BBQ - just not the kind you're thinking of!

Korean BBQ

My first experience with Korean BBQ was way back in September, but i didn't realize what it was. the second was much better. My friend had been trying to convince me to go to a BBQ for pork for ages, and we finally ended up going... i wasn't convinced at first, but after having had it, was amazed at how tasty it is... essentially, it's bacon, but with a twist.

This is one of the tables... tons of restaurants in Korea have tables where you sit on the floor. i hate them cause they aggravate my back, but these ones have a place for your legs underneath, so they are much more comfortable.

This is a close-up of the grill that sits on every table - we get to cook our own food! notice the grease tin at the bottom. i'd eaten at restaurants like this before, but never had the bacon... we weren't really sure how to order so we just pointed at the table next to ours... and got exactly what we wanted...

a plate full of (what i call) bacon rolls, it's really just pork, which technically is bacon...

which we then put on the grill and cooked up, but not before all the side dishes arrived:

this is one of my favourite things about eating out in Korea. if you order one dish, you get ten! notice the garlic, onions, and kimchi - those all go on the grill too.

then you have your noodle soup (cold),

potato salad,

mini shrimps (much too salty for my taste),

sweet potatoes,

and tofu...

there was also pickled radish, a couple of sauces, and of course, the lettuce and other leaves... what would lunch be without the leaves? see, you have to take a little bit of everything, put it on the leaf and the stuff it into your mouth...

that's how the koreans do it! it's absolutely delicious, grilled garlic, onion, pork, kimchi, and pickled radish, on a bed of lettuce, and then it doesn't matter how you get it in... you just stuff it in your mouth and enjoy! it's brilliant... the nasty part is at the end, when the grease is congealing in the pan at the bottom...

so that's the basics of a Korean bar-b-q... not exactly burgers and dogs in the back yard! but really yummy... of course, it did put me off pork for a few days...

let me know what you think of bbq...