LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. — Are you ready to enjoy new cuisine, cooked a new way?

Executive Chef Daniel Dokko of Kore Korean Steakhouse in Lakewood Ranch got his chefs to share some details about Korean food.

Not only are the recipes unique — Chef says 95% of people walking in have never eaten Korean food — but at Kore, people cook freshly cut meat — at their table.

Dokko said he thinks the cuisine’s time has come.

“Thirty years ago, Chinese food was really popular; 20 years ago, Japanese food was really popular," Dokko said. "Now I think Korean food is going to be the most popular.”

Kimchi

The Kimchi starts with Chef Clark Park.

To make kimchi, Chef cuts a Napa cabbage in half at the stalk.

Chef then pulls the rest of it apart with is hands to keep the leaves intact.

“Actually if you cut with knife, all the small pieces will be falling down,” Park said.

Chef soaks the cabbage in salted water overnight to soften the leaves.

After rinsing, Chef mixes ingredients — like garlic, ginger, and spices — into a paste and spreads it layer by layer on the cabbage.

“It makes good flavor, good color,” Clark said.

The cabbage sets for a month, fermenting.

Chef explains just how popular the dish is in Korean homes.

“Not even most or many: every single home has kimchi. Everybody can make,” Chef said.

His favorite chef taught him.

“Most of my recipes come from my mother because I like her food,” said Park, smiling.

He carries her kimchi recipe into a new country. 

Trimming Fat

Chef Andre Putranto shows us how they prepare their meats.

For the beef short ribs, the restaurant only orders certain cuts of meat.

“Short rib number six, seven, eight," Putranto said. "We want to be specific because when you go lower, it’s going to be less meat so this is perfect for us."

Chef says it’s where the marbling is best.

Rule number one?

“We don’t waste the meat. Try not waste the meat that we have,” Putranto said.

Instead of a butcher knife, he opts for a filet knife — usually reserved for fish —  because it's super sharp and flexible.

“So when I see the bone, usually I cut it away from the bone to save as much meat as I can,” Putranto said, separating meat off the bone and cutting it into thin, small rectangles.

Smokeless Table Grill

Executive Chef Daniel Dokko provided a lesson, too, on how to cook from the table.

There are dips and meats and kimchi all labeled in English and Korean.

Guests get scissors to cut their meat further and tongs for cooking.

The grill is about the size of a Frisbee in the middle of the table.

The meat cooks in a minute or so with one flip.

P.S. Soju — that is the alcoholic beverage we tasted.

It’s considered rude not to share in a drink, and you drink it neat.