An Interactive Korean Barbecue and Hot Pot Meal in Albuquerque

A tabletop grill, a simmering pot of broth and a tablet ready for the next round of food give this Albuquerque meal a pleasantly busy rhythm. Here, dinner is not simply delivered and finished; it unfolds in stages as diners cook sliced meats, add vegetables and noodles to the pot, and keep adjusting sauces until a favorite combination emerges.

The format offers three paths: all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue, all-you-can-eat hot pot, or both together. The combined option makes sense for a table that cannot quite decide between sizzling meat and a spicy bowl of noodles, seafood and broth.

It is a social meal, but not one reserved for a crowd. Couples can make an unhurried evening of it, while families and groups can keep ordering and cooking in shared rounds. The pace is flexible enough for a quick, satisfying meal or a longer catch-up around the table.

The tabletop setup puts diners in charge of the meal. Meat arrives sliced for the grill, while hot-pot ingredients can be added to the broth as the table sees fit. A few pieces of beef can go on first, then perhaps mushrooms and noodles in the pot, then another round when everyone has decided what they want more of.

Tablet ordering keeps the meal moving without needing to flag down a server for every plate. It also makes sampling easier: order a few items, cook them, then let the next selection follow the table's appetite instead of committing to one large entrée.

First-timers do not have to decipher the system alone. Staff can explain the tablet, sauce bar and cooking arrangement, then leave diners room to settle into their own routine. Empty plates are cleared along the way, with water refilled and the tabletop grill changed when needed.

The Korean barbecue side is built around a varied selection of fresh sliced meats, with enough range to make repeat rounds worthwhile. Those who enjoy the meat-focused side of Korean barbecue can stay happily occupied at the grill, and premium selections add another layer of variety for diners who want to branch out.

Hot pot widens the field considerably. Along with vegetables and a substantial assortment of noodles, the ingredient choices include lamb and familiar shellfish such as clams and mussels. Crayfish and frog legs provide more unusual options for a table in the mood to try something beyond the usual hot-pot lineup.

That breadth also keeps the meal from becoming a one-note steak-and-grill affair. Noodles, vegetables and seafood give different eaters at the same table their own way into the menu, and they make it easy to build a bowl after a few rounds at the grill.

Broth selection changes the direction of the hot-pot meal. The Szechuan broth brings a spicy, full-flavored option for diners who want some heat under their meats and vegetables. It has enough presence to stand up to a busy pot without needing much embellishment.

Tom yum offers another lively route, especially alongside a generous assortment of meats. With a bubbling broth in the middle of the table, people can cook ingredients at different moments rather than trying to finish everything at once.

The useful thing about the format is that flavor does not end with the broth. A diner can take a simple piece of grilled meat in one direction with sauce, then build a quite different hot-pot bowl a few minutes later.

The self-serve sauce bar is more than a quick stop for a dip. It is a wide, open station with sauces, fruit, vegetables and protein options, laid out in a clean, easy-to-navigate format. A first pass can be practical; a second trip is often where the experimenting starts.

This is where diners can make the meal more personal. A spicy sauce can sharpen grilled meat, while a different blend can be stirred into broth or reserved for seafood. Staff are available to point newcomers toward the options, which is useful when the number of choices starts to look like its own small project.

Mango jellies add a sweet little pause between savory rounds. They are an easy item to overlook amid the sauces and hot ingredients, but worth saving room for.

The self-serve offerings extend into banchan and salad-bar items, including gimbap. These extras give the table something to snack on while the grill heats up or while the first additions to the hot pot begin to cook.

Crab rangoons and sesame balls are among the memorable side items, and gimbap gives the spread a more substantial bite than a typical salad bar. It is easy to build a small plate of extras before the main cooking even gets underway.

Cucumber salad is another favorite when it is available. It has appeared on some weekdays and Sundays, making it a nice cool counterpoint to a spicy broth or a run of freshly grilled meat.

The shared cooking arrangement gives a birthday dinner or casual family gathering something to do besides wait for plates to arrive. Everyone has a role, from placing the next tablet order to tending the grill to returning with another sauce combination.

The menu's range can help with mixed-age tables, too. One young diner, for example, found plenty to like in repeated portions of steak, while adults can explore the spicier broths, seafood and more adventurous hot-pot ingredients.

Booth seating and a moderate noise level help preserve a comfortable, conversational atmosphere. The room remains active, naturally, since tables are cooking and making trips to the bar, but the meal is structured for sharing rather than rushing.

Busy periods can bring a wait. A Yelp waitlist has been used for sign-ups, with a text sent when a table is ready, which can make the timing easier to manage before heading over.

Free parking is available, though finding an open space can sometimes take a little patience. Inside, the meal runs on a multi-round ordering system, and a two-hour dining limit has been used to keep the all-you-can-eat format moving.

Most tables can settle into the experience quickly once the first order arrives. Still, an orientation from the staff is useful for anyone new to tabletop cooking, especially when a larger group is trying to coordinate broths, sauces, grill space and everybody's first choices.