When you go for all-you-can-eat (AYCE), there are two stages that everyone inevitably goes through. Start off on a high, because who doesn't like unlimited food? You're a little trigger-happy at this point, checking off all those boxes on the ordering sheet or loading your plate up at the buffet. Then you eat and eat and eat. You might go for another round or two, depending on how much stomach space you've got. When you're in pain, you know you've hit the second stage: food coma, or in other words, instant regret.
Regardless of whether you cringe or celebrate at the mere mention of AYCE, you can't deny the lure of value. Because it promises something for everyone at a fixed price, it's a popular pick for group gatherings and celebrations. (Heaven knows you can't go for AYCE on a regular basis without consulting your family physician and cardiologist first.)
While most AYCE places in the city are of the Japanese variety, another popular one (especially for carnivores) is Korean BBQ. Edmonton is a bit lacking when it comes to restaurant options, but one of the main, if only, restaurants serving AYCE Korean BBQ is Ginseng, located on the city's southside.
Chicken For You
We came to Ginseng on a Thursday night, as SC's birthday celebration was a bit overdue, and Korean BBQ was her choice for dinner. My family and I have been to Ginseng a few times before, but it's been many many years since my last visit.
Walking in, AL was very smart to leave her jacket in the car, because as you know, your clothes will end up smelling like BBQ for days. That's one of the things you have to plan for. Just don't wear anything too fancy and you'll be okay. (KN even said she was wearing one of her pajama shirts). Grippy shoes would also be good because for whatever reason, their floors are super slippery.
Weekends at Ginseng are usually very busy, but a weekday, not so much. Each table and booth is outfitted with a grill along with a ventilation hood over top. The restaurant also has a private room in the back corner which is perfect for larger groups.
Ginseng (panax Ginseng; Panax Quinquefolius) — Onkopedia
I'm pretty sure Ginseng has an actual menu that you can order from, but most people come here for AYCE. $36 per person grants you unlimited access to their buffet, as well as a drink with unlimited refills (pop, tea, or coffee).
I was more focused on the meat so I can't recall everything that was served on the buffet line. Also, the selection was more sparse than I remembered, but maybe because it was a weekday. Banchan included kimchi, bean sprouts, and radish. There was regular rice and fried rice for carbs, soup to warm you up, and vegetable fritters. Meats included beef, pork, chicken, and lamb, some marinated and some not. Seafood is also offered, from mussels, shrimp, to two cuts of squid (whole and strips). Vegetables round out the selection with carrot, onion, mushrooms, and zucchini, as well as lettuce for wrapping. Fruit is served at the very end as your dessert.
We all loaded up plates and set to grill. Tongs and scissors are already provided at the table, along with two dipping sauces: hot sauce and a sesame-soy concoction. Since most of the meats are already marinated, I didn't find them as necessary.
Jamieson Korean Red Ginseng Caplets
Because you do everything on your own, staff don't come around that often, only to refill drinks or to replace the grill pan which blackens pretty quickly.
For the most part, the marinated meats are good but flavour is more on the muted side. The meat is tender if you cook it well, dry if you don't (but that's really on you). If you can eat a lot, $36 seems fair but it's a pretty penny regardless. I'd say food quality and selection is average, but you're paying more for the interactive experience of cooking your meal while spending time with friends.Rating Marinated uncooked items 8/10 Menu items 8/10 Cooked buffet items 6/10 With a deep primordial craving for meeeeeaaat, we called up like minded hungry friends and left all our jackets in the car before heading into Ginseng as we knew from past experiences, your clothes will be saturated with the smell of BBQ'ed meat for days to come. Decor is wood panelling, with touches of gold and warm browns, with cozy private dining booths available for larger groups as well as plenty of tables in the dinning area - all have stainless steel exhaust hoods to help vent the delicious aroma of grilled veges and savory meat. A couple of us went with the all you can eat Korean BBQ while others went with the hot stone bowl ricebowl full of goodies otherwise knows as bi bim bap. Mmmm... but I'm getting ahead of myself.
Bi Bim Bap A traditional dish where a hot stone bowl is heated up super hot, and rice, sauteed or grilled meat, vegetables and an egg is layered in, so at the end of your meal, the rice has absorbed all the savory juices from everything else, and the hot stone bowl has crisped up the rice into a lovely crispy crunchiness. Mmmmm! Ginseng's version has chicken or beef or seafood marinated in a sweet fruit based marinade before its sauteed and layered along with a bean sprout salad fragrant in its sesame dressing, lightly pickled and tangy shredded carrots and cucumbers. Its finished off with a sunny side up egg that has a perfectly warm and runny yolk you use as sauce along with the sweetened garlic-chili sauce you add in yourself. Garnished with some crisp nori, this is a super satisfying bowl of soul food - soft, crispy, savory, sweet, salty, spicy, savory tangy and comforting nom!
Effects Of Korean Red Ginseng (krg) On Endogenous Estrogen Responsive...
There's a decent selection of cooked items in the buffet tables - stir fried rice, noodles, a Korean soup of the day (sometimes a ginseng laced chicken soup, or sweet and sour vegetable soup, tonight's a savory vegetarian soup chock full of tofu, bamboo shoots and julienned veges), fried chicken, fish, cooked mussels, cooked veges, salads, and kimchi.
Marinated in a fruit marinade that had a fresh kiwi component (some bits of kiwi were still dotting the meat), once grilled to your own liking at the grill at the table.. super tender with just a touch of sweetness from the fruit to really bring out the savoriness of the beef. YOM!
The beef is so delicious it deserves another closeup. We had vegetables that night as well.. mushrooms, zucchini, sweet bell peppers mmmmm!
Hotelbilder: Pestana Palms (funchal) • Holidaycheck
Next up was the BBQ chicken. We had the lamb and super spicy pork, but weenjoyed the succulentchicken thighs better. Moist and packed full of flavor, it was hard to remember to eat our grilled veges!
The VERDICT We finished off a languorous dinner with some fresh fruit, and almost had to waddle out after our fill of deliciously marinated Korean BBQ items and Korean food. Mmmm!
Ginseng Restaurant Address 7-9261 34 Avenue NW, Edmonton, AB T6E Phone (780) 450-3330 Hours Mon-Thu 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 11am-8pm Map View Larger Map
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