Chilliwack Dining: The Firestone Grill An Enjoyable Intro To Korean Cuisine

By Mike Archer. One of the things I enjoy most about Asian cuisine is when my appetite has been sated I am not left with a heavy feeling or a need to lay down with which I leave most Western restaurants.

The New Firestone Grill on Yale Rd in Chilliwack does an good job or presenting, serving and cooking what, to my wife and I was a new experience when my brother-in-law was kind enough to take us out to dinner this week.
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Korean dining, for the uninitiated, offers two distinct experiences: one choice is to have the chef prepare your meal; the other to have the server assist you in grilling it at your table.
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Our Server Really Helped
Our server, Marina Joiner, did a good job of presenting us our choices and explained what we were getting ourselves into. She helped make the whole experience an educational, new and quite satisfying dining experience.

It was a good thing that Marina knew what she was doing because, the menu in its current manifestation, is nearly eight pages long and leaves the patron confused and in need of assistance. I’m sure, as the restaurant gains more traction and a steady following, the menu will be improved.

Marina explained to us that Korean cuisine is largely based on rice, noodles, tofu, vegetables, and meats with a variety of delicious small side dishes that complement the meal.

The side dishes that accompany the meat usually consist of steam-cooked short-grain rice or bap, guk or tang (soup), gochujang or ganjang, jjigae, and kimchi.

Kimchi is usually served at every meal. Commonly used ingredients include sesame oil, doenjang (fermented bean paste), soy sauce, salt, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes and gochujang (fermented red chili paste).

Very Enjoyable Meal
The meal was truly enjoyable and the food was a real treat for the senses. The side dishes and sauces which we generously mixed with our lettuce wraps and barbequed beef, pork and chicken, were a rewarding adventure into a world of flavour that doesn’t rely on salt or saturated fats.

We started with fried Mandu (pot-stickers) with a soy dipping sauce (the dipping sauce was tasty enough that I sneaked some of it onto my rice during the main course). They will remind most Western eaters of a flat, square egg roll and are delicious.

My wife ordered the Japchae Bap, which is stir-fried sweet potato vermicelli noodles with assorted seasoned vegetables and seafood in a light sesame oil and soy sauce, on a bed of rice. She says she loved it and will have it again many times.

My brother-in-law, having some experience with Korean cuisine, ordered for the two of us and we shared a grill order that included, duck, thinly sliced beef, pork strips and spicy chicken with lots of garlic and mixed vegetables cooked on the grill in the middle of the table.

Our introduction to Korean cuisine at the Firestone Grill was pleasant and we intend to return often. Most entrees are in the $15 to $25 range and several combo options and 1/2 servings are available.

The dessert menu looked very tempting and if we had any room left we certainly would have tried some Green Tea Cheesecake or Mousse. Maybe next time we’ll start with dessert!

The Firestone Grill

(604) 792-5091
Chilliwack
45833 Yale Road
Chilliwack, BC V2P

Originally Published 05/03/12

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