Seocho pork barbecue dinner near Seoul: Yuk Tongryeong

I went to Yuk Tongryeong Gyodae Direct Store (육통령 교대직영점) with a friend for dinner after work. We had samgyeopsal (pork belly) and moksal (pork neck) with stew and naengmyeon, and the tender moksal stayed with me in particular.

Is it easy to reach from Gyodae Station, and is parking available?

The restaurant is between Gyodae Station and Nambu Bus Terminal Station. The address is 69 Banpo-daero 20-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea; 지온빌딩 1층. It was easy to reach by public transportation, and Naver reservations were available when I visited.

I could park beside the restaurant. However, the parking area was not large, and I thought it would fit about five or six cars.

What is the restaurant like for a meal or group gathering?

The dining room was fairly spacious and neatly arranged. It was comfortable for talking and eating with a friend, and there were plenty of seats, so I thought it could also work for a group gathering or company dinner.

There was a separate aging room near the entrance, where I could see the meat being aged.

I also noticed rice cookers lined up in a row. They made me look forward to freshly cooked rice.

What is on the menu, and what did we order?

I was curious because I had heard that the restaurant had been featured several times on television programs. The menu was divided into pork and beef, and the lunch menu included set meals such as heukdwaeji handmade galbi set meal and yukhoe bibimbap.

We ordered two servings of samgyeopsal and one serving of moksal, along with tosok doenjang jjigae (traditional soybean paste stew) and bibim naengmyeon (spicy mixed cold noodles).

How were the side dishes served with the meat?

A salad came out first when we sat down. It was a nice way to whet our appetites before eating the meat.

There was a varied selection of side dishes, including scallion salad and bean sprouts. Of them, I particularly liked the kimchi.

Which suited my taste better, samgyeopsal or moksal?

The samgyeopsal was juicy, and a subtle savory flavor gradually came through the more I chewed.

I liked the samgyeopsal too, but the moksal suited my taste better. It was thick yet tender, juicy without any unpleasant smell, and clean-tasting.

There were several ways to combine the sauces. I especially liked pairing omija syrup with wasabi and saeujeot (salted shrimp). The omija syrup’s sweet-and-sour flavor cut through the richness, while the wasabi added a sharp kick.

Did the tosok doenjang jjigae and bibim naengmyeon pair well with the meat?

The tosok doenjang jjigae had a deep, savory flavor. I heard that they make the doenjang themselves by fermenting meju (soybean blocks).

The bibim naengmyeon paired well with the meat because it helped reduce the richness. In this meal, I liked not only the meat but also the kimchi and doenjang jjigae.