Daejeon shaved pork BBQ near E-Mart Traders before shopping: Kkodeul

Why Kkodeul Daepae before shopping at E-Mart Traders in Daejeon?

Kkodeul Daepae Daejeon Wolpyeong Branch is a naengsam (chilled pork belly) and shaved pork BBQ place right near E-Mart Traders in Wolpyeong-dong, Daejeon. The meat is cheap and the self-serve bar is good, so we picked it as our meal before shopping. Grocery shopping at E-Mart Traders takes a lot of energy, right? So we like to grease the wheels with a solid meal first. I went looking for a good restaurant near Traders in Daejeon, and suddenly I was craving savory shaved pork. That's how I found Kkodeul Daepae (꼬들대패): cheap meat, a decent self-serve bar.

What's in Kkodeul Daepae's ₩3,000 self-serve bar?

😚 So much variety in a ₩3,000 self-serve bar

The self-serve bar is ₩3,000 per table, stocked with things that are great grilled alongside the meat, like fried rolls (gimmari), fried dumplings, french fries and tteok (rice cakes), plus cheese for fried rice. This bar is the biggest difference-maker here. A BBQ restaurant's self-serve bar usually means lettuce, kimchi and bean sprouts and not much else, but this one had lots of things that taste good grilled together. There was even cheese for fried rice as standard, so I knew right away we had to finish with cheese fried rice.

Kkodeul Daepae menu and prices: how many servings for two?

😚 I didn't know there were so many kinds of shaved pork until this visit

The signature Kkodeul shaved pork is ₩5,900 per serving and the pork belly shaved cut is ₩4,900, and the two of us ordered 4 servings of Kkodeul and 3 of pork belly. We piled our favorite things from the self-serve bar onto the table first, then looked at the menu. What stood out was how many kinds of shaved pork they had. We also ordered doenjang stew (soybean paste stew, ₩4,500), steamed egg (₩4,000) and rice. Shaved pork is thin, so 5 to 7 servings is the unwritten rule, right?

How do Kkodeul shaved pork and shaved pork belly taste?

😚 Chewy and savory

Once you order, the staff prepares the meat right away and brings it over, and since it's shaved pork it cooks almost as soon as it hits the grill, so there's no waiting. The portion is pretty big. I was happy before I even took a bite. Not having to wait for it to cook is the best part. We piled the rest of the things we'd brought on top too.

The signature Kkodeul shaved pork had a unique, crunchy-chewy texture, and the pork belly shaved cut had a solid, dependable flavor. First I grabbed several pieces of the Kkodeul meat I was most curious about, and ate them with lettuce wraps and grilled vegetables. It tasted different from the shaved pork I've had before that turns dry fast! That crunchy, chewy texture was unique and appealing. Then the pork belly shaved cut, which is the basics of shaved pork, right? It didn't disappoint. I liked being able to enjoy so many different cuts at a naengsam place in Wolpyeong-dong.

Are the blue crab doenjang stew and steamed egg worth ordering?

😚 Perfect sides: blue crab doenjang stew and steamed egg

The doenjang stew (₩4,500) has blue crab in it, and the broth was cool and spicy, cutting neatly through the richness of the shaved pork. One spoonful of the broth gave that refreshing, spicy kick, which made it a great side that kept us eating meat. And honestly, doenjang stew at a BBQ place is the best kind, isn't it?

The steamed egg (₩4,000) was fluffy and soft, and not too salty, so we kept scooping it up even without rice. The seasoning was just right. It's a steamed egg that's tasty even without rice. There was carrot on top too, which gave a nice little crunch.

How to make self-serve cheese fried rice at Kkodeul Daepae

😚 Self-serve fried rice is the perfect finish

The finish at Kkodeul Daepae is self-serve fried rice: you stir-fry rice right on the grill with kimchi and bean sprouts from the self-serve bar and the meat you saved. The most important thing here is this fried rice you make yourself. Into the rice we'd ordered earlier, I snipped the kimchi and bean sprouts from the bar and the leftover meat with scissors, and stir-fried it all together on the grill. My husband teases me every time that I look like a restaurant employee when I make fried rice, haha.

Sprinkle on the cheese from the self-serve bar and you get a really delicious cheese fried rice. Even after 7 servings of meat, skipping the carbs at the end would feel wrong, right? With the cheese on top, it felt like a proper fried rice. The self-serve bar is so well stocked that we ended up even fuller and more satisfied.

Kkodeul Daepae Daejeon Wolpyeong Branch: location, hours and atmosphere

Kkodeul Daepae Daejeon Wolpyeong Branch is at 14 Wolpyeongjung-ro, 1st floor, Seo-gu, Daejeon, right near E-Mart Traders, so it's great for a meal before or after shopping. It's a really good pick for a Traders-area meal in Daejeon.

It's open from 17:00 to 01:00 and closed every Monday. The interior is spacious and comfortable, so it looked fine for family meals as well as drinking get-togethers. Since it's open late, it's also good for having a drink over meat late into the night.

This is an honest review: we received partial support through a review program, and paid the rest ourselves.