The Barn Korean BBQ, West Ryde

Matt absolutely loves Korean BBQ and we decide to check out our local "The Barn" which is right across from West Ryde Station. As I walk in on a cold winter night, the room looks quite smokey. That's the one thing I dislike about Korean BBQ - the fact that you smell like meat afterwards. Matt seems to like this effect on the other hand.

So most tables seem already filled but luckily we arrive early and get a table. I see a few tables outside as well but it's cold so I don't want to sit outside. We look at the menu and decide to order a few meat dishes.

Firstly the hot coals arrive providing an immediate wall of heat. I start to feel quite warm and over heated.

The sides start arriving including pickled onion, potato salad, fish cake and cucumber. I also immediately notice the kim chi is missing and ask the waiter and he tells me he will be right back.  I really like the citrus tones in the pickled onion and kim chi is an absolute must have side. 

The sides also include an egg pot which goes very well with the cooked meat. We're unsure whether the staff will assist with the cooking and I've read that it's an inconsistent message. Tonight, as it's quite busy - we get very minimal attention from the staff until some of the meat catches on fire then one staff member comes up to help put the fire out.

In terms of the quality of meat - Matt is very impressed. He orders the Spicy Pork and Wagyu Beef. He places the meat onto the grill and that smell of sizzling meat starts to waiver in the air. It smells amazing and Matt basically devours the sizzling meat with the egg. The meat is smokey and cooked to your liking.

I order the seafood pancake which is huge. This could easily be shared among 4 people. The seafood pancake is full of spring onion, octopus, mussels with a hint of chilli. There's a fish/soy sauce which accompanies the pancake. I quite like this pancake and it's got a nice balance. I eat some of the pickled onion to cut through the pancake and the kim chi also provides a nice hint of spice.

Summary: Matt and I have a really nice experience at The Barn Korean BBQ. Matt thinks this place has really high quality of meat although the customer service is not as good as Stoneage and I think the sides are better at the Stoneage as well. 

Overall we had a good experience at the Barn and we'd be back although I can't afford to come back too often.

Price: $70 for the two of us

Location: 1/14 West Parade, West Ryde

Opening Hours: 
Monday to Thursday 11am to 9pm, 
Friday, Sat and Sun 11am to 9:30pm