Overall:
Our experience at Arirang was the most enjoyable night out we have had in ages!
Hubbie and I dined with my Brother and sister-in-law. The restaurant had not been visited by any of us before, we had no idea where it was situated nor was it recommended to us by anyone. It was the wanting to try somewhere we hadn't been to before (a different cuisine) and a restaurant that was featured in our Entertainment Value books!
I had made contact with the restaurant by email after my brother made the booking, just to find out if Hubbie (with gluten/wheat intolerances) was able to be catered for. Had a lovely phone conversation from there with a guy named Robert, who advised me that his boss was onto my query and would get back to me well before the night of our booking. The boss (Birtan) assured me in his reply to my email that they would certainly be able to accommodate Hubbie's requirements I was told they welcomed the opportunity to serve us. Just from these points of contacts I had no concerns at all that we would not have a great time here. There was a genuine warmth and concern and I was so pleased about this! People without food intolerances take for granted that they can just walk into any restaurant and order whatever they fancy.
On the night (Saturday night) we arrived at Arirang and were promptly seated and welcomed. Our waitress, Laura (whom we were to learn was the manager) was very happy and chatty and we felt very comfortable and pleased we had chosen to book here.
I asked Laura to please pass on my thanks to Birtan for his email and his response. Laura said he was would most likely we there shortly and she would pass on my thanks. She then proceeded to explain the menu to us, in particular the dishes best suited for Hubbie and what other ones they could alter to suit his intolerances. We were very impressed that there was actually a real selection for him to choose from.
She explained the cooking BBQ style at out table concept, which we liked the idea of. It was after our entree when the rice, sauces, vegetables and marinated meats all came out that we realised how much fun this meal was going to be. We were impressed by how the simple the hot coals were installed into our table. We all could tell that we were in for a real treat before the first piece of food was even set upon the hot plate.
The flavours were to die for. We were encouraged to go 'real korean' and wrap the meat, rice, vegetables and sauces into lettuce leaves and roll them up. Eating with your hands while dining in a restaurant is usually not what one expects to be doing or to be acceptable! But they were open to a new experience and it was GREAT!
Birtan appeared and introduced himself to us, what a lovely man.
We were impressed by the fact were werent rushed through our meal, we took our time and I lost count how many times the comment 'This is great' was stated from our table. The wait staff were attentive and very happy to serve. Iced water was freely offered throughout the meal and we were topped up with extra lettuce for our 'wraps' in an instant when they were offered to us.
Our experience at Arirang lasted over 3 hours we were happy to sit and chat after we'd finished our main meals, no room for dessert though it was offered!
Our bill total with using the Entertainment vouchers came to under $120... which was pretty good for 4 people with entrees, mains and corkage (as we BYO'd).
I had read previous reviews left for this restaurant before submitting this one was amazed at the negatives some had experienced. I would like to say to those considering Arirang to DO TRY IT! It would be an awful shame for you to miss out on an amazing dining experience. We are not regular Subi-goers but we found the ambience anything but pretentious....and for those reading this that may have concluded that we had a great time because we'd made the effort to make contact before our booking etc. I particularly watched other tables being waited on last night while we were there and the service being offered to them was on par with the friendliness and attentive service being extended to our table. My only regret is that the grading scale on this website doesnt extend to 10/10 coz Arirang - you guys would have got a 10 for sure!