SEAReview
Trove
This spot is Permanently Closed.
There are all kinds of pioneers - from Elon Musk to that guy from college famous for inventing undeniably ingenious ways to Smirnoff Ice someone. Come to think of it, he’s probably still there.
We’d put Trove, the Korean barbecue place, in this category as well. Which isn’t surprising if you’re familiar with Revel and Joule, its sister spots, that take classic Korean flavors and mix them with other cuisines (in the first case, to create great noodle dishes, and in the second, to make delicious steaks). Trove applies the same model to Korean BBQ, and while it’s definitely a more casual place than the other two restaurants, the food is pretty great, too.
Seattle has several traditional Korean BBQ spots, and they follow a pretty predictable template, with classic grillable options like bulgogi and short ribs. Trove puts its unique spin on this setup by offering more unexpected cuts of meat from around the world. Beyond cured pork belly and kalbi-marinated beef, you can grill meats like duck breast with tamarind, lamb with anchovy and miso, and Spanish-style sausage. You can also get bibimbap bowls, and there’s a separate noodle bar with dumplings, rice cakes, yakisoba, and pad Thai. However you structure your meal, you should be saving room for dessert - Trove does soft serve ice cream parfaits with toppings like boba and housemade graham cracker and raspberry pop rocks. (You can get them at your table, or also to-go.)
photo credit: Nate Watters
Long story short, we’d be coming back here even if it had the worst atmosphere of any restaurant in Seattle - which luckily, it does not. The dining room has a pop-art-meets-Ikea kind of look, and it’s actually ideal for an early in the game date, since grilling your own dinner is a helpful distraction from any potential awkwardness.
Of course, since you’re cooking it all yourself, there’s room for error - we can’t guarantee your experience at Trove will always be perfect. But we can guarantee you’ll have a great time here, regardless of whether you’ve done Korean BBQ before. Just don’t ice anyone, and you’ll be fine.