It's been a while since I have been to K-town so when I read about the rave reviews about this place in The Infatuation I immediately put it on my list. Lily and I decided to check this place out on a Saturday night and the street was spilling over with tons of people (almost 100% Korean) waiting for a table. It was about a 30 minute wait - which wasn't too bad but don't get it confused with the place next door, which also looked to be pretty popular and brimming with people waiting around.
Once you get inside, it's a pretty cozy space. Your eyes really start to get big when you pass by all these tables with huge boiling hot pots of food. The menu, while visually stunning, is a bit confusing to read. They break it up into sections: small plate, main, pot, BBQ, rice, noodle, and dessert but it has summaries of all the different dishes in each section and then lists the dishes out again in both English and Korean. It took us a while to figure out the menu and sadly since there were only 2 of us, we couldn't really order too many dishes. We started with the dumplings ($7) and stir fried clams ($10) and then split the pork belly entree ($23). We were going to also get a hot pot but when we saw the size of the pork belly at the table next to us, there was no way we could finish all of it. Definitely come here with lots of people so that you can try everything!
The dumplings were boiled and filled with pork and napa cabbage. The skin was thin and delicate but still held all the filling in. It was a very satisfying and well made dumpling. Next was the clam with potato noodle and a spicy black bean sauce. Amazing. I didn't realize a potato noodle was a thick clear see through noodle which is one of my favorite kind of noodle. There was definitely heat to the sauce and the clams were plentiful, all of which made for a great combination. But the star of the show was the pork belly. It was an enormous plate, way bigger than I ever imagined. There was probably 10-12 pieces of beautifully slice pork belly served with kimchi, berry wine sauce, honey garlic sauce, pickled bean sprouts, and okra. As for the taste, it was equal parts meat and fat but it's not the kind of pork belly that you find in BBQ joints where it's super fatty and moist. Instead, it's the bo ssam version where the meat looks like it's been boiled instead of grilled but when mixed with the kimchi and sauces, it's just as good just a bit different.
With all the buzz this place has gotten lately, it can be a bit of wait but it's worth it. The service was a bit confusing as it took a while for someone to take our order and even after someone did, someone else came up 5 minutes later to ask if we would like to order. Definitely come with a group and an empty stomach to really fully in enjoy yourself here. It's got a more homey and intimate vibe than the traditional huge Korean BBQ place in K-town but the food is just as great. Total bill: $29/pp with tax and tip
Photo Credit: Yelp
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