Sae Jong Kwan - Aurora

Yes indeedy! Time to tell you about another pearl on Havana Street. This one is located in the same stripmall as J 'Shabu (see previous review), near Havana and Yale. Its full name is Sae Jong Kwan, but the Korean-language sign simply spells out Sae Jong, while the English one says Korean BBQ . Still with me? Good, because you won 't want to miss this. When you enter, you will notice that each table is equipped with its very own buzzer. When pressed, this sets off a signal at the back of the room that will summon a server directly to you. Nifty! The menu is extensive and varied, and a number of the Lunch options come in an elegant lacquered box called a Dosirak divided neatly into compartments. Therefore, if you order Bulgogi (tender grilled beef) or Dak Gui (zesty marinated chicken) you may also be treated to Chapchae (thin noodles with vegetables), or a cool refreshing salad, or... well, who knows what you may find? There are of course options available to grill your own meats at the table too. If this notion just isn 't tickling your fancy, never fear! There are plenty of other choices. How about a nice big bowl of comforting Doenjang Chigae (bean paste stew with mushrooms and onions) or invigorating Gamjatang (spicy potato and pork spine soup)? Throw in an order of Bindaeduk (green bean pancakes), or maybe Mandu (steamed dumplings) and there you go! Naturally, the meal also comes with a number of Banchan (side dishes), as is customary. On any given day you could partake in egg custard cubes, seaweed salad, dried fish, or crunchy lotus root. Or a myriad (OK, maybe not quite *that* many) of other possibilities. In Korean it 's known as Sae Jong Kwan, but I like to call it just plain tasty.

Thank you Sae Jong Kwan for a KOREAN BBQ feast for my friends and I, yesterday Friday evening May 21st 2010. Prior to this event, I made a reservation for the group as part as International Cuisine Enthusiasts meetup event. Several friends opt for the BBQ table, while some other friends and I opt for the kitchen to do all the cooking for us. With the extensive menu, for those WHO ARE INTO KOREAN BBQ, Special BBQ MENU are divided into 4 portions ranging from $45.95 to feed 3 people and up to $99.95 to feed 6 people. Then for those who wants to order from the main menu such as BBQ prepared by the kitchen, Stews, Bibimbob, Noodles and Grilled items the prices are between $9.95 to $32.95. While waiting for our main entree to arrived, the waitstaff named Ms Young and her assistance, bring out the Korean side dishes and rice. Each of us, get a bowl of rice for our personal consumption. As for me, I order the Galbi, 3 pieces of BEEF SHORT RIBS marinated and cooked and also an order of Spicy Grilled Squid with vegetables. I like the Galbi a lot for this I give them 4 stars while my Spicy Grilled Squid is about 3.25 to 3.5 stars. I like the flavor of the Galbi. Was slightly dissapointed on the Spicy Grilled Squid, since its not as spicy as I want it to be, though I have requested it to be EXTRA SPICY. As for my other friends, one of them order the Bibimbob, another ordered the BBQ Chicken marinated with Special Sauce and those who sat at the BBQ table order the following : Galbi (Beef Short Ribs) BBQ Pork Bulgogi (Beef) Cubed Rib Greenbean pancake Porkneck Bone Soup Monkfish w beansprouts So Ju If you happen to need refills of the rice and other side dishes, just press the bell that is on your table. The waitstaffs will come to your RESCUE. The waitstaff is indeed attentive, prompt and friendly. I am indeed stuffed by the end of my Korean feast. Had leftovers of the Galbi and Grilled Squid for Hubs too. My friends like what they ordered. All in all, I like this place and I dont mind returning back to Sae Jong Kwan to have my meal here anytime! By the end of our dinner many more patrons came in having their late dinner galore!

I tried the stone pot vegetable rice with an egg for under $12 the pork bulgogi for under $15. I thought the bulgogi was a bit expensive. The lunch portion is under $12. I also tried the gyoza dumping appetizer. It was presented very nicely with a salad in the middle. It came with a brown sauce with green onions. They gave cups of warm rice tea rather than water but they a gave different amounts in each cup. It took a while for us to get seated it took even longer for us to get our bill then again for us to get our bill picked up. They also rang up our bill wrong listed it as $17 rather than $45 but then they caught it when they took the credit card. Also, they ran out of pork cutlet. I am rating this meh, I 've experienced better because of the slow service and because they didn 't have the pork cutlet (tonkotsu) as advertised on the menu.

I love the bibimbap here because of how they bring it out on a sizzling stone dish. It makes the rice crispy and everything hot when it comes out. Great healthy food that will get scratch my Korean food itch

I really used to hate this place because I honestly didn't think the food was all that great, but I was thoroughly impressed during my last visit here. There were plenty of delicious side dishes that were vegetarian friendly. The thing that really bumped this place up from three to four stars is the fact that they served my dolsot bibimbap on a huge stone bowl with tofu when I asked for no meat. Woohoo! I asked for the egg to be cooked all the way and, lo and behold, it was cooked just as I requested! There was a generous portion of veggies and rice, and everything was well prepared. They have a lot of different options in terms of dishes, but I think the bibimbap is really one of the only entrees that doesn't contain some type of meat. The service was great friendly and prompt. The prices are average here $9 $12). My parents like to come here for the big soon tofu hot pot, so I will most likely be back soon!