Korean BBQ: [su:t] & wine

Snapshot of the table setting at [su:t] and wine. We were given a choice of 3 dipping sauces for the bbqed meat, (1) a mixture of kosher salt, pepper, & sesame seeds; (2) soy bean paste; & (3) sweet soy sauce with ginger. Honey bear loved the sweet soy sauce with ginger most with the bbqed meat; I preferred the salt, pepper, & sesame seeds mixture.

Last Sunday we shopped around at Chadstone shopping mall & when dinner time approached we couldnt quite decide where exactly to dine. We finally decided, after much thought & discussion, to have our meal at Boxhill's Korean BBQ restaurant, [su:t] and wine. It's been open for business for quite some time now but last Sunday was our 1st visit to [su:t] and wine.

We had a choice of either charcoal grill or stone grill; we chose the former. We then decided on our choice of meats; we chose duck fillet, ox tongue, scotch fillet, and pork belly marinated in red white. And of course we HAD to order soju! What's korean bbq without some soju right?^^ But instead of the usual original flavoured soju, we opted for something more modern so-to-speak; it's traditional with a hint of modernity. Purrrrfect!

Apart from the traditional original flavoured soju, [su:t] and wine also offered 3 other types of soju, namely, apple soju, pineapple soju, & orange soju. We decided on apple soju, which is served chilled with ice in a glass cylinder container, with 2 apple cups. I found it really innovative and interesting.

The original flavoured soju is apparently mixed with some apple juice & probably some tonic water (i sourced recipe for apple soju online & some recipes featured tonic water). The result? Just as alcoholic & just as strong-flavoured as the original soju, but with the added tinge of sweetness! I really loved it a lot because I like sweet wines (e.g. Japanese plum wine). Apple soju is not as sweet as japanese plum wine but the apple flavour makes it very refreshing!

charcoal grill

Side dishes:

(1) salad; (2) chilled tofu; (3) kimchi; & (4) cucumber strips in mayonnaise

(5) apple cup/soju

Mixed meat platter:

(1) Scotch Fillet; (2) Ox Tongue; (3) Duck

(4) Mushrooms

Pork Belly marinated with Red Wine

When we were 3/4 done with our dinner, we decided to order another soju; this time we tried Pineapple Soju. How interesting that the soju (mixed with pineapple juice) is served in a whole pineapple?! Presentation-wise, it's without a doubt, impressive! I'm personally very interested in food art and/or food presentation; it's my area of interest; so when i chance upon food with impressive presentation, i tend to get hysterically excited^^ So i'm guessing the pineapple itself was chilled beforehand (since the walls of the pineapple & the pineapple meat within seem kinda frozen) & then the soju (together with pineapple juice) added into it. I don't usually drink anything that's pineapple flavoured, because i dont think i'll like it, but i think i've been wrong all this while! All of a sudden I think i've missed out on alota good stuff in life>< As much as i do enjoy this pineapple soju (i like both & it's really hard to decide whether i like the apple or pineapple soju better), i find myself liking the apple soju just that wee bit more:)

Now onto my thoughts about the bbq:

BBQ was normal, meat was very fresh but nothing very out of the ordinary. We loved the ox tongue alot; we had a 2nd order of it. Initially we didnt really enjoy the duck because the moment i saw how much fat there was in each piece of duck meat, i was automatically turned off (i really hate fat meat); but i soon realized that when the duck was bbqed till slightly burnt & its fatty portions crisp, it actually tasted quite good (honey bear had the exact same sentiments)! Scotch fillet meat was tender but apart from its tenderness, it's just an ordinary piece of meat. Tenderness & freshness of meat are 2 basic requirements of any bbq restaurant, so in terms of food/meat, nothing to praise/rant about; similarly, nothing to complain/fuss about.

Now onto my thoughts about the service & waiter's/waitress' attitudes:

EXCELLENT. Quick responses from waiters/waitresses. Positive working attitudes. Very hardworking. Friendly and helpful. Personally i feel that service and attitudes are MOST IMPORTANT; food can be awesome, but if service and working attitudes sux like hell, dining is not going to be a pleasant experience. So i'm very impressed by the service & attitudes of staff at [su:t] and wine!:)

Will i revisit? DEFINITELY!