SuperStarBBQ (Central St Giles): where the highlight came last

We had a choice to pick one of the three set menus so we opted for Set 3 (£35) plus a side of Korean fried chicken.

The mandoo (Korean dumplings) came first and these were rather good. The wrap is thin and crispy and the filling was nicely seasoned.

The pa jeon (Seafood pancake) was a generous portion. Though there was an abundance of seafood in the pancake, I thought the batter was a little tad on the oily side.

The yuk hwae (beef tartare) was very pretty and a sure shot Instagram winner. I had a bit of it without the egg and it was decent enough, but I’ve had better.

We asked for Korean fried chicken in sweet chilli sauce and it was very tasty. So tasty that I reckon I could finish an entire serving of 10 pieces by myself.

The coating was crispy and the chicken was juicy. I wish it had a bit more of a chilli kick to it, though.

Once finished with starters, a server asked if we were ready for the barbecue. With a resounding yes, we set him off to get to the main event of the night. This was were it got a bit tricky. About 20 minutes later, we were still waiting for our food. We had to ask two other servers to follow up before the dishes finally arrived.

Assorted vegetables, sauces and meat finally arrived while another server helped set up the grill on the table. The veggies could’ve been handled with a little bit more care I thought, as they came a wee bit limp, but the kimchi was okay.

The highlight of the night, however, came last. My bowl of black sesame ice cream was the best I’ve had in ages. It reminded me of ube/purple yam ice cream which is one of my top three favourite ice cream flavours of all time.

After we left the restaurant we realised we didn’t get our miso soup which came with the set menu. Not that it mattered then anyway. We had plenty enough to eat. #amomentonthelips

I can’t say I’ve had a similar experience at Superstar BBQ like my other blogger buddies who totally raved about it. Perhaps the place had an off night when I went? My issue is down to the essence of hospitality: product and service. Food was okay but could do with a bit of tweaking here and there; service was a bit lacklustre and some waiters didn’t show knowledge of the menu (although admittedly there was one server who stood out in terms of enthusiasm).

I do see the marketability of this place especially with its strategic location and concept of an interactive dining experience, so I hope they sort some of their teething issues because I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love a damn good barbecue.

Superstar BBQ
4 Central St Giles Piazza London WC2H 8AB
Ave spend pp: £45