7.021 Samgyeopsal

7.021

26 (Tue) January 2016

Samgyeopsal

3.5

at Samdadon

-Yaksu, Seoul-

with the family

Emergency Sick Leave, Day 9 (see previously 7.020 Chlie Shrimp Tacos).

In Seoul.  Arrived two weeks ago on a mission.  Injured my back last weekend (see generally 7.011 Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza).  Staying in town for treatment.  Aiming to return to Manila this Saturday.

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Samdadon is a Korean restaurant. Specializes in grilled pork. 
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This is just cruel.
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Packed to capacity.
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The good stuff.
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The meat looks like cross sections of a whole baby pig.
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To protect clothes from stinking of grilled pork smoke; doesn’t entirely work, however, unless one is willing to place all their clothes in the bag.

Barbecue restaurants in Korea tend to focus, respectively, on one type of meat.  Beef joints, for example, offer beef only — and even then, the sourcing is either exclusively Korean (upscale), or imported from USA/Australia (cheap).  Nowadays, pork too has become more specialized, the latest thing being pork from Jeju.  In any case, the choice of a restaurant will determine both the animal and the price point.

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Typical pork barbecue spread of side dishes (see for comparison 6.251 Moksim Steak).
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Samgyeopsal.
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With anchovy paste dipping sauce, the first time that I’ve had it in nearly 4 years (see most recently 2.045 Pan-Fried Pork Bellies…).
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Janchi Guksu (2.5) (see for example 6.271 Tara’s Wedding Spread).

The food was great.   Succulent meat, thickly cut to allow for the development of texture in the cooking.  Pristinely “clean” in flavor, no “porkiness,” just the way I like it.  Best pork barbecue in recent memory.

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