JJang: Korean BBQ in Richmond
JJang Korean BBQ and Social House is a Korean barbeque restaurant located in Richmond. I was invited to check out their weekday menu where they have special promotions and pricing so we came on a Monday night.
Disclaimer: Our entire meal was paid for by Jjang BBQ. They also chose all the items we ordered, which are all featured in this blog post.
Jjang Korean BBQ and Social House:
5668 Hollybridge Way #115, Richmond, BC V7C 4N3
The vibe
Jjang has a pretty spacious restaurant and it actually has a pretty cool vibe inside – sparkly metallic walls giving it kind of a “space” vibe. They have small and big tables with lots of tablespace and a grill in the center of the table.
I was happy to see tons of air ventilation because one of my main concerns for BBQ restaurants is that my clothes will smell badly after, but proper ventilation at each table definitely helps.
I can definitely see myself eating and drinking here with friends.
Food and drinks review
We were invited to try a set menu and everything we received was chosen by the manager so we actually weren’t sure what we would get until we got it!
Please note that everything listed in the blog post is based off of their weekday menu, which will have special/lower pricing than their regular weekend menu. All prices are in CAD and rounded to the nearest dollar for simplicity.
Jjang jump ($19) + Peach iced tea ($3)
If you know me in real life, you’ll know I love to drink (we can talk about my budding alcoholism another day thank you 🙂), so I was really excited when I saw the Jjang jump cocktail 🤩! It was a really big cup with an upside down soju bottle, giving it a super fun and dramatic appearance. We asked the server if there is actually a whole bottle of original soju in the drink, but he told us there are around 5-6 shots only (not the whole bottle). Still, we thought 5-6 shots is alot (more than your average 2oz cocktail). The best part is that you really can’t taste the alcohol. The cocktail has a much stronger mango and peach flavour to it. I really liked this cocktail and think it’s really fun to share this with another person.
They also offer a mocktail/iced tea for a non-alcoholic version. The taste is very similar – fruity and delicious.
Side dishes (free)
As expected for a Korean restaurant, they offered free side dishes/banchan. We had little plates of sweet braised potato (my favourite! 🥰), kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts and a simple cabbage salad. Unlimited refills.
Beef rib finger ($18)
One of the first BBQ items to arrive at our table was the beef rib finger, which are cut into thin strips of meat. Regular price for this item is $25 so I think the $18 is a great deal. These cooked quickly and tasted great with the sauces and toppings they provided for you to dip it in.
Pork belly ($16)
We also got 5 large pieces of pork belly. These slices had more fat than I usually prefer, but still tasted really juicy in a lettuce wrap.
Regular price for their pork belly is $22 – so again, the weekdays are a great deal.
Premium beef short rib ($30) + Thinly sliced beef belly in black pepper sauce ($16)
Next, we had the most expensive meat on Jjang’s weekday menu – the premium beef short rib for $30. Regular price is $39.
Out of all the BBQ meats we got to try, we both liked the premium beef short rib the most 😍. It had a great balance of fat and lean meat, and it just tasted so simple and great with the sauces – very tender!
My next favourite was actually the marinated beef belly. This one is marinated in a black pepper sauce and very thin, so I didn’t think I would like it but I think I really liked the marinade. This cut is much thinner so it cooked very fast and you don’t need to dip it in anything. Regular price for the marinated beef belly is $23.
Spicy garlic shrimp ($12)
A non-meat item we got to try was this spicy garlic shrimp. Now I love shrimp and I ended up really like these! It wasn’t too spicy as the sauce was mostly on one side of the shrimp, but it had a nice garlicky kick to it and they were really big shrimps too.
Regular price for the shrimps are $16.
Fried seaweed spring roll ($10)
Moving into the non-meat/BBQ items, we also got to try some of their appetizers and snacks. First, we had these fried seaweed spring rolls. I’ve tried buying these frozen at H mart before but they lacked that really fried texture/crunch. I also liked the spicy mayo they paired it with and the way they cut up the spring rolls – looks like the spring rolls from Anh and Chi.
Regular price for this appetizer is $13.
Seasoned fries ($5) + Yam fries ($5)
If you know me, you’ll also now I’m a potato girlie so I was ecstatic when they gave us 2 plates of fries – seasoned and yam ones 😍! For $5, both servings are really big and easily can be shared with 2-4 people. Regular price for one of these is $8.
Both fries were crispy and long. I personally preferred the yam fries but the seasoned fries also had some cheese powder on it, which was yummy.
Final thoughts
Loewe’s rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I love Korean BBQ and I think Jjang has all the makings of being a popular and trendy spot for KBBQ. What I believe makes a KBBQ spot successful is:
- Decent cuts of meat, large portions and options to share with large groups
- Good drinks menu to hang and socialize with friends
We only got to try their weekday menu (Monday to Thursday), which I have to say are really good prices and deals. Everything was delicious, easy to share, and the drinks and appetizers also had a lot of choices too. On weekend nights and lunches, Jjang also has a lot of choices for big combos and lunch deals so I think any day you come, it is easy to order.
Service was excellent, the workers even taught us how to grill the meat in a way to produce less smoke.
I will definitely return to check out their larger combos and to drink that delicious Jjang jump cocktail again!
Sincerely, Loewe