Alvin's Bites

For this year’s July 4th, my friends and I decided to put a spin on the traditional BBQ and instead went for Korean BBQ at Go Ba Woo located in Tappan, NY, right next to the New York – New Jersey border. Offering tons of parking spots, it was very easy to find parking and get to the more important stuff – the food, of course!

This local Korean spot offers many of the traditional food options, like bibimbap, kimbap, and japchae, all at reasonable prices. However, my friends and I decided to do Korean barbeque instead (Side note: I will never say no to Korean BBQ if you ask). We first decided to start with appetizers, where we got an order of the seafood scallion pancakes for the table. I don’t joke when I said that while this dish was the size of a dinner plate, it was SO stuffed with seafood that you could not finish this in one sitting. Luckily, between the four of us, it finished rather quickly! (It helps that we were all starving)

We decided for the barbeque to get orders of shrimp, chicken, kalbi beef, and beef short rib. Before I get into the details of the food itself, let me just preface by saying that short rib is my FAVORITE type of beef. The spicy, tangy, and highly aromatic marinade that they prepared it in really made the beef dish our favorite out of all the meats that we got. Maybe Koreans just know how to cook beef very well- who knows! In my opinion, the shrimp and chicken balanced out the beef when it came to spicy flavor. While both dishes were very flavorful, they balanced the spiciness of the beef very well. The banchan served with the barbecue paired well with the flavors of each meat. The standout was definitely the kimchi; its spiciness and tanginess added more substance to the meat. Also, if you guys were not aware, kimchi is a very good, nutrient-dense probiotic that is extremely good for your gut.

The restaurant itself was extremely spacious, and the dishes came out pretty quickly too, I might add. It is worth noting that we went right after the lunch rush and a major holiday, when people would mostly be outside. I figured I should mention this context. Overall, the total cost of all the food we ordered was about $150, which makes sense given the fact that we ordered the kalbi beef twice, along with appetizers, and drinks (beer is always a good choice with barbeque). I also liked how we didn’t feel rushed, we were able to truly enjoy the meal and have a great yap session as well.

So, if you’re in the mood for Korean food and you’re in the Tappan area, I would highly recommend Go Ba Woo – and maybe consider inviting me as well!