The sizzle of fresh garlic and savory, perfectly seasoned chunks of beef waft through the small restaurant tucked away in an alley near Insadong. We had spent a long day exploring Seoul and Brent was just itching to enjoy an authentic Korean meal. After much walking and window-shopping, we happened upon a small but accommodating restaurant called Soegojip. I can highly recommend giving this place a try if you ever find yourself in the area. Not only was the food fantastic, but the service was excellent and so friendly. After such a long day, this was the perfect place to stop in and relax with a good, tasty meal.
If you haven't had Korean BBQ in Korea, it is definitely an experience you need to add to your bucket list. In preparation for our trip to South Korea, we had sampled a few various Korean BBQ joints in the DFW area, but restaurants in America just don't even come close to the small family-owned restaurants you'll find aplenty in Seoul.
Little restaurants are found ev-er-y-where in Seoul, lined up one right after the other. You could be standing right in front of a Korean BBQ joint, turn to your right to see another, turn to your left to see yet another, and glance behind you and find...you guessed it - another Korean BBQ restaurant. You won't go hungry to say the least.
Signs plastered above the restaurants that line the streets show images of the many raw meats that they offer, ready to be tossed on the smoking metal hot plate and grilled to absolute perfection. Smells of crispy pork and searing sirloin surround you and draw you in closer to the front of the shop. The temptation is too great, you just have to wander inside...
Every meal will come with an assortment of sides, or banchan. What you will receive will often vary from place to place, but you can almost always count on pickled radish and spicy kimchi. Kimchi is definitely a staple in Korean cuisine. Kimchi consists of pickled vegetables, often a bulk of it being Napa cabbage, fermented in a variety of seasonings such as garlic, ginger, chili flakes and spring onions. I fell in love with the kimchi, while Brent craved the pickled radish. Another favorite was the seasoned soybean sprouts and the braised potatoes, which were often mildly sweet.
For this particular meal, we were offered a soup of some sort in the middle of our grill. I can't for the life of me remember the name of this dish, but WOW, it was tasty. The flavor was so savory and incredible - we drank it up so fast they excitedly brought out a second bowl for us to enjoy.
EDIT: I was graciously reminded by our friend Alex that this fermented bean paste stew.
You'll likely be provided lettuce leaves with your meal. You use these to create bite-sized wraps (ssam) filled with your grilled meat and any sides or sauces of your choosing. Your options are endless, so each wrap can be uniquely different from the last, packed with a variety of flavors and textures.
And while you are enjoying a fabulous meal at a local Korean BBQ restaurant in the middle of Seoul, make sure you enjoy a bottle, or two, or three of soju. Cheers!
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