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THE DISH: Breakers Korean Bar-B-Q|PHOTOS

By Katie Morris
katie.morris@gwinnettdailypost.com

Open Since: January

#Owner: Bobby Kim of Duluth

#Location: Breakers Korean Bar-B-Q is located in a shopping center off of Gwinnett Place Drive between Market Street and Ring Road.

#Hours: Breakers Korean Bar-B-Q is open Mondays through Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to midnight and Sundays from noon to 10:30 p.m.

#Atmosphere: Breakers Korean Bar-B-Q has an upscale atmosphere with sleek, modern decor featuring clean white tones against black accents. Designer Michael Habachy also wove in subtle representations of Korean culture using artwork, helping patrons feel as if they were dining in an art gallery. There are large photos portraying traditional Korean dance moves, ancient Korean pottery displayed in glass cases lining the booths and unique accent pieces like the antique North Korean chest that’s situated in front of the hostess stand.

#Each booth has a round gas grill built into the middle of the table, so patrons are able to finish cooking the meats and sides to suit their tastes. According to general manager Shane Shin, they chose to incorporate technology into the design of Breakers to help create a comfortable atmosphere for customers — each grill has a ventilation system that’s built in underneath the table, drawing the smoke and heat down instead of letting it rise into a traditional hooded system. This helps keep the dining room quiet and smoke free as well as help ing to regulate temperature.

#Each server wears a wireless pager around his/her wrist, and when customers push the call button on the side of their booth, the servers are quickly notified that the table is in need of assistance. Shin says a lot of Breakers’ patrons are new to Korean barbecue, so each server greets the table by offering an introduction to the concept and are happy to provide advice and guidance throughout the meal.

#Menu: Breakers Korean Bar-B-Q offers a dinner menu featuring a la carte entrees as well as three all-you-can-eat options. Shin says quality is very important at Breakers, so a lot of research was put into finding the freshest, highest-quality meats and they never use artificial ingredients.

#After ordering, patrons are brought soup and a berry and greens salad to enjoy as an appetizer while the entrees are slowly pre-cooked over premium lump charcoals in the kitchen. Then customers are able to finish grilling their meats and vegetables on the gas grill at the table. Each entree is served with a variety of side dishes like sauteed spinach, kimchi, pickled cabbage, thin-sliced radish and rice paper, as well as soybean paste, hot sauce and Himalayan pink salt. The all you can eat options offer customers a selection of meats, so they can enjoy a variety of entrees in amounts that to suit their appetite.

#Breakers also offers lunch specials like Bulgogi, which is a traditional Korean dish with thin-sliced ribeye that’s marinated in Breakers’ sweet soy sauce. There is also a beverage menu featuring numerous cocktails, soju, Korean wine and beer.

#Something You Might Not Know: Shin says the name Breakers was chosen because they wanted to “break away” from the traditional Korean barbecue concept by offering patrons a fine dining experience in a high-tech atmosphere.

#According to Shin, owner Bobby Kim has owned other successful businesses including numerous Tae Kwon Do studios across the country. After retiring, Kim enjoyed cooking traditional Korean cuisine for his friends and family — he decided to open Breakers Korean Bar-B-Q because he wanted to bring his homecooked meals to a variety of guests.