Bann Restaurant

350 W. 50th Street

(between Eighth and Ninth Avenues)

www.bannrestaurant.com

Want to find a place to take out-of-town friends? Bann Restaurant would be a great choice. It’s upscale Korean, and located in a rather discreet location. Plus, it boasts having served Korean superstar Psy—Mr. Gangnam Style himself.

I wanted to take my friend and her husband to some place rather exotic or what they normally wouldn’t be able to find in their hometown. But I also wanted them to have fun and feel comfortable so a Korean barbecue sounded like the right solution!

Plus it’s the only Korean restaurant I know that offers a gluten-free menu!! (My friend, like so many others, unfortunately has food allergies.) Please note though that you must request the gluten-free menu as it is not immediately offered.

Food

We started off with an order of the kimbap and the bin dae duk (mini pancakes with bean sprouts, kimchi, and scallion). Both dishes were good (though I’ve had better in some of the hole-in-the-wall places in K-town).

The bann chann (the accompanying side dishes) were very disappointing—only three offerings—why so skimpy?

The star of the evening though was the barbecue. We ordered a Medium Barbecue Platter, which came with kal bi (short rib), bul go gi (ribeye), sae woo (shrimp), and yun aw (salmon). The kal bi was amazing—so sweet it tasted like it was doused with sugar! And the salmon was so fresh it could have been just caught from the ocean. The food also came with a salad that was accompanied with an excellent salad dressing.

My friend’s husband happily took on the role of the cook, and he did an excellent job. So it gave him something to do while my friend and I were able to gab the night away. It was a fun night for all accompanied with cocktails (they really make a fabulous lychee martini!), white wine, and beer.

Would recommend only for special occasions, as it is rather pricey for an average, everyday meal.