Inland Northwest foodies soon will be able to cross Korean barbecue off their restaurant wish lists.

Less than a year after selling their Sengsational Cuisine LLC food truck that they operated for four years, Joe and Patty Seng plan to open Seng’s Asian BBQ House in Spokane's North Bank neighborhood.

The all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue establishment will be located in the building previously occupied by Charley’s Catering Co. & Event Center—formerly known as Charley’s Grill & Spirits—at 801 N. Monroe, just east of the Spokane County Courthouse.

Patty says they hope to open the restaurant by November or December.

Intended to be a communal, interactive form of dining, Korean barbecue refers to cooking various types of meat on a grill right at a dining table. At a Korean barbecue restaurant, patrons cook the meat themselves.

The restaurant is intentionally named Seng’s Asian BBQ House, rather than Seng’s Korean BBQ House, so they aren’t limited to serving only Korean food.

“I don’t want to limit myself,” says Joe, who will be the restaurant’s chef. “The majority of it will be Korean barbecue, but I wanted to give myself flexibility if I want to test new recipes and just throw it on the menu.”

The Asian-fusion twist on Korean barbecue will enable Seng’s to offer different cultures’ flavors to Spokane.

“I’m doing Thai marinades, Filipino marinades, Japanese marinades, Peruvian marinades,” Joe says. “One-hundred percent all fusion.”

The fusion-food concept is a familiar one for Joe and Patty. They offered Asian and Hawaiian fusion dishes at their food truck.

The 3,600-square-foot restaurant will include 24 tables equipped with 8-inch to 10-inch grills, as well as a full bar.

The bar area, which will have a handful of tables that don’t have grills, eventually will feature a non-Korean barbecue menu, providing quicker lunch options for people who come in on lunch breaks.

“I don’t want to overwhelm myself, so we’re just going to do Korean barbecue from the get-go,” Joe says. “Once everything levels out and we get a good flow going, I’m going to introduce a second menu.”

The second menu will be an expanded version of the Sengsational food truck menu, Joe says.

On the Korean barbecue menu, customers will be able to choose from a standard tier or a premium tier, which feature different types of meat and different price points.

The standard tier features shaved brisket, garlic chicken, spicy chicken, pork belly, and more. The premium tier includes seafood, ribeye, and Korean barbecued short ribs.

Customers can order four meats at once, but they can always have seconds.

“Everything is all-you-can-eat,” Joe says. “The side dishes, anything that comes to your table, you can just ask for more and you’ll get it.”

Banchan—a term that describes a variety of Korean side dishes—will also be served at Seng’s.

“Banchans are little side dishes that come out with your meal—you get them first before you even order your meat,” Joe says. “As soon as you sit down, you’re going to get seven different side dishes that you can snack on.”

Kimchi, marinated bean sprouts, braised potatoes, and Hawaiian mac salad are among the banchan that Seng’s will serve.

Seng’s also will offer rice paper, which patrons can use to wrap their meat and various vegetables in, so they can easily dip their food into a selection of six different sauces, Patty says.

The staff at Seng’s will guide those who are new to the do-it-yourself Korean barbecue dining experience, Patty says.

“When you come in the door, our hostess is going to greet you and ask you if you’ve ever done Korean barbecue,” Patty says. “The whole goal is to just make sure that if you don’t know what you’re doing, that you feel comfortable enough to do it.”

About 20 employees will be hired at the restaurant.

The Sengs are working with Spokane-based HDG Architecture to remodel the restaurant. Patty says they are going for a modern-contemporary design with Asian flare.

“When you walk in, you're not just walking into an Asian restaurant,” Patty says. “You’re walking into an experience.”

The restaurant will be open from Tuesday to Sunday. For the first few months, it will only be open for dinner, until the second menu is introduced for lunchtime.

Patty expects the restaurant will be busy, especially starting out, and reservations likely will be required at first.

Small Bites 

*Lorèn, the French-inspired speakeasy and restaurant in Spokane’s North Bank neighborhood, now offers brunch 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, chef and owner Juli Norris says. Among the dishes included on the brunch menu are eggs Benedict, quiche, crêpes, carbonara, a panini, a croissant sandwich, and steak and eggs, which is made with filet mignon and poached eggs. A brunch-specific cocktail menu is also available.

*Spokane Alpine Haus is opening a second storefront at 2215 W. Northwest Blvd., a permit application on file with the city shows. The ski and snowboard shop’s other location is on Spokane’s South Hill, at 2925 S. Regal.