Bada Story – Great Korean Hwe (Sashimi) In Flushing

Bada Story is a restaurant in Flushing that specializes in hwe (Korean style sashimi).  Hwe is a little different than the Japanese sashimi as it tends to be served directly after being killed whereas most fish we have in sushi restaurants has been aged.  There is a misconception that great fish in sushi restaurants is super fresh when in fact the meat needs to have a little time in order to break down to get that very tender texture associated good sushi.  Also, hwe tends to be eaten with chogochujang which is gochujang (Korean spicy pepper sauce) mixed with vinegar and other seasonings like sesame oil.

Bada Story basically only serves hwe and you order set menus that offer a variety of other dishes in addition to hwe.  The restaurant feels like you’re in Korea and the interior looks like a cabin.  It’s a fun atmosphere where people are having fun eating and drinking.  The waiters speak varying degrees of English, but they have a couple of waiters who are fluent in English and the menu is in English, so communication is not an issue.

There are tanks where the keep the fish and sea cucumbers (the weird pinkish long things).

We got the fluke set, which was recommended by a friend of mine that is from the area.  This set was a shocking amount of high quality food for the price and we were very full at the end (everything below is part of the set).  It ended up being $65 per person including drinks, tax and tip!

Vegetables

These were raw vegetables served with tenjang (fermented bean paste).  They were fresh and tasted great with the tenjang.  8/10

Seafood Salad

This was a lettuce salad with fish roe and squid in a sweet ginger dressing.  The seafood was nicely fresh and it was tasty.  7.75/10

Haemul Pajeon (Seafood Pancake)

This is a typical Korean seafood pancake.  It wasn’t oily and was nicely crispy.  It came with a tangy soy sauce with peppers and onions in it.  The version here was good.  8/10

Steamed Egg

This is a steamed egg custard that is made with egg, water and sugar.  It’s a simple dish, but I always really like this dish as I tend to like eggy dishes.  8/10

Cheese Corn

This is yellow corn with cheese on top of it, which is common at Korean restaurants.  They also added corn, peas and shrimp here as well.  It’s certainly not gourmet, but there is something satisfying about the sweetness of the corn and the creaminess of the cheese.  7.75/10

Mussel Soup

This was a simple soup with mussels.  The mussels were fresh and the soup base is very light with the flavor of mussels imparted into it.  7.75/10

Fried Fluke

This was fried fluke with a slightly tangy soy sauce.  It was freshly fried and not oily.  The meat was tender and flaky.  It wasn’t anything special, but it was still pretty decent.  7.5/10

Sea Pineapple and Sea Cucumber Sashimi

This looks super bizarre, but the red-orange things are sea pineapple and the grey-blue things are sea cucumber.  While they look like they might be really mushy, the texture is actually somewhat firm and crunchy when you bite into it.  It was very fresh tasting and despite its bizarre appearance the flavor is quite mild and mainly tastes salty and briny.  You dip it in soy sauce with wasabi.  I found it to be quite delicious.  8/10

Grilled Whole Fish

This was a whole fish grilled with salt and lemon.  This fish was cooked properly, so the meat was tender, but they over-salted the fish, so it was a bit too salty otherwise I’d have given it a higher rating.  7.5/10

Mixed Sashimi Platter

This was a platter of several cuts of fish, octopus, abalone, shrimp, uni and this odd looking thing which I’m actually not sure what it was (I believe it might’ve been part of the sea cucumber).  Everything was very fresh tasting and surprisingly high quality.  I was quite impressed by this sashimi platter. 8.25/10

Fluke Hwe (Sashimi)

This was the main course.  The fluke was laid out on rocks with dry ice at the bottom, it was kind of over the top, but it did look pretty.  Fluke is a very mild flavored fish, so the flavor is quite subtle.  The meat was extremely fresh having just been killed so it’s got a firmer texture than you might be used to at a normal sushi restaurant.  I like to dip it in the chogochujang, which is tangy, sweet and spicy, but you can also dip it in soy sauce and wasabi.  It was good although I was pretty full by the time it showed up.  8/10

Kimchi

After the fluke they gave us some light kimchi, which was a nice palate cleanser.  7.75/10

Spicy Tuna Roll

This was just a small spicy tuna roll.  It was decent, but nothing special.  7.5/10

Maewoon Tang (Spicy Fish Stew)

This is a spicy fish stew.  I was so full by the time this came that I only really ate some to see how it tasted.  The ingredients were all fresh, but the soup was a little light in flavor.  Good versions of this stew tend to be spicier and have more the seafood flavor imparted into the broth.  7.5/10

Overall, I really enjoyed my meal here.  The food is good and it’s a fun place to come with friends.  It also happens to be very reasonably priced for what you are getting.

Address:
161-23 Crocheron Ave
Flushing, NY 11358
(718) 321-9555