Hwaro Grill, the authentic Korean barbecue in the 15th arrondissement, awakens our taste buds

Head for the 15th arrondissement, Paris' favorite neighborhood for Korean restaurants , to discover the brand-new Hwaro Grill, a restaurant that not only looks great, but is also a great way to wake up your sleepy taste buds.

In winter, to warm up, or in summer, for the grilling season, Korean barbecue is a good idea. It's at 58 rue de la Croix Nivert, between the Champs de Mars and Beaugrenelle, that we put our feet up to discover Hwaro Grill, an authentic Korean restaurant run by Koreans. At the helm of this restaurant is Madame IM, already at the head of 7 other successful restaurants, including Bokko and Songsan.

On arrival, a warm, modern decor is revealed. Spaced wooden tables, each with a built-in barbecue and hood, extend from a large long bar.

At the entrance, you'll find a small grocery store (which turns out to be gifts for the kids), a beautiful manga library for young and old alike, and a reading corner with a wall-mounted TV for watching K pop clips.

The à la carte menu ranges from €18 to €24 for lunch (ideal if you're a bibimbap or bento fan), to €28 for dinner (starter + main course + dessert). The à la carte menu features a whole range of well-known and lesser-known specialties (fortunately, the photos of the dishes are there to help). Bulgoris, Bibimbaps, Deobaps, ragouts, soups and noodles are offered in different versions.

For starters, we're tempted by the generous fried ravioli, the excellent tteobokki, which we warmly recommend (be careful, it's quite spicy, but really very good and well spiced). Another favorite is the Korean vegetable galette, a truly unexpected revelation. Crunchy, moist and tasty, we love it.

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At Hwaro Grill, the star really is the grilled meats. So my family and I set off with 3 choices of grilled meats: chicken marinated in soy sauce, pork ribs marinated in soy sauce and beef ribs marinated in soy sauce. Don't be surprised if the meats arrive already pre-cooked: for even more flavor, they're seared on a charcoal barbecue before finishing on your own grill. Which, let's face it, makes all the difference. The meats are moist and flavorful.

All meats are served with rice and an array of accompaniments that let you try everything: salad, marinated potatoes, lotus, vegetable noodles, kimchi, nori leaves, you name it. A little extra peanut sauce and you're in barbecue heaven.

Curious, we also tried the excellent bibimbap and the kimchi ragout with pork chops. Placed on the grill, this dish for two is very tasty and spicy. The chops are melt-in-the-mouth, and the noodles and cabbage melt in your mouth. It's good and hot!

We end the meal with a Bibimsomyeon, a tangy fresh noodle salad that, we're told, ends meals in Korea. Enough to cleanse the palate and roll under the table.

Finally, a little sweetness to end on. While the more sensible opted for the mochi (iced or not) accompanied by a ginger-lemon infusion, the greediest (the children) were tempted by the excellent chocolate tiramisu with classic mochi and fresh fruit.

In short, if you're looking for a good, authentic Korean restaurant in Paris that also boasts a lovely, welcoming dining room, head for Hwaro Grill.