There are many Korean BBQ restaurants with tabletop grills in the Washington area. But Hulu Skewer House, Rockville’s new Chinese barbecue spot, is the first of its kind in the area, with custom grills designed to spin and cook meat on wooden sticks right in front of you. The restaurant also offers ramen noodles and other Chinese dishes, two bars and six private karaoke rooms.
The restaurant is a joint venture between eight longtime friends who wanted to create the perfect meeting place. The family of one of the owners, Tina Xu, owns a similar barbecue in northeast China. Popular in parts of China in recent years, these high-tech table grills are new in the United States.
“Finding similar grills here is very difficult, if not impossible, so we had to contact a manufacturer in China and custom-make them to our standards,” said partner Jonathan Wang, who works in biotech and has experience helping Arizona families run Chinese restaurants. Grills must have special ventilation modifications to meet US standards.
Diners can choose from a long list of proteins: Angus beef, Berkshire pork belly and lamb, as well as unusual dishes such as chicken hearts, pig intestines or beef tongue. There is also a variety of seafood (squid, fish cakes, garlic scallops) and at least 10 different vegetables (corn, oyster mushrooms, okra).
The grill swings the kebabs back and forth to heat them evenly. When finished, visitors move them to the counter above. The restaurant has utensils specially designed for removing meat from skewers, and there are containers on each table for dispensing used skewers. There are two different dried spice mixes available for dipping (one mild, one slightly spicy) with cumin and sesame. You can also ask for sweet chili sauce.
In addition to kebabs, the starter menu includes pork ear salad with green onions, millennial tofu eggs, and even spicy french fries. But Lanzhou noodles with beef attracts the most: “I would say that we have no competitors in this area. This is the most authentic ramen you can taste,” says Wang.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by options, Hulu offers a $80-$105 lunch for two that includes kebab, appetizers, ramen, and dessert. All orders are made using a QR code on your phone. The restaurant is still in the “soft opening” phase, which means they are fixing service disruptions and expanding their menu.
The restaurant also has two bars, one in the main dining room and one upstairs which also has a karaoke room. (You can also order sing-along kebabs, but they’ll be cooked in the kitchen.) In addition to the main beers, a small selection of wines, and classic cocktails, Hulu also offers bottle delivery.
The name Hulu comes from a Chinese cartoon series about eight characters – an old man and his seven children – just like a restaurant has eight investor friends.
“Some of us have known each other for over 20 years and we always wanted to do something together,” Wang said. “Every Saturday night we are going to hang out and relax, so at this restaurant we really want to relax and have fun, and we also want to bring the most authentic (Chinese) food to the DMV area.”
The owners also began to look at the expansion. Early next year they plan to open two more offices in Arlington and Ellicott City.
Jessica Seedman talks about the people and trends behind the food and drink industry in Washington DC. Prior to joining The Washingtonian in July 2016, she was food editor and columnist for Young & Hungry at the Washington City Paper. A native of Colorado, she is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.
Post time: Jul-23-2023
