Suraghan in Elsmere

The spread at Suraghan Korean BBQ & Japanese Restaurant. (Credit: Jessica Bratton)

Tell any of your friends or co-workers that you stopped by a great Asian or Latin restaurant in Elsmere, and odds are you're going to have to be more specific than just giving a description of the food and a word on the location.

After all, Elsmere seems to have about as many ethnic restaurants per capita as New York City. (That's right, I just equated the restaurant scene in Elsmere to that of Manhattan. But hey, the town has two (two!) Korean BBQ restaurants. I rest my case.)

I take that back. I don't rest my case. I'm going to make my case by telling you a little bit about the second Korean BBQ and Japanese restaurant in Elsmere, called Suraghan. We stopped in for a traditional dinner last week.

Set back off the bustling extension of Kirkwood Highway that cuts right through Elsmere, Suraghan is one of those blink-and-miss-it spots. Inside, a small (six chairs) sushi bar sits to the left, while the dining room, with about 15 tables (some with Korean BBQ grill installed in the center), sits to the right.

Our foursome sat for dinner on a cold, rainy Wednesday night, and immediately ordered complimentary barley tea for the table. The piping hot beverage came out in tall ceramic cups which were conveniently filled two-thirds of the way, leaving room at the top for our fingers to grab hold without getting burned.

For starters, our fried dumplings ($5.95) featured a nice and thin wrapping that was crispy without being overly fried, and wasn't one bit soggy. The filling consisted primarily of cabbage and radish and was served with a sweet and spicy Asian pepper sauce.

Our second appetizer, seafood pajeon ($7.95), was a light and airy potato pancake filled with scallions and assorted seafood like calamari and shrimp. Long, thin green and red peppers provided a contrasting crunch and brought out the black pepper in the pancake.

One half of our foursome went with two sushi rolls for dinner, the Suraghan special roll ($12.95) and samurai roll ($9.95), and split the shrimp teriyaki ($16.95). Though the rolls were flavorful, with assorted seafood and veggies, the rice didn't hold together very well. But the shrimp teriyaki -- served fajita-style on a sizzling plate with rice -- made up for it and then some.

As for the Korean BBQ portion, if you've never indulged, this is for the serious eaters. My partner in crime and I went for the special selection for two ($49.95), which included 12 pieces of sliced beef brisket, 10 pieces of sliced pork and sliced, marinated chicken breast.

Our server first poured water into the griddle built into the middle of our table and got the heat going. She then returned with the selection of meat, along with about 12 different side dishes, featuring lettuce for wrapping, sesame oil, soy bean paste, kim chi (pickled cabbage), scallion salad, veg slaw and more.

Once the meat had cooked, we began making our own individual wraps, as our server directed us to the different ingredients on the table. Although some assembly was required, each wrap we made, with different ingredients, was a brand-new flavor experience.

The best creation we put together: lettuce wrap, beef, pork, sesame oil, soy bean paste, potato sticks, kim chi, scrambled egg, seared jalapeños and garlic. We dipped that bad boy in a little soy sauce and were good to go.

Call ahead: Stop in for a gander at their menu before committing to a full dinner and be sure and grab a takeout menu, where you'll find a coupon for 10 percent off your next meal.

Soju: Suraghan serves soju, a rice-based alcoholic beverage native to South Korea, with a flavor similar to vodka, but sweeter.

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