That looks fantastic!!!
I travelled around South Korea in 2003 and 2004 and I thought that the places where you cooked at your own table were fantastic!!! The big difference (between there and America) was that most of the grills were heated with charcoal. So you always had to be careful when getting up that you didn't bump into a server who was walking to a table with a red-hot bowl of coals.
Where we were, the side dishes were unlimited, but you had to pay for each course of meat. (Which was usually around $2USD per plate of meat). So, dinner with drinks for 2-3 of us was usually less than $15USD.
Charcoal sounds amazing! I bet it also added a very delicious flavour to the food!
I could imagine how dangerous it would be if someone would bump into one of the servers. Did the servers warn people while walking around with the coals?
15$ is absolutely a bargain for the food and experience! Although most except a few meats were included in the per person fee here, it is still way more expensive.
I couldn't believe how inexpensive most things were back then.
We stayed at "Love Motels". which were a fixed rate of $29USD all over the country. In Most, when you checked in, they provided your bedding at the desk (proving it was clean and washed). Every rom we stayed at had a bathroom with shower, a water cooler for drinking and a mattress on a heated floor. (That was all that we needed).
So, for two people, our daily spend was roughly $60USD/day for food, accommodation and some form of entertainment (Museum, Movie, Bar etc)..
I really want to go back to see how different it is after 20 years.