Jokbal for two near Silla University, Busan: Sasang Paldo Jokbal

Sasang Paldo Jokbal: a jokbal restaurant in Deokpo, Sasang, near Silla University

My friend and I went to Sasang Paldo Jokbal (사상팔도족발) in Deokpo, Sasang, Busan, and had a small jokbal with a self-serve rice ball and makguksu added. I figured the small size would be just right for two, but when the food arrived, the portion was much bigger than I expected.

I'd been craving proper jokbal for a while, and after looking around I settled on Sasang Paldo Jokbal in Deokpo. Delivery jokbal at home is convenient, but sometimes you want it warm, right at the table. Jokbal changes a lot depending on the wraps and side dishes you eat with it, so personally I prefer eating it in the restaurant.

After finishing, my takeaway was that the value is pretty good for the amount of jokbal! Let me go through my Sasang Paldo Jokbal experience one by one.

Is Sasang Paldo Jokbal spacious?

The inside of Sasang Paldo Jokbal is roomier than I expected, so it's comfortable for a group. It's a good stop if you're looking for jokbal in Deokpo, and since Silla University is nearby, it's worth knowing if you're searching for a good place to eat near Silla University.

We went in the evening and quite a few customers had come for jokbal. Some jokbal places are cramped, with tables packed close together, but this one was nicely spacious inside. It looked fine for a group meal, and the atmosphere was relaxed enough for friends to chat over jokbal.

With jokbal you end up putting several dishes on one table, so table spacing and room matter more than you'd think. Since the place is big, I felt less cramped while eating. Jokbal is something people usually eat with friends, family or coworkers rather than alone, and even with jokbal and a bunch of sides on the table, there was no feeling of running out of space.

It seemed good for a dinner with friends or a family meal out. I also thought it's worth a look for students hunting for a meal near Silla University, or anyone looking for jokbal in Deokpo.

What to order for two at Sasang Paldo Jokbal

At Sasang Paldo Jokbal we ordered a small jokbal, a self-serve rice ball and makguksu. Makguksu feels almost mandatory with jokbal. Jokbal alone keeps going with a mild, nutty flavor, and then one bite of tangy-sweet makguksu makes your mouth feel fresh again, you know?

We also ordered one self-serve rice ball (rice you shape yourself). You want rice with jokbal, and making it yourself is fun, so I tend to order one whenever it's on the menu. Since there were only two of us, I thought this would be about right at first. But once the jokbal came out, I changed my mind a little.

Refilling wraps and side dishes at the Sasang Paldo Jokbal self-serve bar

Sasang Paldo Jokbal has a self-serve bar, so you can grab more side dishes yourself. When eating jokbal you go through more wrap vegetables and sides than you'd think. Instead of asking the staff again and again, it was easy to bring over as much as I needed from the bar.

I eat a lot of wraps myself: a piece of jokbal, one wrap, then another, and the vegetables vanish fast. Being able to refill from the self-serve bar meant I could take more without any pressure. Everyone wants a different amount of side dishes, so a self-serve bar is definitely handy.

Is a small jokbal enough for two at Sasang Paldo Jokbal?

The small jokbal at Sasang Paldo Jokbal was plenty, enough to leave two people full even with makguksu and a rice ball. A small jokbal is often just right for two, or a bit short if you add other sides, but here the main jokbal portion was substantial.

The table was loaded with jokbal, so it looked generous right away. Eating makguksu and the rice ball too, I was quite full by the end. The jokbal had a nice mix of lean meat and skin, so you can pick what you like. When I eat jokbal I like a good balance of lean meat and the chewy parts rather than too much lean, and that day it was fun picking and choosing.

What impressed me most this time was the value. At a jokbal place the bill climbs fast: one jokbal, add a makguksu, then drinks or sides, and even for two it often comes to quite a bit. Here the main jokbal portion was so big that overall, I thought the value was good.

Even the small size never felt skimpy. For two people eating jokbal with sides like us, it wasn't lacking. If you love jokbal and care about quantity, this is worth noting. Personally, I liked that the main jokbal was generous rather than the sides.

Wrap vegetables and dried radish: Sasang Paldo Jokbal's side dishes

The wrap vegetables at Sasang Paldo Jokbal were fresh, and among the side dishes the dried radish (musaengchae-style radish strips) stood out most. Wraps are what you can't do without when eating jokbal. A piece of jokbal with garlic and ssamjang (wrap sauce) in a leaf is really good, isn't it?

When vegetables are wilted, you don't feel like reaching for them, but these were crisp, so I kept making wraps with the jokbal. The jokbal itself was tasty, and with such fresh wrap vegetables I could keep eating without feeling greasy. I like jokbal dipped in sauce too, but I like it in wraps as well, so I refilled the wraps several times.

Jokbal and dried radish go well together anyway, but this radish was so good that I kept reaching for it. Putting radish on a piece of jokbal and wrapping it all together gave lots of textures. The soft, chewy jokbal plus the crunchy radish made every bite fun.

When eating jokbal, you sometimes want a slightly different flavor in between, and the dried radish did that job well. I don't usually eat many side dishes at jokbal places, but this time the radish was so good that I ate quite a lot.

Are the makguksu and self-serve rice ball worth adding?

The makguksu at Sasang Paldo Jokbal went well with the jokbal, but personally I found the portion a bit small. At a jokbal place I always hesitate for a moment over whether to order makguksu, and since the jokbal was so plentiful I wondered if I could manage it, but I ordered anyway. In the end I'm glad I did.

After eating jokbal for a while the taste of meat lingers in your mouth, and the tangy makguksu brought my appetite back. A piece of jokbal and then a bite of makguksu really is a good pairing.

That said, compared with the sizable main jokbal, the makguksu portion felt slightly lacking. As a side dish to eat with jokbal it may be about right, but if you love makguksu you might find it a little small. Still, the combination with jokbal was good.

I ordered a self-serve rice ball as well. When a jokbal place has rice balls, I always want to order one. Making it yourself is fun, and with jokbal it makes the meal more filling. Eating it between jokbal wraps works better than you'd think, and having rice in the middle makes you fuller than just jokbal alone.

We alternated between jokbal, makguksu and the rice ball, and I liked the variety. If you visit as a pair and want to try a bit of everything, ordering like this seems good.

Jokbal texture at Sasang Paldo Jokbal and how to eat it

I paid attention to the texture too, and overall I liked the chewiness. Jokbal is disappointing when it's too dry, and if it's too greasy you tire of it after a few pieces, but here I could choose from different cuts, which was nice.

I ate the lean parts plain and the chewy parts with wraps or dried radish. I especially liked the combination with the radish. A piece of jokbal with a little radish and wrap vegetables is rich in texture and keeps you eating. With such good side dishes, even one jokbal order can be eaten in many ways.

Is Sasang Paldo Jokbal worth a return visit?

I tried the small jokbal, self-serve rice ball and makguksu at Sasang Paldo Jokbal, and overall it was a satisfying meal. Most memorable was the portion of the small jokbal. It's the small size, but the main dish was so substantial that even with sides the two of us weren't short, and compared with jokbal I've had elsewhere, the value felt good.

• Good points: generous jokbal even in the small size, tasty dried radish, fresh wrap vegetables, self-serve refills, spacious restaurant
• Drawbacks: the makguksu felt a bit small compared with the amount of jokbal
• Recommended combo: small jokbal + makguksu + self-serve rice ball

With jokbal, taste matters, but so do the portion, the price and the side dishes, the whole package. On this visit, Sasang Paldo Jokbal had a generous main jokbal that's good for groups, and with wraps and side dishes like dried radish the whole meal felt hearty. Even when you order makguksu and rice balls because jokbal alone isn't enough, like we did, you can eat until you're full.

If you're looking for a jokbal place in Deokpo, Sasang, or something filling near Silla University, it's worth a visit. It's a place I'll probably think of the next time I crave jokbal. For jokbal lovers, I'd recommend ordering the small jokbal + makguksu + self-serve rice ball combo and taking your time.

A piece of jokbal on a wrap leaf with that tasty dried radish, one bite, and you think, so this is why we eat jokbal. If you want a hearty jokbal spread in Deokpo, Sasang, Sasang Paldo Jokbal is worth remembering ^_^