Yummy’s Korean BBQ & Sushi lives up to its name, and then some
An in-table grill and Korean side dishes are pictured at Yummy's BBQ in Orem.
Pork Belly cooks on an in-table grill surrounded by side dishes at Yummy's BBQ in Orem.
Chicken Katsu is pictured at Yummy's BBQ in Orem.
Beef Bulgogi cooks on an in-table grill surrounded by side dishes at Yummy's BBQ in Orem.
Pork Bulgogi cooks on an in-table grill surrounded by side dishes at Yummy's BBQ in Orem.
Yummy's has exclusive rights to the Korean designed and constructed in-table grills used at its Orem location. The custom tables include a side drawer with utensils, straws and napkins, as well as a heated cooking surface embedded in the center.
Beef Bulgogi cooks on an in-table grill at Yummy's BBQ in Orem.
A grill and sides are pictured at Yummy's BBQ in Orem.
An in-table grill heats up at Yummy's Korean BBQ & Sushi in Orem.
An in-table grill and side dishes are pictured at Yummy's BBQ in Orem.
Korean side dishes are brought to the table at Yummy's BBQ in Orem.
It’s been nearly two weeks since Yummy’s Korean BBQ and Sushi held the grand opening at its Midtown 360 location in Orem, and just a little longer than that since the restaurant’s soft opening. But after eating there last weekend, all I can say is I wish they’d been open a lot longer, and more especially, that I’d known about them a lot sooner.
We actually learned about the restaurant soon after we first caught sight of its signage while driving down State Street in Orem, and since we’re always on the hunt for a good place to review and try out, it didn’t take long for us to track down the website and learn a little more about Yummy’s, an eatery that’s even more delicious than its name lets on.
According to Sun Choi, the restaurant’s vice president, the company’s history is a rich one that really began when his Korean-born parents moved to Hawaii in 1984. The family owned a small shack on the North Shore and catered frequently for the Polynesian Cultural Center.
After 25 years in Hawaii, the family moved back to Utah, and in 2012, started providing fresh-rolled sushi for local supermarkets. From there they expanded to on-site Sushi Chefs for companies like Vivint and Ancestry.
Choi joined the family business in 2016 to help with expansion, including a Provo take-out location and now the Orem Korean BBQ and Sushi sit-down restaurant.
The restaurant’s feel is modern and spacious with fun attention to design details like circular mirrors, a separate vanity and sink area for the bathrooms and even custom Korean grill tables, which one of the restaurant owners told me they have exclusive rights to. We were seated around a larger table toward the back of the restaurant, and were immediately impressed with the unique utensil drawer on the edge of the table, the large, electric grill in the center, and the incredibly helpful and friendly manner of our waiter and even the restaurant owners.
For those who are money conscious, it’s good to note that individual meals start at $8.99 for take-out items with rice and two sides, and $9.99 for table-cooked dine-in meals with rice and sides that can be refilled for free. Sushi starts at only $5.49.
For the sake of variety and because we were ravenous and had four adults and two kids in our group, we side-stepped the well-priced, generous individual portions and went for the All-You-Can-Eat lunch option, which is priced at $17.95 and includes unlimited sides and meat for 100 minutes. As a bonus, both of our kids fit into the 3 and under category and were included for free.
During our visit, our server was amazing about offering meat suggestions, cooking tips and even guiding us toward sides that might accentuate our main dish choices, and even took time to help us cook a few of our entrees.
To ensure a thorough review (and because it all sounded delicious), we tried literally every meat option, starting first with the Pork Belly, a thick-cut meat that served to season our table grill and get us started off strong.
The meat was delicious, well-cut, and tasted even better with the special salt and seasoned soy dipping sauces we were given. It was followed by Beef Bulgogi (marinated, thin-sliced beef) which I was most anticipating and which didn’t disappoint, especially when mixed with the side seasonings and rice.
As we waited for the Bulgogi and Pork Belly each to cook in turn, we enjoyed two helpings of Chicken Katsu, which came ready-prepared with a delicately flavored katsu sauce. An extremely elevated cousin of the chicken strip, the Katsu was a quick favorite of both the kids and adults, who appreciated not only the crisp breading and mild sauce, but also the tender chicken cutlet that left us all wanting more.
We were starting to fill up as the Chadol came, but the thin beef brisket cooked quickly and tasted remarkable when added to the house soy and some of the other Korean sides that were served along with our meat. As a bonus, it, along with all our other entrees, looked beyond delicious when they arrived at our table, and tasted even better.
In the sides department, the kids especially enjoyed the potstickers and Potato Jorim, while the adults went through a couple helpings of Oi Kimchi (sliced cucumber kimchi) and Japchae (glass noodles with vegetables).
The final meats we sampled were the sweet Teriyaki Chicken and Spicy Pork Bulgogi, a more tangy, pork version of the beef which was especially complemented by a lettuce wrap and some recommended dipping sauces.
To be quite honest, our entire experience at Yummy’s was a continual food sampling paradise of sorts, as we moved from one flavor to another, never disappointed by the offerings and continually more impressed with the attentive nature of the restaurant’s ownership. We always had something new to try, and loved being able to cook each item to our own tastes, combining it with sides, rice and seasonings for a totally customizable, fresh food experience.
Right when I was certain our children’s short attention span would cause our feast to come to a quick end, one of the owners arrived to offer them company and compliments, as well as some tasty banana-flavored milk they couldn’t seem to get enough of. She also took time to explain to us the process of getting their custom tables, and we loved being able to ask questions about the food, get recommendations and learn first-hand that customers are a part of the family — something especially comforting when tired, cranky kids can cause a grimace on most adult faces.
Walking away, it wasn’t hard to start justifying when our next trip to Yummy’s would be, whether for a quick take-out meal, or a dine-in culinary experience.
As Midtown 360, Yummy’s new home, continues to march toward completion, my perspective of it has taken a positive 180 thanks to the incredible food and delightful staff of Yummy’s authentic Korean BBQ. You’ve gotta try it.
YUMMY’S KOREAN BBQ & SUSHI
Where: 260 S. State St. in Orem (Midtown 360) with an additional take-out location at 287 E. 300 South in Provo
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5-9 p.m., closed Sundays
Price: $5.79-$36.95 with base lunch All-You-Can-Eat priced at $17.95 and dinner at $24.95.
Info: (801) 769-6614, yummysutah.com