I Grill brings the fun, but not always the flavor

The idea of paying to cook your own meal sounds strange, but at i Grill Korean BBQ & Hotpot, becoming a chef is the whole purpose of the meal.

I’m not the world’s best chef, having only mastered a few pasta dishes, but I figured this would be a great step toward becoming a grill master.

Korean barbecue (KBBQ) is a staple of Korean cuisine, where guests grill meats like beef and pork right at the table — usually over a portable stove — making it a hands-on, communal experience ideal for groups.

I was pleasantly surprised to see steam wafting up from each table as I opened the doors to the restaurant, which was decorated with bright neon colors that make it feel more like a club than a dining establishment.

Guests are able to order from an all-you-can eat menu using a tablet, and employees wheel out your selected meats. The all-you-can-eat is $24.45 per person, and there is an option that offers premium meats. The restaurant also offers a hot pot menu, but I wanted to put my grill skills to the test.

I went with the regular option, which includes pork, beef, chicken and seafood, along with access to a self-serve station stocked with sides and sauces like kimchi, rice and gochujang.

I started with a sampler of each meat. The restaurant leaves the cooking entirely to you — no instructions, no guidance, just the meat and a burner. Workers will come by with carts to deliver the meats and any drink orders, but afterward, it’s all up to you.

I started with the beef brisket, a small and skinny slab of meat with essentially no seasoning on it. With the appearance of bacon and none of the robust flavor, I was off to a disappointing start but was determined to turn things around, so I added onions, mushroom and garlic to try to enhance the flavor.

Aside from the spicy beef bulgogi, the beef options were underwhelming. The pork, however, was a solid comeback. Juicy and flavorful even without sauces, the pork selections outshined the beef by far.

Rough start aside, I powered through, quickly running to the sauce station to fill a ramekin with gochujang sauce, a Korean condiment known for its spicy and savory flavor. Near the sauce station, a sides station offers rice and ramen noodle packets for anyone enjoying hot pot and other veggies.

I also ordered a slab of lettuce to create a KBBQ lettuce wrap.

For round two, I opted for spicy calamari, garlic shrimp and miso pork belly — which ended up being my favorite of all the meat options and noticeably more satisfying.

Eventually, I realized I’d ordered too much. The restaurant enforces a 90-minute time limit and charges for uneaten food, which is somewhat standard for all-you-can-eat spots, but still a bit of a letdown. No to-go boxes means no late-night leftovers on the couch while watching “Love Island.”

The experience of KBBQ was very fun, but all in all I was a little underwhelmed by the food. I would make a trip back to try the hot pot, but I won’t be rushing back to i Grill Korean BBQ & Hotpot anytime soon.

I Grill brings the fun, but not always the flavor