Korean BBQ can be hit and miss depending on where you head to in the UK. The fine meats are usually cooked on intense heat, rendering the fat into the meat at lightning speed, leaving nothing but tasty rich flavour. Having been to a number of Korean BBQ restaurants and enjoyed the familiar settings of a hot plate being the centre of focus, I was excited to recreate it at home. Burgogi is a new business that has launched their products into the market this last few weeks. We were gifted a box of the Korean Table BBQ meal kits, fully loaded with everything necessary to create the perfect Korean BBQ at home. The best Korean food I have eaten in this country has been at Jin Go Jae, Korean food New Malden; how did this compare?
Korean BBQ Pancakes
Burgogi supplies two types of pancakes in the Korean BBQ Table Meal Kit; Seafood Pancakes and Kimchi Pancakes. I am a fan of the caribbean dish, fishcake fritters, and these pancakes were reminiscent of that dish. Unfortunately I am allergic to seafood and so I had to take a back step on the seafood ones! The consistency of both were just joyous to see, however, slight crisp forming on the outside as the pan sizzled away. In only 4 minutes both the sets of pancakes were complete and I couldn’t wait to get stuck into the kimchi ones. Although I cannot comment on the seafood pancakes, my wife ate all three that came in the pack and said they were bursting with flavour. I thought the Kimchi pancakes were good, the consistency was perfect and as a starter goes, I could ask for no more. The flavour was decent but it did lack the punch that I could see was being enjoyed at the opposite end of the table! My only observation on the pancakes is that both sets were packaged together, which is not a good move for those with serious allergies. Having sat in an ambulance a number of times on allergy drips, having both sets packaged together was a little worrying but I couldn’t resist, regardless of the lack of an epipen! Oh, the things I am willing to do for Korean BBQ food!
The Korean BBQ Meat Experience
I have seen that Burgogi have provided a number of meal kits to influencers in the space. You can view their Instagram channel if you would like to check out some more images of the delights they have available. I did, however, notice that many of the guys gifted a box from Celeplate failed to act on the quite simple recommendation of cooking each course independent of each other, so best to enjoy the experience as it should be enjoyed. I am no kitchen maestro but, my limited understanding of good quality food served in courses, is that each plate is designed to prepare the palate for the next. I decided to do it as instructed and cook each plate in alignment with the course recommendation and for the correct timings.
I have to admit that 8 courses is a hell of a lot of food and being up and down from the kitchen was not easy on my sweat glands nor my stomach! I think I was actually full by round 4 but I curiousity got the better of me every time I looked at the next instruction to eat. I do have my favourites and I do have one that I was really unsure about so, lets begin with the Ox Tongue.
The Ox Tongue was the only dish that I didn’t like! Strangely the flavouring for this dish was absolutely spot on. The Korean BBQ spicy dip and Cumin mix gave, what can only be described as rubbery meat, a fantastic flavour. Depsite the consistency really not going too well with my palate I still managed to put away three pieces, largely because of the seasonings that accompanied. I have to be honest and say that I would avoid this in the future but if I was ever to see the seasonings at any Korean restaurant again, the benchmark has been set pretty high!
The Pork Neck in Spicy sauce was so good it was scary. Even with my mediocre cooking skills, this dish was the star of the night. Both my wife and I were in amazement at this dish. The flavour was immense, tingling with a light spice but a phenomenal sweet BBQ taste that just made your tongue dance. It was exactly what was needed after the Ox Tongue situation and I cannot vouch for this dish enough. If you are looking to impress your friends with an Asian dish then you need to order one of these meal kits and get this on the fire that is for sure! Texturally sensational and the flavour is one of the ones that make you lift your eyelids and say “holy s***”
The Korean BBQ Home Experience Overall
Burgogi are doing something that is completely on trend and bringing some of East Asia’s best food to the home market. Since the inception of Covid, eating at home has become more popular and, in the cost of living crisis in the UK, we should all be looking for cheaper ways to spend our time. I think, overall, at the price point of £50, you get an absolute ton for your money with the Korean BBQ Table Meal Kit from Burgogi. I would buy this again at the drop of a hat. I have to be honest and say that, having eaten a number of Korean BBQ offerings, this would have been elevated by actually using a BBQ. Although the instructions do say you can cook the food in a pan on gas, I think some of the flavour profiles are better on actual real fire. The meal kit could have easily served three people, despite it being advertised for two. The food is clean, fresh, flavourful and the whole experience just beats getting a Deliveroo or Uber Eats to your door that, surely, everyone is sick of by now!
Once again, thank you to Burgogi for allowing us to try the great food they have on offer. If you would like to order from Burgogi then you should check out their website and head to the Meal Kits tab – we already have our eye on the Burger for our Hit List!
