Midamjeong Korean Restaurant(미담정 보라카이) — Restaurant in Malay

Heres the thing, i never leave bad reviews on restaurants, EVER, but this one just brushed me the wrong way.

From working a respectable amount in the food and beverage industry, I understand that at the end of the day, it’s about making money.

What i don’t empathize with is the blatant overcharge on customers, and poor food quality for an establishment that’s supposed to be “Authentic”.

To start:

Myself and 3 three other friends decided to check out this restaurant, lured in by the delicious looking photos on the outdoor menu, advertising “Premium” beef and showcasing mouthwatering meaty morsels.

We sat down at our table, the staff were nice enough, and the atmosphere and furniture really gave off an authentic vibe. +Plus points here.

Unfortunately, that joy would soon be squashed by the ridiculous (and i mean ridiculous) prices on the menu, compared to the amount of food you get.

This being said, we decided to try it out anyway as we believed the prices would reflect the quality, we decided to opt for the “Premium” Beef selection which was around 5,800 pesos, which is around $100 USD and $140 CAD respectively, which gets you “three” dishes of beef (I’ll get back to the three aspect later)

Additionally, we ordered some pork shoulder, an appetizer, and some shakes.

The staff bring out a nice authentic KBBQ grill and charcoal briquettes before the meal, as well as some side dishes (which were okay.)

Afterwards, they bring out the pork, which looked normally enough but is literally FROZEN SOLID. I’ve been to Korea, and I’ve never seen the meat frozen solid before.

We start cooking, everything is okay, until they bring out the next dish of meat, which seems to be some cuts of marbled beef. EXCEPT, its frozen solid, and you can clearly see the oxidization browning the meat.

At this point, i’m upset. The beef is tough and chewy, it’s not even as good quality as some local Korean places in my small canadian city, and most definitely leaps and bounds lower than anything you’d find in Korea.

Nonetheless, we keep cooking, hoping for a redemption from the next two beef courses.

EXCEPT, remember when I mentioned earlier when there was supposed to be “three” meat dishes? The other two never came.

Before we knew it, and after a lady helped us cook our meat (which was nice), two staff members came and whisked away our cooking sheet, and charcoal briquettes.

All of my friends were now visibly upset, and still hungry, their expectations completely in shambles.

All in all, we had spent close to $200 in food, which in literally any other Korean bbq place would have fed us more than 3x over.

I don’t know if it was a mistake from the staff that those dishes didn’t come, or if it was just a misleading menu. Either way, not a pleasant experience.

If you’re looking to eat good kbbq, don’t be lured in by this establishment's siren call of “Premium” beef or authentic experience, you’re only going to disappoint yourself, and your companions.

To the owner(s) and workers, lower your prices, and increase the quality of your meat. You advertise authenticity, so be authentic, have the same quality of meat and service and price someone can expect from a real Korean establishment. No one wants to shell out a small loan to have a half-full stomach, wounded wallet, and disheartened tastebuds.

If I ever visit this establishment again, I hope you will have taken more pride in the service you provide, and your promise to...

We visited this restaurant twice as a group of three. Here’s our experience:

Food: 3/5

The food was a mixed bag. Some dishes were quite good, while others fell flat. The pepper crab was absolutely amazing, and the stir-fried glass noodles were also enjoyable. However, the soja soup was disappointing—it tasted like plain boiled water. Overall, the quality is inconsistent.

Service: 5/5

The service was the highlight of our visits. The waitstaff were incredibly hardworking and attentive. They brought water and complimentary pre-meal greens to our table, which was a nice touch. The team really went above and beyond to ensure we had a good experience.

The Owners: 1/5

Unfortunately, the micromanagement from the owners significantly detracts from the restaurant’s atmosphere. Their constant presence and interference force the staff to literally run around, creating a hectic and stressful environment that affects the overall dining experience. For example, on our first visit, the owner took our fan and gave it to another table, leaving us hot while eating (the staff quickly rectified this after we asked). Additionally, the staff aren’t allowed to handle payments, which creates unnecessary inefficiencies.

The mandatory 10% service charge is another issue. While the hardworking staff absolutely deserve it, I’m skeptical that this money actually reaches them.

Overall Thoughts

The restaurant would greatly improve if the owners trusted their excellent staff to do their jobs without interference. Their micromanagement not only disrupts the flow of service but also creates an unnecessarily chaotic atmosphere. Until this changes, it’s hard to fully enjoy the experience despite the good service.

Final Ratings • Food: 3/5 • Staff:...

Wish We Had Chosen a Different Korean Restaurant

We came for dinner as a group of 10, half of us senior citizens. While they offer a 5% senior discount, it didn’t really make a difference considering the overall experience.

Ambiance: The decor does have a Korean feel, but the noise level was overwhelming. It was so loud, even though only a few tables were occupied. It made it difficult to have a proper conversation or enjoy a relaxing dinner.

Food: We ordered the unlimited pork belly and beef loin. Sadly, nothing stood out. The banchan (side dishes) were subpar, and there was only one type of sauce available (see photo). For an unlimited Korean BBQ, we expected more flavor, variety, and overall quality.

Service: We were greeted nicely when we arrived, but once seated, the service became disappointing. I had to raise my hand multiple times just to get basic requests attended to. For a setup like unlimited BBQ, attentive service is essential — and that was clearly missing.

Price: Considering the quality of food and the poor service, the prices felt too high. It didn’t feel worth what we paid.

Overall: It was just an okay experience, but a disappointing one overall. The noise, mediocre food, and lack of proper service made us wish we had chosen a different Korean restaurant. We won’t be returning, and we wouldn’t...