Sides of the Year
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Everything comes together with Takja BBQ House’s banchan, small dishes packing big heat and fermented flavours, all made to mix with fresh cuts from the grill.
When it comes to Korean banchan, who can pick just one? Made to accompany their grilled mains, Takja BBQ House’s array of small, shared dishes forms an all-star team, each member too special to single out.
That said, the signature white napa cabbage kimchi – one of two kimchi plates on the table – is vying for MVP. “We make a fermented mackerel sauce, in-house just for it,” says general manager Yunjung Landau. It’s a smooth move that pays off in deeper, funkier flavour.
Jalapeño subs in for Korean peppers in the muchim, a pickled and seasoned dish with oomph to spare. Flecked with chili flakes, the pepper rings light up the palate with acid and heat. On another plate, robust mustard greens stand up to soy pickling, retaining enough crunch to provide an ideal reset between meaty bites.
The scallion salad is far from the “traditional scallion or onion salad people are used to,” says Landau. The abundant mound skirts main-dish territory, in both size and impact. Alliums are joined by cilantro, red onion and peppery watercress, along with radicchio and napa cabbage for body. The gochugaru vinaigrette is just as bodacious, kicky with ginger and garlic.
On a table up against A5 rib-eye Wagyu beef from Miyazaki Prefecture, Wallenstein pork coppa and pristine seafood, side dishes could easily be sidelined, but Takja BBQ House’s banchan is as big league as everything else.
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