Korean BBQ

Despite being told that all I ever talk about is food, I have decided that a few posts should be dedicated to the bars and restaurants of Songchon. At least this way everyone will be able to see the food that I otherwise simply describe and attach a strange name to. Hopefully this will also help out any people who find themselves placed in Songchon (Daejeon), as despite its small size there is quite an overwhelming choice of bars and restaurants which are all next door to (and sometimes on top of) each other.

Restaurants first. One of the most popular cuisines of Korea is "Korean BBQ", not such a strange name I know. I have learned that Americans generally know what this is since there are apparently quite a few Koreans in America. However, it is more likely that the concept be new to Europeans.

Korean BBQ is quite simply an indoor restaurant with a shallow, round pit BBQ in the centre of the table. The variety of meat one can order is more extensive than I care to find out, as during the fist visit when I was pointing at different options on the menu, the waitress was herself pointing at different parts of her stomach, then telling me not to get it. 

This is the only Korean BBQ I have tried, and since the manager gave us such special attention (probably because he didn't want us smoking out his restaurant by carbonating the beef), and the quality of meat was so good (very little fat), I've been back three or four times.

Location: Head straight down the road between Baskin Robins and Dunkin' Donuts, over the cross road and continue for 200meters (ish)

So gogi (beef)

Dwegi gogi (pork)

So we went for the two most popular choices: Dwegi gogi (pork), and So gogi (beef). By the way, those are bean sprouts cooking in oil in the foil, nothing crazy. So very simply, the waitress brings you a dish of the raw meat (costing about W12000/ £7), above is half a portion as we ordered half beef and half pork, and you stick it on. The idea is that this is a more sociable way to go for dinner with people, as while the meat is cooking you have a chat, then eat, then cook and chat again. Compare this to the western norm of waiting for half an hour, all the while gradually starving, then understandably "digging in" and forgetting about the people around you, and you will see that this alternative has its merits.

All Korean BBQ restaurants are obvious as they have a big extractor fan system, with individual pipes falling down above every table's BBQ pit.