Less than a week to go for the Taste of the Tri-Cities, and we snuck in a visit to Haan BBQ in the heart of Coquitlam.
Our visit coincided with an unexpected snow fall and the warmth of the glowing red grill was a welcomed sight. Whereas other Korean bbq spots have circular grill plates and exhaust fans that hover inches over it, here it was a rectangle grill pan with built in drip troth. And despite the lack of exhaust fans, the space was left unsmoked and relatively scent free. I did not walk out of the restaurant with the sweet scent of marinated meat on my person.
For the Taste of the Tri-Cities, which is on now until March 15th, 2025; Haan BBQ has a full meal for two, for $80. That is $40 each with the option to upgrade your rice into bimibap, like we did and had. Top grade beef rib, Marinated pork, Soy bean paste hot soup, 4 side dishes, Wrap vegetables, Stir-fried garlic sweet sauced potato noodles, and 2 bowls of rice.
The set includes both beef and pork with your choice of it being marinaded or not, and what kind of marinade. The top grade beef rib was available marinated or non-marinated. We went for the latter and had a stunning slab of beef still attached to bone presented before us. Grilling it as is allowed for us to taste the quality of the beef. Once slightly pink at its centre we looked to our individual sauces to season as we wished. A gochujang paste, sesame oil, and sweet light soy.
Our second protein was marinaded pork with our choice of marinade between soy sauce or a spicy gochujang based sauce. Here we went for the former, considering that we had the option to flavour it in the latter at the table, which I did anyways. Even with the marinade, I found that the pork still needed an extra kick, so I wrapped it in the lettuce included with the set, alongside the onions we grilled, and the jalapeño slices that came with one of the sides; for a fresh and tasty wrap of sorts.
Common with such Korean meals are the following complimentary sides. Two types of pickles. The first, lightly pickled daikon strips with a sugar and vinegar mix. The second daikon slices that were tangier with soy and spicy jalapeño, offering a more sharper and savoury flavour. The typical kimchi was also present; along with a scoop of mashed potato, yellow with bits of carrots and spice.
You also get a bubbling serving of hot Soy Bean Paste soup, served in a clay pot. The soup had plenty of kick to it. Bits of ground beef, zucchini, and onion in a stew with bold kimchi heat, but none of its spice. Whereas the meat came across mild without any of the dips, the stew made up for any lost flavour.
Another cooked main you get with this set is the Jab Chae. This is stir-fried garlic sweet sauced potato noodles with carrot, onion, and black fungus. This served as a nice base for the meat, which you have more for the texture than its taste.
And once again the set normally comes with two bowls of rice. However, for an extra $10 each, you can change each bowl of rice to Bibimbap. This is Korean mixed rice with ground beef, shredded lettuce, bean sprouts, slices of zucchini and mushroom, julienned carrot and daikon, and a fried sunny side up egg. Their version isn’t served in a sizzling stone bowl, so it doesn’t continue to cook with the rice coming to a crisp. The rice remained soft, and even more so when we added in squeezes of gochujang, and mixed it all together.
We enjoyed the cooking experience, slowing grilling and engaging in conversation. And we can recommend them as a way to beat the cold.
HAAN Korean BBQ
3025 Lougheed Hwy., Coquitlam, BC V3B 652
(604) 944-7188
haanbbq.com
