Kimchi, bulgogi and miso broth abound at Pensacola's HQ Korean BBQ & Hot Pot

Korean barbecue restaurant, HQ Korean BBQ & Hot Pot, is coming in hot to Pensacola’s dining scene after making its long-awaited debut at 4958 Bayou Blvd. on Monday. The new concept replaces The Juicy Crab, a New Orleans-style seafood boil restaurant, that was previously located there.

Although HQ is far from Pensacola’s first Korean barbecue joint, it is unique in the fact that it offers a wide variety of all-you-can-eat ingredients to grill over the barbecue station, as well as a range of unique broth flavors if choosing the Shabu Shabu, a Japanese hot pot dish.

You choose your experience, whether you want to try your hand at being Top Chef by searing a salt and pepper ribeye on the grill or simmering a plate of succulent shrimp in a pot of Japanese curry.

The wide booths double as kitchen space and are perfect for interactive dinners with friends and family to sample a variety of different proteins, vegetables and noodles.

The restaurant’s modern interior with crisp white décor, captivating indigo blue lights, holographic logos and robotic bussers all contribute to HQ’s memorable dining experience.

How the HQ experience works

The Korean barbecue is a flat rate, all-you-can-eat price of $37.99 per adult. Guests can order whatever they want within a two-hour period, but there is an added fee for excessive waste of food, so make sure that you are ordering in stages and not biting off more than you can chew. Everything can be added digitally through computers connected to each table.

HQ employees will start by firing up your tabletop grill and assist with tips on how long to cook each item. The meats have short cook times and take only about five minutes to cook all the way through.

Like the hot pot, you can also choose a variety of broth bases for the Shabu Shabu experience, and then select proteins, vegetables and noodles to mix in.

If you simply can’t decide on one of the two methods, you can do both for an additional $5.

What kind of food is on the HQ menu?

The ordering process for the Korean barbecue is split into two sections, meat and fresh vegetables, and HQ spares no expense. Some of the meat options include prime boneless ribeye, beef bulgogi, sliced pork belly, beef tongue, filet mignon, chicken bulgogi, garlic chicken, pork cheek, angus ribeye, angus short rib, mini sausage and spam. There is also a spicy variation available for many of the meats.

Some of the seafood options include jumbo shrimp, calamari, fish filet, octopus, oysters, mussels, scallops and salmon.

Then comes the choice in vegetables including zucchini, lettuce, mushrooms, pumpkins, eggplant, cheese corn, onions, potatoes and sweet potatoes.

The Shabu Shabu menu follows suit, with a variety of broths for customers to choose form, including Dashi, HQ Signature Soup, Spicy Miso, Japanese Curry, White Miso, Kinoko Mushroom, Szechuan Spicy Soup. Like the grill, you can then add a variety of mix-ins to cook in the broth, but with a few extra additions, such as snow crab legs, bamboo shoots, vermicelli noodles and shrimp dumplings.

The restaurant also has a bar of fresh sides and sauces to enhance your meal, including savory shacha sauce, sweet chili sauce, seaweed salad and kimchi, at no extra charge.

What is Korean barbecue?

Korean barbecue is the act of grilling marinated meat over a hot, tableside grill, along with sauces and side dishes. Typical meats include pork belly, prime rib, brisket and short rib, alongside side dishes, called banchan, and rice and sauces. One popular sauce is ssamjang, made with soybean paste and red pepper paste.

What is Shabu Shabu?

Shabu Shabu is a Japanese hotpot dish prepared by cooking thinly sliced meat in a hot pot piece by piece, in a piping hot broth. The name itself is an onomatopoeia, mimicking the swishing sound of the meat in the broth. The literal translation of the word is “swish swish.” Various meats can be used, but thinly sliced beef is the most common.  Sauces are served in accompaniment for cooking the meat and vegetables. Some of the most common sauces in Japan include ponzu and sesame sauce.

How do I follow along with the restaurant?

HQ can be reached through HQ Korean BBQ & Hot Pot - Pensacola, FL on Facebook, (850) 466-2154 by phone and hqbbqpensacola@gmail.com by email.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: HQ Korean BBQ & Hot Pot makes Pensacola debut at Bayou Boulevard Monday