By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Contributor
It has been over a year, maybe more, that Flaming Hotpot & Korean BBQ, 6570 Youree Drive, Suite 700, Shreveport, announced it would open. We all eagerly anticipated it happening, just to be disappointed it hadn’t yet.
Finally a few weeks ago Flaming Hotpot opened its doors, and called it a soft opening, but from I could tell the crowds rushed the doors the moment they were unlocked.
Anticipation is a powerful thing. It makes the stakes high, but when reality matches that anticipation, it’s pure magic.
Last week we joined the parade. I went with my kids and new granddaughter to Flaming Hotpot. We got there at 8 p.m. on Monday and the restaurant was on a small wait, which is ideal for a new business owner.
If you are unfamiliar with how the Hotpot and Korean BBQ works, you pay one price per person and all the food is included — everything. The items for the Hotpot are the soup-based part, and you pick whatever you want in it. There is a hot plate in front of you to keep it warm, or hot.
The Korean BBQ side is all the meats and veggies, which come out raw. You have a big grill in front of you and you cook as a group. Items can be brought out a lot at once or a few items out at a time and you cook and eat it at your own pace. Be careful! If you waste too much meat they will charge you a waste fee.
Flaming Hotpot also has a small buffet area with some prepared dishes, sides and some fresh-looking fruits as a palate cleanser.
We opted to not get the Hotpot, since if you do, it being the only ordering choice you have, it’s “as one goes, all go.” If one person wants the hotpot then everyone has it as part of their price. I think a winter dinner return trip will without a doubt include this option.
I believe we ordered five or six different times, generally with 5-6 items each round, except for the first when we grabbed all the veggies we’d be eating throughout the meal. We all ordered fried rice to have and complement the food.
My son-in-law has the most experience among us in visiting these types of Korean diners, so he took charge of cooking as the food was brought to the table. That was great by me. I got to enjoy watching everyone critique his ability and of course, I had to join in on it a little. That’s the beauty of this type of environment. It brings everyone into the process, phones get neglected and enjoying each other’s company becomes the fun.
We ordered so many different things, it was hard to keep them all straight. I can say without a doubt that every one of them was good.
Our favorite was the Beef Bugogi. The meat is sliced thin, but just thick enough to hold together while cooking. It was so full of flavor, I could just eat that one item all night. I wanted to try the Beef Short Ribs, as it’s an item that if not prepped properly will be tough no matter how good the cook is. Let’s just say I ordered that a couple more times!
We went with a couple chicken types, Chicken Bulgogi and the Garlic Chicken. As with the Beef Bulgogi, the Chicken Bulgogi was so good that I even commented we didn’t need a different chicken dish. I was wrong — the Garlic Chicken was just as good, with great flavor everywhere.
The last two items that stood out to me were the Pork Belly and the Garlic Shrimp. These being two of my favorite foods, I can’t walk by either without giving it a try. These versions both passed the test and will most definitely be part of every one of my visits.
I did finish my meal with a fresh watermelon slice. I just had to — it called my name and refreshed me as we left.
Contact David at dersoff@bellsouth.net
