Jongno Korean BBQ beef & pork set, Asahi draft: Gogikkun Kim Chunbae

Beef or pork? We can never decide, so we end up eating both, hahaha. Today my partner and I went to Jonggak-ap Nosang Gongyeong Juchajang (고기꾼김춘배 종로직영점), where you can take down beef and pork in one go and settle our appetite dispute! The menu decision was intense, so here's my review of how we went all in: the recommended set, half-and-half naengmyeon (cold noodles), kkakdugi (radish kimchi) fried rice, and a cold Asahi draft beer.

Getting to Jonggak-ap Nosang Gongyeong Juchajang, and the vibe

Jonggak-ap Nosang Gongyeong Juchajang is in a glass building at the end of an alley, a short walk toward Youth Street after you leave Jonggak Station Exit 4.

The restaurant is on the 5th floor of that building! Take the elevator up and you can smell the charcoal right from the door.

Step inside and you'll see soft, not-too-dark lighting and wooden interiors.

Every seat has a high partition, so you can barely see the next table and it feels quite private! It's a different feel from the noisy Jongno streets, so it's perfect for a date or a quiet company dinner ★

Whisky bottles and wines are prettily displayed on one side of the entrance, and further in there's a separate wine cellar.

Through a clear glass window you can see beef and pork that look top quality at a glance. A good restaurant shows its confidence right from how it stores the meat!

What did we order at Jonggak-ap Nosang Gongyeong Juchajang?

The sets that let you enjoy beef and pork together are nicely put together here.

We wanted to try a little of several cuts, so we chose the 2-person recommended set :) It comes with hanwoo (Korean beef), pork neck and pork belly!

Sides include kkakdugi fried rice, brisket doenjang (soybean paste) stew and various naengmyeon. I ordered half-and-half naengmyeon and kkakdugi fried rice. It's hard not to order beer at a BBQ place... I PICKED Asahi >_<

The banchan (side dish) lineup that boosts the meat's flavor is really solid too! From the neatly plated spring onion salad to crunchy pickles and white kimchi... everything goes perfectly with meat ♥

The Asahi draft came out first, and the glass is huge, which puts me in a good mood just looking at it!

The 2-person set: hanwoo sirloin grilled by the staff

Soon the recommended set made its entrance, and I was a little shocked by the color of the meat,,!

The hanwoo sirloin has an even grain and lovely bright-red marbling bb. The pork belly has a good ratio of fat to meat, and the pork neck is thick, so you can tell it'll be chewy in a good way. There's even a mushroom stamped with the restaurant's name on the side of the plate, a nice touch :)

The staff grill the meat at every table. That meant no worrying about doneness, and we could chat comfortably while eating :)

First they put the hanwoo sirloin in the center of the charcoal, and with the sizzling sound and that nutty aroma,, it was insane!!!!!!

When the surface is just cooked, the staff cut it into bite-size pieces and finish it at the side. Tender inside, slightly crispy outside, and the texture is sooo good!

The first bite was with salt only, and the second with a little wasabi. The meaty aroma comes on strong, but it's not greasy at all, and the more you chew, the more the clean, mild fat coats your mouth :)

As someone who has eaten quite a lot of hanwoo, I have to say the quality here is really good!

What style is the kkakdugi fried rice?

The kkakdugi fried rice here comes topped generously with finely chopped kkakdugi, bits of meat and seaweed flakes, and it's moderately spicy and nutty. It was the menu item I'd been waiting for, so I was happy to see it!

It wipes away the greasiness after the meat, and the rice was stir-fried well without sticking. Put a piece of meat on top and that's it, I'm done >_<

Is the pork belly and pork neck good too?

The pork belly in the set is a skin-on cut, and the texture is truly an art.

Grilled golden over real charcoal, one bite gave me the chewy skin and then the tender juices of the meat burst out!!!!!! The ratio of skin, lean meat and nutty fat layer is a golden balance, I'd say >_<

The pork neck that came with it is thick, so it's properly chewy. It's a cut that can easily turn dry, but the pork neck here stays moist in every grain, like a steak.

There's no gamey pork smell at all, and a rich nuttiness comes up the more you chew, so even with just a dip in salt and no sauce I could fully enjoy the meat's own flavor.

Good raw meat plus charcoal aroma really gives the flavor a different depth ✨

Half-and-half naengmyeon to finish

The half-and-half naengmyeon is split, one side mulnaengmyeon (in cold broth) and the other bibim naengmyeon (spicy, mixed). The mulnaengmyeon in cool broth is slightly tangy and clean, so it pairs well between bites of meat, and the bibim is sweet without being too spicy, so I think anyone could eat it comfortably.

Beef and pork in one meal in Jonggak: overall verdict

Overall, the condition of the meat, the charcoal aroma and the staff's care were all satisfying. If you want to properly eat beef and pork in one meal near Jonggak, I'd recommend Jonggak-ap Nosang Gongyeong Juchajang :)