Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards judge Adolph Raynor reviews Yaad-Cho with attorney-at-law Vanessa Lalasingh.

Whether a grill pan, gas burner or wood fire, at the core of every good time is a good stove. Where there is smoke and food, people happily gather. The Korean BBQ dining concept embraces this correlation and Yaad-Cho has authentically brought it to enrich Jamaica’s food scene.

On entry, we were greeted with a non-alcoholic welcome drink and an explanation of the dining concept. Our uniformed hostess Nerdinna Roberts was well-versed, speaking with passion, pride and commitment to us having a great experience. We probably should have given her less trouble, because this foreshadowed the after-dinner reveal that she was one of the co-owners. She shared that they have each travelled to East Asia and put their hearts into bringing the experience home. To that we say – jal hae sseumnida – well done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Among their exclusively all-you-can-eat packages, it was a no-brainer for us to choose the ultimate one. We wanted to try everything and for $10,000 per person, we had a 90-minute free-for-all on every choice of meat, side dish, beverages and even cocktails. The time limit proved to simply be an ordering window, and our waitress seamlessly continued her friendly assistance as we finished up our grilling and drinks well beyond.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dining area showcased the Asian-Jamaican concept but with a key differentiator. This is a fusion of modern culture. Instead of muted, flowing, oriental paintings, TVs flickered with anime episodes, and yes, that is a Naruto reference in this article’s title. The predominantly black décor was sleek but broken by intentional yellow and green elements keeping Jamaican pride on display.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our waitress turned on our grill, smoothly handled our first orders and watched over our cautious first attempts at cooking. Only when satisfied that we had the hang of it did she introduce us to using their digital ordering system. Just like in the K-dramas, every menu item was just a tap of our phone screen away.

Spoiled for choice, we made very few and sampled widely. At our request, the kitchen portioned our servings accordingly. Standout starters include the BBQ wings which had a fruity kick, the crisp ackee and salt fish spring rolls and rich red peas soup, properly loaded with pig’s tail. Our first venture to the grill was the cheesy corn which is an authentic Korean BBQ side blending the sweetness of corn kernels with the saltiness of melted cheese. We then moved to grilling our chicken, pork, beef and shrimp. Sriracha, five-spice, and we suspect plum sauce or even a flavoured cola, were among the flavours we encountered in the various grill meats. A break from the smoke and char, the seafood boil and fish options were prepped in foil packages to be steamed atop the grill. We must confess we only tried the steamed vegetables from their long list of sides because, let’s be real, we were there for the meat!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of our favourites, the Thai Moo Ping pork, included coconut milk for basting as the thin slices crisped up to our preferred doneness. The shattered beef was deceptively spicy under an initial burst of pimento flavour, kept off the edge of being anything jerk by a slight sweetness throughout. The only item from the other side of Asia, their curried goat may be the best either of us has ever had. It forced us into a game of manners, disingenuously offering more to each other when clearly yearning to eat it all. Don’t be like us, remember it’s all you can eat so get multiple servings from the start. The seafood boil is also a must have. It was unusually well-balanced, allowing us to appreciate the smokiness of the sausage and flavour of each individual ingredient. We were only saved from more pretence by the happy accident of two servings being delivered to the table. Their peppered shrimp is wholly Jamaican in seasoning and grilling took nothing from that beloved flavour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No gimmicks here, Yaad-Cho is truly as advertised. Many items were boldly Asian with flavours hard to place and some only as familiar as our travels would permit. If you have never dared to cook with a sauce whose label was in a different alphabet, when you leave Yaad-Cho you will want to!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yaad-Cho is more than an all-you-can-eat meal; it is a lively group experience that brings the communal fun of Asian grill dining to Jamaica without losing its local character.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos courtesy of Vanessa Lalasingh

 

Yaad-Cho

Address: Unit 34, Block A, The Summit, 16 Chelsea Avenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opening Hours: Tuesdays To Thursdays: 4:00 pm to 12:00 am

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fridays to Sundays 12:00 pm to 12:00 am

Instagram: @yaadcho_jm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Website: www.yaadcho.com