11 November 2022
After a day of hiking Jeju Olle Trail Route #10, we went back to Seogwipo for dinner. One can never have too much of Jeju’s famous Black Pork BBQ. My original plan was to have dinner at one of the BBQ restaurants near Songaksan. Our driver cum guide, Mr Won, advised me that restaurants at touristy places are expensive and it is better to eat in Seogwipo. It is best to heed the advice of the locals!
Instead of famous and popular Black Pig BBQ restaurants that attracted tourists like flies to the flytrap, Mr Won drove us to a restaurant favoured by locals and Koreans. He set our expectations that although the prices would be cheaper, we may be served normal pork instead of Jeju black pork.
The restaurant is located only 300 metres from our hotel in Seogwipo (BK Hotel). The restaurant is so unknown that I could not find the name of the restaurant in Google map. However, it showed up in Naver map as Haegun Charcoal Grilled Restaurant.
We were early for dinner and the restaurant was quite empty when we arrived. Thankfully, the restaurant filled up pretty quickly at dinner time, a sign that the restaurant must be good.
Full house at the Haegun Charcoal Grilled Restaurant in Seogwipo.
There are menu in English for the rare tourists that wandered in. Although the English menu indicated that Black Pork Belly is “sold out”, they were actually available.
Menu at the restaurant with English text but no indication of portion size.
Menu posted on the wall of the restaurant showing the price and portion size.
We could order the Black Pork Belly at 20,000 KWR for 200g as shown in the menu posted on the wall of the restaurant.
3 servings (20,000 KWR for 200g) of Jeju Black Pork Belly for 4 persons to share.
The Charcoal Grilled Pork Restaurant is aptly named as it uses charcoal fire set up in the middle of each table. 4 persons to a stove.
Best device in a Korean BBQ restaurant – the smoke extractor.
Sizzling pork belly, smoked by fat dripping into the hot coals.
After browning both sides, the pork belly is cut with a pair of scissors, Korean style and left to grilled a little more before eating.
Crunchy pieces of cooked black pork belly.
The Korean way of eating the BBQ pork is to dip them in spicy gochujang sauce and wrapped the hot morsel of goodness with fresh lettuce leaf before putting the whole package into the mouth. We could also add onions and garlic and even hot green chilli pepper into the package as well. Chew into the crunchy texture of the smoke flavoured pork and feel the fat oozing out from the meat. Yum.
Free flow of gochujang, onions, garlic, and fresh lettuce.
After we finished with the pork belly, the staff switched the hotel plate with a wire mesh. The wire mesh is used to cook the marinated pork.
2 servings (15000 KWR for 300g) of Marinated Pork Ribs for 4 persons to share.
Marinated pork ribs on the wire mesh. These are normal pork, not black pork.
Once again, a pair of scissors was used to cut the meat after some cooking.
It was a chance to compare Jeju Black Pork with regular pork but perhaps it was not an apple to apple comparison since the cuts are different. The grilled black pork belly is crunchy. The cheaper cut of the normal pork rib is softer and less crunchy.
The marinated pork was not as good as the fresh raw pork. The texture was more “powdery”. A sign that the pork had been in the marinade for too long.
In addition to the BBQ pork, the restaurant also provided diners with side dishes. I particularly like the mixed vegetable salad. It was like a bibimbap without the rice.
Some of the side dishes.
Mixed vegetable salad before mixing.
Mixed vegetable salad after mixing.
In addition to the meat, we ordered a hot pot of kimchijjigae (kimchi stew) for 5,000 KWR and a Gyeranjjim (계란찜) or steamed egg for 2,000 KWR for 4 persons to share.
A pot of spicy kimchi-jjigae.
Gyeranjjim or steamed egg served in a ttukbaegi.
Gyeranjjim comes from a combination of “gyeran” which means “egg” and “jjim” which refers to “something steamed”. Steamed egg dish is light and fluffy and tasted slightly sweet. The creamy, light and slightly sweet flavour of the steamed egg is good as a palate cleanser. On hindsight, we could have ordered another portion as it was quite delicious.
Happy diners enjoying the Pork BBQ.
Overall, the food and service at this restaurant is not bad. Good value for money and good recommendation from Mr Won.
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