REVIEW: Superstar BBQ, Tottenham Court Road

The rise of Korean food in the UK, and London specifically, has been steady but in recent months has absolutely shot through the roof. From Korean BBQs to KCF (that's Korean Fried Chicken), the chilli-focussed cuisine of Korea has been making a firm stamp on the London food scene. Today we visited Superstar BBQ; an approachable entry-way into the delights of Korean food. Guests are invited to cook their own food on the BBQ grill at their table and menus are customizable to suit each diner.

As the Korean BBQ experience can be a little overwhelming at first, Superstar BBQ have made things a little easier. All menus are written in English and the staff members are all equipped in explaining how the BBQ works, how long to cook each item for and even the order in which to enjoy your ingredients. Each diner is invited to select a number of dishes for the BBQ, including meats, fish and vegetables, and a few sides with which to enjoy them with. 

Where
Superstar BBQ, Tottenham Court Road
When
Saturday night, from 7:30pm
What We Ate
Set 2, with variations

• KFC (Korean Fried Chicken)
• Japache (glass noodles)
• Kimchi Jeon (kimchi pancake)
• Vegetable dumplings
• Banchan (Namool & Kimchi)
• Rib galbi 
• Portobello mushrooms
• Spicy Chicken
• Spicy Pork
• Grilled Vegetables
• Sangchu salad
• Mixed lettuce and miso paste
• Steamed rice
• Seasonal fruits

Highlights:

• The vegetable dumplings had a lovely chive flavour and a great colour on the outside.
• With the KFC Alex was very happy to see the chefs have used thigh meat as this was soft, flavoursome and juicy. The accompanying chilli sauce was sweet and spicy and would have loved more of it. The battered exterior could have been crisper and darker in finish.

• Moving on to the BBQ ingredients: Alex's rib beef was quite subtle in flavour and our waiter explained the order each meat should be cooked in so that Alex could experience the flavours in order of strength. 
• The chicken was marinated in a soft chilli sauce that caramelised really nicely on the grill. 
• Finally the sweet belly pork was marinated in a sweet and sticky marinade that had the most intense finish.

• The lettuce and spring onion garnishes were both nice and we particularly enjoyed the miso paste with the lettuce leaves.
• The final plates of melon and orange were surprisingly refreshing and just what we wanted. We also really enjoyed the cinnamon drink which was a little like a cinnamon tonic or alcohol free liquor.
• The service was friendly and approachable throughout, although things were a little slow to start with. We were kindly taught how to use the grill and adjust the heat to suit each meat or vegetable.

Lowlights

• The small appetiser dish of kimchi was not spicy enough for me - in fact is felt pretty much devoid of chilli flavour. The sourness of the fermentation was definitely there so it was a shame the chilli flavour was lost.
• In the same vein the kimchi pancakes, which I was really looking forward to, were flat in flavour with no chilli or actual kimchi flavour.

• The texture of the vegetable dumplings was a little thick and doughy which may have contributed to the interior being cold, not hot!
• I also found that Superstar BBQ was not the best place for vegetarians as, despite the good number of vegetables on the menu, nothing was marinated or flavoured. When it came to the BBQ I was just cooking raw chopped veggies on the grill and would have loved a marinated piece of aubergine or mix of different peppers to bring interest to my meal. I would have also liked to have seen more Asian vegetables such as choi sum, lotus root or pak choi.

Overall I enjoyed the visit to Superstar BBQ, however, I would have really liked to have seen a more interesting approach to the vegetable options. The side dishes were enjoyable and generally the fun element of cooking your own food on the BBQ gave a novelty touch to our meal.

Thank you to Superstar BBQ and the team there for hosting this meal. All opinions are my own.

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