i don't usually have high expectations for restaurants that serve such a wide variety of items…read more.. but i was recommended ktown by several people, so i gave it a try. it wasn't very busy when we came on a friday night. the interior was decorated with neon lights, and it was spacious. i thought the seats and table felt a bit sticky, and the rest of the restaurant didn't feel too clean either. we were seated quickly, and service was friendly. our server explained the menu - essentially, the soups and meats for hot pot could be ordered off the menu, and everything else could be grabbed at the bar. there were a lot of options, and i was excited to try everything.
i ordered the szechuan mala broth, which i thought was so mediocre. it was pretty spicy but otherwise bland, like there wasn't any real flavor. i usually like to drink my hot pot broth, but i didn't think it was good enough to sip a lot of. the thai tom yum was a better soup, but it still wasn't super flavorful. it tasted like a watered down tom yum - not super tangy. i also typically like to dip my meats in sauce, and ktown offered a sauce bar with all of the basics, including sesame sauce, soy sauce, ponzu, cilantro, garlic, and other things. there were also sauces for kbbq here, like brisket sauce.
there was a lot of variety for meat options, but they were all just a lot thicker and tougher than i expected. our server explained that the ones on the menu were really just for hot pot, but we used some of them for kbbq anyway because we wanted more unmarinated meats. most of the meats at the bar were marinated. i would recommend avoiding this with the beef tongue. it was so thick and extremely chewy, although it was better when cooked in the hot pot broth. the beef belly is usually my favorite cut, but it was also chewy. the black angus brisket was okay; it was on the tougher and drier side. the us kobe beef was my favorite cut of beef because it was the least chewy. the pork shoulder and pork belly were also just okay; i liked that the pork belly was a thinner cut. i probably enjoyed it the most. the australian wagyu was just too dry. the new zealand lamb was right there with the beef tongue as the worst cut because again, it was very chewy, even in the hot pot broth... the broth kind of masked the texture of the meats, but it was so bland that i needed a lot of sauce.
at the bar, there was a variety of seafood for the hot pot, including clams, mussels, fish, shrimp, and crawfish. they also offered a good selection of vegetables, like enoki mushrooms, peppers, cabbage, spinach, and onions. there were also quail eggs, roe pockets, fish balls, and dumplings, among other things.
there were a lot of meats at the bar for kbbq, but they weren't labeled nor set out in any particular pattern. the spicy pork bulgogi was overmarinated, but it was one of my favorites (of the meats on the menu and the ones set out) because the sauce masked the low quality of meat. it was the typical korean spicy pork marinade - not too spicy and slightly sweet. we also tried the bulgogi, and it was also typical - sweet as expected. they set out thicker cuts of pork belly here, which were super heavy and fatty. almost all of the meats were marinated in some kind of sauce. there were some steaks that were just seasoned with salt and pepper, but they were so tough.
there were a lot of other appetizers and hot dishes too, although everything looked like it was left out for a while. i saw kimchi, beansprout salads, cold potato salads, cucumbers, seaweed salads, fried dumplings, tempura, and some other things. i tried the wings, which were plain and kind of dry, and the skin wasn't crispy anymore. the japchae was okay, but there wasn't a lot of flavor. there were some mussels that were covered in cheese and a creamy sauce, which made them pretty heavy. the seafood boil was lukewarm, but the seasoning was okay. it was just a little oily. i did enjoy their corn cheese, which we heated up ourselves over the kbbq grill. i liked that it was slightly sweet.
on the side of the bar, there was a variety of nigiri, sashimi, and sushi rolls - all poor quality. the salmon nigiri and sashimi weren't tender nor soft, and neither were the tuna or yellowtail. they were kind of mushy and slightly rubbery. the rolls were better, although they were almost all variations of california rolls doused in sauce - most of them had spicy mayo and a sweet glaze. the sauce at least masked the quality of the fish.
overall, ktown was a jack of all trades and master of none. while i was impressed by the extensive variety of options, i got full very quickly because the quality of food wasn't the best. if someone ever needed a restaurant with options for everyone, then i might suggest ktown, but i wouldn't really be able to say i liked the hot pot, sushi, or kbbq. since i would rather have tasty food over lots of options, i wouldn't come back.