Tag: BBQ

A BBQ in Seoul where locals are happy to queue

While in Seoul in July 2019, I found myself at walking distance from a BBQ that was particularly highly rated on Google (not that it is a guarantee, but it made me curious). If you are looking for BBQs in Seoul, also check out this other review about two famous chains.

The place is called Yukjeon Sikdang n. 1 (신설동 육전식당) and on the menu they explain the meaning of the name:

I dined in the original location in 16 Nangye-ro 30-gil, but they also have two additional locations within a close distance:

The visit

I went on a weekday at around 6pm and the place was already packed with several customers waiting for their turn on the street or upstairs in a waiting room. I got a ticket from the cashier.

They would call numbers on a speaker in Korean that could be heard in the waiting room. But when the customer was a foreigner they made the effort to use English. I waited one hour for my spot. That is a record for me. I have no idea if the other locations are less busy, for sure the waiting will be shorter after 8pm. I really went during peak time.

Finally I was accommodated in one of the tables.

As usual, side dishes and condiments arrived pretty quickly.

I had an issue ordering because there was a peculiar rule: whatever you order first, you need to order two portions. That really did not work for me since I was alone and I wanted to try at least two types of meat. I insisted for an exception playing the clueless tourist card and they gave me a pass.

My first order was a 150 grams of pork neck called Hang-jung-sal. This was not the regular neck meat (Mok-sal) but a part from the front of the neck. On the menu it was described as “a thousand layers of meat and fat”. It was a very tender and tasty piece of pork meat. The meat was cooked by a staff member and eventually cut in pieces with a pair of scissors. The restaurant apparently is famous for these neck cuts.

But the piece of resistance of the meal was 200 grams of Korean sirloin. I do not know the grade, but it was tender and juicy as some of the best local beef I had in Seoul. They only had this cut on the menu (that overall has four types of meat, this and three pork cuts).

Also of note, I was given a piece of Myeongi-namool that is usually translated into English as ramp. It was just the leaves, that were thin and marinated. I was recommended to roll it around the meat and it indeed gave it a boost.

At the end I had fried rice that was cooked on the grill in front of me mixed with vegetables and spicy sauce. It was also sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. It was a nice way to cap the meal and feel completely satisfied. According to house rules, it can only be ordered at the end of the meal after consuming some meat.

The check

Final check was 64,000 WON (53 USD). The big ticket item was the sirloin (42,000 WON for 200 grams), while the pork was 18,000 WON. The fried rice was a mere 4,000 WON.

While I would not repeat the experience of waiting for an hour, this was a solid BBQ experience in Seoul and has my recommendation.

Where in Seoul:
Name in Korean: 신설동 육전식당.
16 Nangye-ro 30-gil, Yongsin-dong, Dongdaemun-gu
Nearest metro station: Sinseol-dong (exit 10).

Byeokje Galbi vs. Maple Tree House BBQ in Seoul

[Also look at this review for a third BBQ option in Seoul.]

Similarly to fried chicken, BBQ is another quintessential Korean food experience. While fried chicken is usually a very affordable eating option, BBQs can vary from cheap all you can eat joints to luxury restaurants offering hand picked meats.

In this post I will examine two BBQ chains that have various outlets in Seoul and offer real top-graded Hanwoo beef. Hanwoo is a Korean local breed that is regarded as the top of the top. In my meal at La Yeon the delicious beef was Hanwoo.

Byeokje Galbi

Byeokje Galbi is a chain of BBQ restaurants with multiple locations in Seoul. I visited the Sinchon/Ewha branch that occupies two floors in a building facing a crowded shopping street (22 Myeongmul-gil).

It is even listed in the Seoul Michelin Guide (but with no stars) where they explain:

Byeokje Galbi is a local institution that has been serving legendary barbecued beef short ribs since 1986. The restaurant’s attention to quality begins from the breeding of the cows at a local farm in Pocheon. Only the top 1%(BMS No9) are purchased…

The dining room is based on booths and every booth has its own grill embedded into the table. They use real charcoal (not gas like in cheaper restaurants).

I ordered a sirloin steak (130 grams) of marbled Korean beef, Bulogi beef (250 grams) and a bowl of cold noodle.

After ordering, I was immediately served the side dishes that included kimchi, soup kimchi, onion, sweet pumpkin, salt, fermented red paste, garlic, lettuce, and some other local vegetables.

The steak was marvelously marbled and it was cooked at the table by a staff member. They cut it into cubes with scissors (a bit brutal, but it is how they do it…).

The end result was great chewy beef bites.

The bulgogi (marinated strips of beef) were cooked with a different implement.

The bulgogi was tender, tasty and satisfying.

The restaurant only lists beef on the menu (their short ribs are particularly popular), but they also are famous for serving buckwheat cold noodles (a dish originally from North Korea). I had the spicy cold noodles that came with fermented chili paste, an egg, a slice of meat, and some vegetables. It was better than expected.

The check was substantial: 117,000 WON (103 USD). The sirloin was the big ticket item (69,000 WON and there was actually a more expensive variety for 79,000 that I passed). The service was very good with an experienced member of staff grilling the dishes for me and looking after my table in an attentive manner (even if they did not speak English).

Maple Tree House

Maple Tree House started as a popular restaurant in Itaewon in 2005 and now has three locations across Seoul (including the original one) and two international locations, in Manila and Taipei.

I visited the branch in Gangnam district, just meters outside exit 12 of Gangman metro station. It is a slick venue, in the basement of an office building. I was seated at the counter (since I was alone).

They also use charcoal to grill the meat.

They also provided the usual side dishes, a bit more boring than the ones I had in Byeokje Galbi.

But they also had a nice egg stew served hot.

I ordered their Korean Hanwoo aged sirloin (150 grams) and a cut of pork jowl from Jeju.

The meat was grilled at the table by several members of staff (in the picture above the pork). The beef was even more tender than the one at Byeokje Galbi and it was nice to have the option to order pork as well.

Total check was 55.400 WON (49 USD). The sirloin was way more affordable and reasonably priced than the one ordered at Byeokje Galbi.

In terms of value for money, Maple Tree House wins hands down. However, the service I received was terrible. It is always difficult to speak about service on the basis of a single visit, however I was appalled by their modus operandi. One member of staff would put the steak on the grill and then without a word would leave to do something else… then another member of staff would pop up and do some more grilling… this was an incredibly annoying way to proceed, especially with 50 USD of meat on the grill. I do not know whether this happened because they were understaffed, but it was unacceptable.

Where in Seoul:
Byeokje Galbi: check their website (in Korean) for locations. I visited the Sinchon branch in 22 Myeongmul-gil.
Maple Tree House: check their website (in English) for locations. I visited the Gangnam branch.

The American BBQ that won Vietnamese over: Quan Ut Ut in Ho Chi Minh City

I still remember when Quan Ut Ut opened in March 2014 in Ho Chi Minh City taking over a multi-story building previously occupied by a seafood restaurant. It was an instantaneous hit. Locals would queue for an hour outside the restaurant, defying the heat and the rain, to get a table. At that time you could see the head cook Mark Gustafson grilling ribs and sausages on the walkway in front of the entrance.

For this reason, it took me a while to try it. I truly enjoyed all of my visits (usually early in the evening to avoid the big crowd… you probably do not have to wait one hour nowadays, but it can get full pretty quickly). And when I think of Quan Ut Ut I cannot avoid marveling at the fact that while one restaurant can become crazily successful others, even if very similar, cannot pass the one-year mark.

I have recently been back and learnt that a minority stake of Quan Ut Ut (that meantime expanded to include a second location and another brand, BiaCraft) was recently acquired by a investment-fund backed Vietnamese restaurant operator, Red Wok Cuisine. This means that the brand is likely to expand in other cities and locations. Hopefully, they will be able to maintain the same standards. For sure, it makes a great entrepreneurial story.

The visit

I visited the original location in Vo Van Kiet street and headed to the first floor. Two big changes: first, now they are open for lunch; second, now the upper floor has windows and air conditioning. This is truly appreciated. The rest was the same: spartan park-style seating, pork miniatures and silhouettes everywhere to remind the core business (“ut ut” denotes the onomatopoeic sound of the pig in Vietnamese, like oink oink in English), the menu printed on a paper cover. The staff speaks English and was very professional (they even tried to talk me out ordering a big platter all for myself… very nice of them).

I ordered one of their combo platters, named the Meat Sweats, including 4 Memphis style ribs, one big pork sausage, 300 grams of brisket, corn, green beans and slaw.

The brisket was good, very tender and I could taste the smoke (if it is even possible). I still prefer the one at TNT BBQ however.

This was the first time I tried Memphis ribs. This is a type of dry rib that is treated with a “rub” powder in which paprika is the most distinctive flavor. I am not able to judge whether they were authentic or perfectly executed, but I appreciated that the ribs were tender, well cooked and meaty. I did not enjoy the paprika flavor that much.

The sausage was ok.

In the past I enjoyed more another of their big platter, the BBQ Sampler that includes rib tip, pork shoulder, smoked chicken. Also, their signature cashew smoked pork ribs that I had in the past would have been a better choice.

Their menu keeps expanding and they also sport cacao-smoked ribs and pineapple smoked lamb shoulder.

The check

The platter was 600,000 VND. In total I spent 630,000 VND (including an iced tea) as their prices are inclusive of 10% VAT and service (chapeau). That’s 27 USD for a lunch that could have satisfied two people. I call this very reasonable.

By the way, Quant Ut Ut is definitely a place to try in a group where you can share multiple dishes.

While the involvement of a restaurant group worries me a little bit, what I found in July 2018 was still the old Quan Ut Ut and as such has my recommendation. Also, I cannot disagree with them:

You are what you eat. We have what you are.

Where in Ho Chi Minh City:
168 Võ Văn Kiệt.
Pro-tip I: They do not take reservations. Go early! Go for lunch or be there before 6pm to enhance your chances to get a table right away.
Pro-tip II: They have some very reasonably priced lunch sets. Check their Facebook page for updated information.

 

Melt-in-your-mouth brisket and more at TNT BBQ in Ho Chi Minh City (Closed)

Sadly we learnt that the restaurant closed at the end of September 2019. This is the message announcing the closure from the owners:

Vietnamese love BBQ and over the course of years a few solid American-style BBQ restaurants opened in Ho Chi Minh City. In my opinion, TNT BBQ is probably the best, certainly a favorite of mine. A few years ago they moved in a nice location just a couple of blocks from the central Ben Thanh market. I always try to stop by during my trips to Saigon.

The visit

TNT BBQ is tucked away in a quiet side street of Ly Tu Truong. They did a very nice job in decorating the place. The faux bricks wall, the “far west” memorabilia and the vintage posters create a cozy atmosphere.

They also have a wide assortment of craft beers if you are into that.

As you seat, you are welcomed with a plate of corn bread, dip sauce and a bottle of cold water. Free of charge. This is a great level of service in my books.

In my latest visit, I ordered 200 grams of their smoked beef brisket, a piece of their smoked chicken with signature sauce and a jalapeno sausage, plus a side dish (coleslaw). Above you can see what I got (and you can see that by the time I got my order I had almost finished the corn bread… so good). They also specialize in pork ribs and have pulled pork. I had the ribs in the past and they are also excellent.

Everything is delicious, but the brisket in my opinion stands out. It just melted in my mouth and the ratio between fat and meat is perfect to enhance the flavor but without killing it. According to their menu it is slowly cooked for 16 hours to get to this shape.

Special mention to their jalapeno sausages that are filled with cheddar cheese. I would not know where to find them anywhere else in Ho Chi Minh City. By the way, for some reason good sausages are rare in Asia, so if you like them, make sure to include at least one in your order.

The check

I liked every single bite of what I ordered. While the brisket stood up, the chicken and the sausage were also great specimen of good BBQ meat. Overall, I spent 390,000 VND (more than half, 210,000, for the 200 grams of brisket). That’s around 16.75 USD, what I regard as a reasonable price for the quantity and quality of what I received.

If you like original smoked meat in a nice environment, I highly recommend TNT BBQ. Bonus: I will also mention that, over the years, I found them incredibly fast and reliable in their delivery service.

Where in Ho Chi Minh City:
3 Dang Tran Con, District 1.
They have a Facebook page and offer delivery.