Brooklyn Life

Karaoke Bar and Korean BBQ Spot Set to Open in Gowanus This Month

Gowanus is giving Red Hook a run for its money as the upscale barbecue capital of Brooklyn. The husband-and-wife team behind Red Hook’s celebrated restaurant The Good Fork are bringing their skills to a new Korean BBQ venture at 328 Douglass Street in Gowanus. Designer Ben Schneider and Chef Sohui Kim’s new restaurant, Insa, will feature…

by Hannah Frishberg

12/11/2015 3 minute 0

Sporkful The Good Fork Red Hook — The husband-and-wife team behind The Good Fork bring their food to Gowanus. Photo via Nona Brooklyn

Gowanus is giving Red Hook a run for its money as the upscale barbecue capital of Brooklyn.

The husband-and-wife team behind Red Hook’s celebrated restaurant The Good Fork are bringing their skills to a new Korean BBQ venture at 328 Douglass Street in Gowanus. Designer Ben Schneider and Chef Sohui Kim’s new restaurant, Insa, will feature a 36-seat bar and karaoke lounge, as well as authentic East Asian eats like marinated short ribs, beef brisket and delicious pork belly.

Locally sourced meats and produce will be cooked at the 100-seat restaurant’s table grills for a more interactive, Hibachi-like meal. More than 10 banchan — authentic Korean side dishes — will be offered on a rotating basis, including several kimchi variations, watercress namul, pickled beef and peppers, salted whiting, soybean sprouts and savory steamed eggs.

328-douglass-korean-bbq-gowanus-1 — Photo by Craig LaCourt

Set to open just in time for the holidays, on Tuesday, December 15, Insa’s design is inspired by traditional, clean-cut Korean elements, with plenty of wood and archways incorporated into the space. Insa will have a separate bar entrance, with the five themed karaoke rooms in the back.

In line with an increasing experimental trend largely meant to increase workers’ wages and more evenly distribute wages among restaurants’ front- and back-of-house staff, Insa will institute a strict no-tipping policy, instead opting for a 20 percent administration fee added to each party’s bill.