keep in mind the cost because it is more that I would normally spend on a meal. However, it is a great place to enjoy on occasion. It would be a great place to have a date night if you are looking for something new. 

The Global Kitchen: restaurant review of The Traveler's Kitchen

 

                

Yesterday a friend and I had the pleasure of checking out a new restaurant in town called the Traveler's Kitchen. It is a restaurant that specializes in authentic Gambian cuisine from West Africa. They offer a range of dishes from the region. They use high quality ingredients and traditional cooking techniques to bring unique flavors and aromas to your meal. Their menu's feature meat, fish, and vegetarian options and they also offer some gluten free and dairy free dishes as well. 

The meal was amazing and so full of flavor! I love spices and having flavorful food to enjoy, and this restaurant definitely exceeded my expectations. My friend and I both had the Benachin with chicken, jollof rice, and vegetables. She ordered a side of plantains and I order a couple samosas. The chicken was cooked perfectly and just fell off the bone. The rice was delicious and full of flavor with a little bit of spice to it. I have always wanted to taste authentic jollof rice and now I have! The vegetables were the biggest surprise for me. I tend to be really picky about vegetables so was pleasantly surprised with how good they were. There were a mix of vegetables like onion, corn, beans, lima beans, peppers, and carrots. The veggies had a sweetness to them that was a great contrast with the spiciness of the rice. The samosas were delicious but were huge! Next time I will just order one. The samosas are a flaky crust triangle filled with ground beef and vegetables. The ground beef had some spice to it and the vegetables gave it some substance. It is definitely one of my favorite types of samosas. The plantains were very good and were cooked to a soft texture. If you prefer your plantains a little crisper you could probably crisp them up in an air fryer easy enough (if you have leftovers).

The meal itself was plentiful and the portion size was enough to take some home for leftovers. As I mentioned before the samosas were much bigger than I thought so keep that in mind if you decide to try them. Speaking of the leftovers, the rice and veggies heated up the next day still tasted amazing and were so good. I wish I had more of the chicken left to go with it.

The restaurant staff was very friendly and even took time to talk to us about what was in the food we were eating. I asked what meat was used in the samosas and my friend talked to them about her experiences with West African cuisine (Ghanian). 

I highly recommend you check out this new restaurant in Springfield, IL. If you are local to the area it is located in the old La Bamba restaurant. If you are not sure where that is, you can locate the restaurant at 1731 S MacArthur Blvd. Springfield IL 62704. They are open Monday through Saturday 11am-10pm. There are some dishes that they only offer on the weekends. The price point is not bad. you can expect to spend around $15-20 but as I mentioned you get quite a bit of food so you really could get 2 meals out of this. For the authenticity of the cooking, the flavor, and the portion size I think the price point is well worth it. 

Support a local new business and check out the Traveler's Kitchen if you would like to try something new and very good, in my opinion. 

*This restaurant is also on Door dash if you would like to order it to be delivered or for pickup*