Hi!! School is in full swing. I’ve had a midterm, research is ramping up, still reading…. However, all that’s gone on pause this weekend. Why? My parent’s are visiting!

My little bro went off to uni last week and stopped by to see me along the way too! Of course, blood is more valuable than data (for now 😉 )so I set aside my work and had a bit of a celebration!

Pittsburgh has some great restaurants. Here’s the rub: Dad wants Asian food…

After some searching, I found a new, hip Korean BBQ joint called Cobra.

COBRA is an upscale all in one KBBQ experience with grill tables, full service bar and karaoke.

Food

The menu is small, so we ordered…..EVERYTHING

But first- starters!

Spicy Cucumber- I love marinated cucumbers. I must say these were a disappointment. They lacked flavour and crunch. The dish honestly tasted like spicy oil dumped over water. Do NOT recommend

Kimchi Mandu- While the cucumbers were far below par, these more than made up for the abysmal start. The skin was perfectly thin and soft, but also strong enough to support the tender, juicy filling bursting with flavour. A perfect balance between salt, fat, acid heat.

Now for the meats

When I said we ordered everything, I mean it, and I certainly don’t regret that decision.

The meats was top quality to say the least. It came out bright ruby red and very little residual blood on the plate even as the meat thawed (note: the meat is comes frozen for slicing purposes).

When grilled, the meat left a very clean flavour on the palate. It was extremely flavourful even without salt or soy sauce.

The plain meat was amazing, but KBBQ isn’t KBBQ without bulgogi and kalbi. We actually doubled down and got TWO types of bulgogi- beef and pork. Perfection… absolute perfection. The marinade had a unique tang from the tamari.

Of all the meats, there’s one dark horse: The pork bulgolgi. I left a couple of pieces on the grill for too long and they still melted in my mouth!

With that said, it is VERY pricey. While good, I’m not convinced it’s worth the price. I’m also disappointed by the lack of vegetarian options. Some tofu marinated in the bulgogi sauce would have been amazing.

Service and Atmosphere

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This was by far my favourite part of the experience.

Everything about the restaurant from the website, the nondescript graffiti covered exterior to the dark neon lit interior gave off serious swanky underground club vibes.

The service was better than the food!

Our waiter was welcoming and accommodating without smothering us. He gave the most succinct, clear explanation of the menu and cooking process I’ve experienced- none of the overselling or cold shoulder. Water would just appear as if by magic and he always seemed to be there when we needed something.

Overall Impression

Overall, I really enjoyed COBRA. The meat was amazing and the service was impeccable. I’d definitely recommend it for entertaining guests from out of town (or for a fancy date night!!). HOWEVER, I probably won’t be coming back much even if I could afford it.

I had an amazing week and got to finish with my parents while enjoying great food. What could be better!!

I hope everyone also had a great week! Here’s to a great week ahead!

Until next time, bye!

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