Kang Suh, Korean BBQ

located in Koreatown,
1250 Broadway, on 32nd and Broadway.

It is one of the most disappointing things to see a good restaurant go downhill. Such was the disappointment last night when we brought some out of town friends to Kang Suh for their first Korean barbecue experience. Our choice of Kang Suh was not an accident, as we had dined here a couple of times in the past and had an excellent experience with delicious food and more than adequate portions.

Last night's experience suggested that the restaurant reduced all portions by a third. We ordered the usual seafood scallion pancake, and order of beef and shrimp barbecues (even doubled up on each for the six of us, as the waitress suggested), plus the yuk hwe (Korean version of beef tartar) and added a serving of vegetarian shumai. The food came as usual, in this sudden blur of dishes and unfamiliar sides that fought for space on the wide table; out came the pancake served just as the meat began sizzling in the middle of the table spread atop the barbecue pan. We ate with the usual frenzy, though trying to keep up some semblance of social talk.

Rather than miniature slabs of meat, our barbecuing beef was thin and shredded, and entirely inappropriate for barbecuing. The shrimp was adequately sized, but the yuk hwe, as well, was thinner than the usual. The number of side dishes (banchan) was also skimpy, and a lot less variations than usual.

Last time we were here, the two of us had to wait a good 20-30 minutes for a table. This time the six of us were seated immediately, and for 8pm on a Saturday night, that's practically unheard of, until you notice that the restaurant was much less crowded than before. We found out why. Next time we're going with the other blog reviews and recommendations, and going with Shilla or some of the others down 32nd Street.