Antoya

Some of our friends live in Midtown West and are always happy to hang out in their neck of the woods. On a recent double date, we decided to stick to Midtown but veer away from their Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. I very quickly jumped at the passing suggestion of KBBQ in Koreatown. When I lived in Murray Hill, I often found myself in the area, but my K-town visits are fewer and further between now that I live uptown and no longer work in Times Square. It’s a real shame because I loveeee Korean BBQ (and the karaoke that so often follows). Emily suggested Antoya and I was excited to try a new-to-me-spot. The space is large – three floors – and has some cutesy neon and fake flower walls that contribute to the “modern Korean barbeque” vibe they’re going for.

The first thing I noticed when I entered was the bar. I spied some good looking garnishes and knew I’d be starting with a cocktail. I went with the sage martini (vodka, vermouth, sage, yuzu, and umami bitters) and later switched to wine and soju. I absolutely love a cocktail with a mini clothespin. This one was quite tasty.

I love the banchan portion of KBBQ and always judge a restaurant by their selection. This one was great with eggplant and crispy shrimp that were particularly good. We ordered an egg soufflé with bacon to start and it was great, but I highly recommend waiting for the meat to be ready before you dig in (don’t worry, it’ll stay plenty hot) because then it’s basically the best steak and eggs ever. When it came to the meats, we decided to keep it simple and ordered the assorted beef platter and the assorted pork platter. Both platters serve two so two platters was ideal for our group of four and meant we didn’t have to agonize over the menu. The only thing we didn’t get was the woosul, beef tongue topped with miso and scallions. Adding that à la carte to our already large order just seemed like too much, but I watched the table next to us eating it and it looked fabulous.

I’d be happy to go back.