Gabose Korean BBQ — Restaurant in Lauderhill

The best place to do Korean bbq on portable charcoal or propane stoves like they do in Korea. The beef bulgogo was delicious and had zero fat or gristle, so it was superior to the bulgogo we had across the street. Pricier than the smaller Korean cafes and coffee shops in the area, because this is where you’d take your future in laws for a nice meal. But the food, service and atmosphere are well worth what they charge. They had tables, booths, and even some small rooms for diners.

They also have the best mandu, in that the filling and sauce were tastier and more complex than we’ve had elsewhere. The difference between these and the Chinese potstickers we’ve had is Korean filling will not usually have shrimp or ginger mixed with pork. The Korean mandu potstickers we had contained beef, a bit of garlic but not much, shredded onion and maybe shredded green onions or leeks and a hit of sesame oil, but not much. Really great mandu!!! The sauce was that sweet soy sauce mixture we’ve come to expect alongside good potstickers in the U.S., but better somehow.

The side dishes were good: spicy potatoes (sliced, not cubed), Napa cabbage kim chi, cucumber kim chi, bean sprouts in sesame oil and garlic, soy beans in a sweet sticky soy sauce,

The clientele and servers are a healthy mix of Koreans and local cultures. They are slightly more welcoming than last time we visited in that now they have a couple of young, cute local servers and the girl with the ponytail called out a welcome in Korean. Otherwise they are efficient and polite.

I also ordered the Jajang Myung. The black bean sauce contained chunks of tender pork, cooked potatoes, onions and slivers of zucchini. The bed of noodles was well cooked. I found it a bit sweet and bland. I am a saltaholic plus my first jajang myung experience was an instant cup version and I liked it better. Which makes me an anti-expert. So try it, you might like it better than I did. But I mixed in some of the excellent side dishes and ate a ton of it. I imagined I was one of those KDrama stars scarfing up jajang myung.

They also offer soju and other...

This is mainly a review of their service. We were never completely sure who our waitress was, as the non Korean hostess and Korean waitresses both tended to our tables. Our Korean hostess accidentally knocked over a hot cup of tea on a table which almost spilled on to me, but she was quick to clean up the mess and I wasn't burned. Later, when she returned with lettuce for our barbecue wraps, we noticed that there was a strand of black hair within the lettuce which she promptly took away and renewed without any fuss. I like that, that's how service should be - that when there was a problem, it is quickly and professionally addressed. On the other hand, then non Korean hostess was incredibly rude from the start. Not only did she give us attitude when we practically begged her to exchange an unopened soda that she haphazardly knocked onto the floor, she also gave us the wrong check and was so stuck up and arrogant about it all. Especially after she abruptly informed us that there was an automatic 18% gratuity amount for our table (of less than 6). If it were up to me, I would have tipped the Korean server generously and given a separate tip for the white female hostess. She left such a bad impression on our party that we each vowed not to return. It's unfortunate that the hard working servers there are forced to work alongside colleagues with such poor customer service.

About the food. It really wasn't anything to write home about. Sorry, to disappoint, fellow reviewers. The only thing that stood out was how INCREDIBLY thirsty I became later that evening. I'm sure their foods are over loaded with sodium. Makes you wonder what they're trying to hide.

I initially thought their interior decorations are cute. However upon closer inspection of dust and grease stains on various surfaces including the menus, I question the cleanliness of this establishment.

I think I'll stick to sipping the overpriced drinks at their pocha bar next door.

Zero (0) stars for service. Two (2) stars for the food. Averaged to one (1) star. This review will be cross posted on other...

The marinated beef on the charcoal BBQ grill was AMAZING although the customer service wasn't the greatest. Not to mention, it turns out they had a limited menu which I wasn't aware of until AFTER I tried ordering certain items. Specifically, Pellegrino mineral water...then regular soda water...and they also had no dessert to offer. Those who have a sweet tooth knows how big of a let down "no dessert" can be!! And I still find it strange that they didn't have regular soda water considering all Pepsi/Sodas (typically) go through the same fountain gun and use the same tank of CO2. Either way, I wouldn't be as disappointed if I knew about this limited menu before I started ordering.

In regards to customer service as a whole, I was very underwhelmed. My friend and I couldn't figure out who was actually taking care of us since someone different always came by throughout our meal. It looked like their service style was more of a sloppy group effort rather than organized chaos although I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they were under staffed and a little burnt out. I understand that we're still in the midst of a "pandemic" which has caused a staffing shortage BUT communication is key. If service won't be top-notch because lack of staff, have your servers communicate this to your customers before they even order their first drink or even create a pop-up notification for your website/online menu. It's important to set those expectations so customers are prepared. Most (good) people will be understanding as well.

My advice to those considering this place...look at the online menu and call in to confirm item/food availability to avoid disappointment. Also, be patient with the staff.

My advice to the restaurant owners/management...improve communication with your customers and set the right expectations especially if COVID has impacted your...