Chez Hwang

I visited this resto with some friends ( Unilocalers!) and we collectively opted for the AYCE Korean BBQ priced to what I believe was just under $ 25. There was several small plates of banchan such as lettuce leaves, kimchi, sprouts, radishes, etc… they were continuously refilled as we ravaged these little banchans that complimented the main meats nicely.
The choices of meat were limited to pork belly, beef brisket and marinated beef. The bulgogi (marinated beef) was by far the best of the three and was the only meat that was marinated with a sauce. It wasn’t chewy as others reported, so I guess I received a special plate of it! The other two meats were served as is… no marinate, no rubs… just simple beef brisket and pork belly.
The Korean BBQ here is done «fondue style» which is basically on a personal portable burner with butane tanks with no available ventilation. In a way, it was pretty neat to do this yourself and having the food grilled a few feet from you… it smelled mighty delicious but do however expect to smell your food later… as the smell stays on you. This means your clothes, your hands. even in your hair. I opted to wear the same clothes 2 days later and when I attempted to put on my shirt it still smelled like grilled meat!
Furthermore, I was hoping to be provided Korean BBQ and not have to grill my own meats in tiny slices over the course of an hour. I assume this is probably more cost efficient for them since the time it’ll take to cook this meat and feeling full faster works in their benefit rather than the traditional AYCE experience.
Lastly, I wasn’t a huge fan of the small butane grill as the metal plates weren’t great with the selection of meats provided. The pork belly in particular would curl as the generous cuts of fat quickly got seared and cooking it side by side with other meats with the same heat output made things more complicated and required constant attention. Simply out, I dislike under-​cooked meats and even more when meats are over-​cooked. Basically this means you’re paying to BBQ your own meats (that you didn’t select) on an inefficient device with the attention of a hawk during the entire main course. I’d much rather eat peacefully and chat it up with my friends… but that’s just me.
I felt these limitations (lack of variety of meats/​grilling my own meal) didn’t make the AYCE experience worth it’s price and thus I found it somewhat pricey for the value given and overall, quite underwhelming.
The service was solid.
I’d like to come back one day to try out some other of their authentic plates such as Jok Bal or Woo-​gu-​gee Gal-​bi Tang. It will give me a better understanding what they’re all about with their traditional dishes. Until then, I give them a 3 star rating from what I ate and experienced on my first visit.

We were a bit worried when we walked up and we barely saw a sign of a busy restaurant. When we opened the door, I saw Koreans dining and all you can hear were buzzed Old Korean ajussis having a good time with empty soju bottles lined up. It was a bit of a relief.
Coming from LA where it’s known to have better Korean food than Korea, I knew I had to lower my expectations. However, I did feel a piece of my soul missing when only 4 sides came out. I’m spoiled and I’m used to my 6 – 8 sides. We ordered a bottle of chamisul to wash that pain away. When the soondubu came out, it wasn’t piping hot. You should literally see it boiling when it’s served so the egg you crack in it can cook in the soup. The samgyupsal was a little wimpy. Was this pig like an anorexic model? I’m used to this cut being like hefty opera singer belting a statement. They did serve it with some nice lettuce and gojuchang. We finished everything and then ordered some extra calbi, LA cut. Moo.
All in all this place was descent but I’m still on the hunt for that best Korean in Montréal. Looking forward to tasting some more!

Small local hole on the wall Korean place. Joined the Unilocal brothers and sisters for a good old fashioned chow down AYCE K-​BBQ style. I had come late due to work but there was still action to be had and food to be enjoyed.
Everyone came here for copious meat and they had what appeared to be a never ending selection of pork belly, beef bulgogi and more pork. The bulgogi was the best of the bunch. It had a very prevalent flavour of sesame oil bit the marinade was quite good. The pork belly okay but not as good. Starting out the brought out very small servings of banchan: kimchi, sprouts and more radish dishes. I really wished and should have asked them for more but was wrapped up in conversation and somewhat tired from the day so I kept my mouth shut.
The Korean BBQ is done on portable burners with butane tanks. I’m not totally paranoid (just cautious) but Idon’t fully trust these cheap devices. If handled wrong you could easily have an explosion. One of the downsides of this place is there is no ventilation. Therefore your clothing all plus your hair will absorb all that delicious, smokey but not the most appealing smell. I’ve been to many K-​BBQ places and the best ones have very elaborate ventilation systems. Another thought that was running through my mind is we all the K-​BBQ smoke and grease emitting it would be crazy hard to clean the walls and ceilings of the place as residue would accumulate. My guess is not as many order BBQ and it’s more of a dish and soup place. The minimum for BBQ was 6 I believe.
Overall I’d like to come back to try some of their other dishes but the BBQ left me full but
neutrally impressed.

5 stars for the bulgogi served up with the all you can eat Korean BBQ, and for the friendly accommodating waiter who kept adding tables as our group kept growing, and 5 stars for the very affordable mountains of food.
I’d like to go back to try some of the other Korean traditional meals on the menu, and it may just be that Korean BBQ is not for me, but aside from the bulgogi beef I didn’t love the other meats provided. They were fine, good quality I think, but frozen and rather flavourless compared with the lovely marinated beef.
Anyway, we came with a pile of Unilocal friends on our endless discovery mission, and we had a great time. Cooking your own meal while you hang out and chat is a perfect way to get to know friends better, and this little spot is just out of the way enough you can probably show up with a gang at any time and find a table and a warm welcome.

Will update rating, s’il y a lieu, after I try items from their regular menu.
First off, I want to be clear that Bozan is not a korean name, and I’m not an expert in Korean cuisine, but I know how to BBQ.
Assuming I have the basic logistics to cook meat properly, this review will focus on Chez Hwang’s AYCE korean BBQ from a pitmaster’s perspective.
The choices of meat were relatively limited: pork belly, beef brisket, and marinated beef; that’s right, no bird, no fish, only red meat.
Although the meats looked bright red and vibrant (fresh), I had hoped to see some korean seasoning… but no, there were no sight of rub or marinade on the pork belly and the beef brisket, which is rather disappointing since I came for korean BBQ and not grilled meat on a metal plate.
And must I add, unseasoned meat simply doesn’t taste that great while adding sauces to non-​marinated meat simply doesn’t scale on flavor (yeh, I couldn’t save the meats even with their house teriyaki and hot sauce *sigh*).
Grilling bacon alongside thin slices of beef brisket was a pain. The fat would sear on the edges and curl instead of rendering because the heat is too high, while the beef brisket needed that quick sear (30s per side). I figured that the center of the plate was hotter, but the ambient temperature was too low for fat to render. So we cut out the fat from the pork belly and only grilled the muscles as that extra fat wasn’t doing any good to flavor, texture, or health.
As for the marinated beef, it contained a lot of indistinguishable fat (due to the dark marinade) that resulted in very chewy mouthfuls (not my type of texture, I’d get gummy bears if I wanted to eat rubber). The flavors were great for the first few bites, but after a couple slices, my palate got real tired — sweet, garlicky, but no impact.
The ‘grill’ was propane/​butane based, but it heats up a metal plate and no flame could be seen — so much for BBQ, cooking over open fire — so it doesn’t result in any charcoal/​carbon flavor (pretty lame) unless the meat is burnt (lamer).
Objectively, the AYCE korean BBQ at Chez Hwang is underwhelming, comparable to chinese owned Seoul Chako and Tianxia, but I’ll give them credit for their side dishes (not my area of expertise, but tasted legit).

Première fois pour un BBQ coréen !
3 types de viandes dont le super boeuf mariné, miam miam
Pleins d’accompagnements différents. Merci aux personnes présentes pour m’avoir expliqué les différents accompagnements. Vraiment tout était très bon.
J’ai particulièrement adoré leur sauce et leur pâté de poisson, succulent !
Le service est plus anglais que français ;-) Cependant il est très sympathique et arrangeant, rien à reprocher.
Ils prennent débit.
La prochaine fois il faudra tester d’autres plats :)

Very good real korean food, owned by korean and cook by korean cook.
My favorite is Gamja tang (pork bone soup).
It comes with rice and 4 side dishes include Kimchi. Their Kimchi is so tasty as well.

Delicious Korean food with excellent service. The dinner specials are amazing, I had the spicy squid and my friend had the bulgolgi. The specials come with rice, japchae, seafood pancake and a miso soup. We also shared a huge bowl of gam ja tang, which had generous amounts of meat in it, rather than potatoes. All of this food came down to 50 $, including tip and taxes. Would definitely recommend.

I’ve loved everything I’ve ever ordered Chez Hwang. I’m a bit disappointed they’ve started charging extra for side dishes. I’ve never seen that in any other Korean restaurant. Also the TV is on a bit loud sometimes. Otherwise, very reliable place for tasty Korean dishes.

Their soondubu jiggae is the best i have ever had around Montréal! And i have tried most of them
They also do everything they can to accomodate you — for example, i dont like seafood and wanted to replace beef for pork, and they’ve done it every time!
Its also very cozy, and not super loud!
I love it

you guys should win a prize for the best stews and soups town. That beef short ribs soup (Galbitang) and Pork bone soup (Gamjatang) are to kill for. Thank you so much for warming my heart for the past two winters and spice-​up my summers.

Family run business are always the best. This restaurant puts their heart in the cooking! They offer Korean bbq for 6 people and plus! Either way, if you’re two, you can still order the meats à la carte!

This place was next to my office for years. Its a nice family-​owned place, which I love but I was never really crazy about the food. Food is cheap and decent but nothing to write home about. If I could recommend anything it would be one of their spicy soups and to stay away from their sushi. But that’s really a given.

Best Korean BBQ I’ve had. Great price too. Fresh ingredients. Great seasoning. The décor is a little dated, but come on, you’re there for the food! I’ve only been one so far but I’ll certainly be going back.

This place is like eating at your grandmother’s kitchen. Humble and non-​descript dining room, but amazing food gets served.
Like any Asian cuisine, no meat of a pig is left untouched, and Korean fare is no different.
Their specialty is the stewed pork bone in hot tofu soup. It’s best in the winter time, but even in the hotter days of summer, the spiciness keeps your appetite whet. Lots of marrow and meat, it’s good for sharing with a larger table as the portion is substantial.
As well, do try the cold pork hock. It’s a great delicacy and it’s dipped in a slightly sweet soy based sauce. A little chili sauce on the side for heat and you’re good to go.
Their man do gook (dumplings) are okay too, but they paled in comparison.

Holyyy… holy…cow! I never had gam ja tang (pork stew, I think this is the same dish the previous reviewer was writing about) before in my life and this is what the restaurant is known for. My korean friend told me they boil it in the morning, they basically cook it way in advance so that it’s very tender and ready to eat!
Order that if you can eat pork… and if you don’t? Well you are missing out! The broth was not as spicy as I thought and it was just delicious! Warning, the menu says it is for 2 people, but we were 4 and we didnt eat 2 pieces of it with some broth leftover. Our friend had to take it home.
We also ordered the Korean «sausage» which is apparently intestines and noodles as well as other ingredients mixed together. It didn’t have a sausage texture though it definitely looked like one. That was also not as spicy as I thought.
My recommendations? Order the gam ja tang. It’s a must! Service was also generally pleasant.

Ordered the braised pork hock.
The portion is insanely generous. The hock is the leg and knuckle of the pig. I’ve been trying to think of how to describe the taste and preparation of this dish, but I gave up. Can’t really describe a recipe that is obviously kept close within the family. I knew we made a good decision on ordering this dish when it promptly arrived with the side dishes. For it to be ready so fast, I can only assume that this dish is ordered often enough that warrants them being on call. Perfect combination of meat and fat with the tender bite of tendon, served with a sweet dipping sauce — which I found unnecessary because it just washed out the flavor of the pork. I should also mention, this behemoth of a dish is listed as an appetizer. You’ll definitely be able to share this amongst 3 people comfortably, although I can see myself finishing this off with a bowl of rice, a cold beer and a hockey game.