Cycle 4 – Item 38

12 (Tue) February 2013

Galbi Tang

4.0

from Samwon Garden

at home

-Oksu, Seongdong, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with the Family

While Samwon Garden is ostensibly a barbecue restaurant, it also serves an unparalleled galbi tang.  As I’ve noted before, high-end, large-scale barbecue joints serve the best galbi tang because they have plenty of quality leftover rib bits and proper facilities to boil them down in huge quantities over an extended period.  Indeed, Samwon Garden’s galbi tang consists of succulent riblets in a broth that’s impossibly deep and rich in beef flavor, topped with egg ribbons and sliced scallion and glass noodles.  Totally worth 12,000 won.

I can’t recall the last time that I had such a perfect meal, perfectly timed and situated.  Upon our return home this evening after a long weekend at the cabin, thoroughly exhausted and famished, the entire family was in dire need of comfort food.  I was in no condition to cook.  We considered going to Samwon Garden for galbi tang, but the thought of packing up the kids again and driving across the river for a quick meal seemed like too much hassle.  W and I even toyed with the idea of playing rock-paper-scissors to determine which one of the us would venture out alone and get the galbi tang as takeout and bring it back.  Just then – DEUS EX MACHINA – MIL rang the doorbell and walked in with a bag of galbi tang packages from Samwon Garden.  If it had happened in a movie, I wouldn’t have believed it.

(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)