How does Daldongnae, a chain Korean BBQ stand up?

• Name + address: Daldongnae Korean BBQ

• Type of food: Korean

• Prices: $10-$80

• Diet: Meat, seafood, vegetarian

• Wheelchair accessibility:

• Licensed: Yes

• Website:www.daldongnaebbq.com/menu-ottawa

Daldongnae Korean BBQ is a popular chain restaurant specializing in Korean BBQ. They currently operate 15 restaurants in several provinces and from my experience, they prefer to off-load all the work to the consumer.

This evening I was part of a larger group and there was a pronounced sensation that I had upset the balance for the servers when I ordered a la carte. They clearly prefer when larger groups (we were ten) all stick with the BBQ option as there was some question (for too long a time) as to whether they could individualize the bill. They eventually accommodated my request but it was an unpleasant experience.

The BBQ instructions for our group ended up being a messy affair with so many communication breakdowns that it put the classic Abbot and Costello “Who’s on first” routine to shame.

For a table to qualify for the table grill, a minimum of two people need to order the BBQ option. Each person orders their meat of choice, but there’s no guarantee that you alone will enjoy your hyper-expensive Wagyu beef as sharing is encouraged, and it’s hard to keep track. When you’re part of a larger group it becomes very difficult to ensure that things remain fair.

It’s very clearly, and mysteriously, a popular dining spot with the rooms packed at 6 pm and more people waiting in line. 

There are a variety of side dishes and dipping sauces that accompany the BBQ selection, and they’re all quite good, but the grilling surface is so hot that some of the options around the grill quickly dried out to the point of burning.

When you’re left to cook your own food with protein markups of regular restaurants you’re left wondering about the value. 

With the noise level, the fact that we were 10 seated around a table that should have held no more than 6-8, the entire affair had all the charm of dining beneath an active roller coaster.  

I can honestly say that this was the most enervating dining experience I’ve had and while I had a decent pork and kimchi stew, it's not something I’ll repeat. It’s perhaps meant for people much younger than I, but I expect this kind of dining to be short-lived for more experienced diners.

While the food was decent, it was only sufficiently average, and that’s not enough to undergo this ever again.