Korean BBQ set for three in Gangnam with kkakdugi fried rice: Sansol

I was meeting friends in Gangnam and was trying to figure out what to eat when I saw a BBQ restaurant listed on Superchart, so I went for it!! Reservation was required, so I booked ahead before visiting.

How to walk from Sinnonhyeon Station to Sansol Sinnonhyeon

Sansol Sinnonhyeon was less than a 5-minute walk from Exit 3 of Sinnonhyeon Station, so I got there quickly. The path up is a bit of an uphill, so I was reminded (again?) of my need to exercise haha.

Even from a distance, the interior looked like it'd be pretty. Ajju and Sansol are right next to each other, and you have to go right to find Sansol!

Cave-like interior and the Grade 1+ meat locker at Sansol

The interior had a bit of a cave feel. Right as I walked in, I saw the meat storage area on the right. It felt a little museum-like, but since it said they only use Grade 1+ meat, I walked in thinking the meat would be really delicious haha.

The layout let you see the whole kitchen. The lower part was finished in stone, which gave a bit of a mountain feel too? It's definitely a nicely atmospheric BBQ restaurant, hahaha.

How busy is Sansol Sinnonhyeon at weekend lunch?

I visited around weekend lunchtime and only 3 or 4 tables were occupied. It was so nice not having too many people around... restaurants that are too crowded kind of drain my energy, haha.

Since it was a meetup of 3 people including me, we got a table for four. The lighting wasn't too bright, which made it feel more relaxing.

Almost all the seats seemed to be tables for four. The chairs were nice and cushy, which was comfortable.

You could order right from the table, and there was a screen explaining the side dishes that would be set up. (They set it up pretty much just like that haha.)

The staff brought water first, then set up the side dishes — there was a lot to pair with the meat, which I loved.

What comes in the samgyeopsal, moksal and kkodeulsal set

We decided to start with the set and then order more of whichever cut we wanted more of. The set came with samgyeopsal (pork belly), moksal (pork neck), and kkodeulsal (pork jowl cartilage), and—

once the meat came out, they coated the grill pan with fat and grilled all the meat for us haha. So, so convenient~~ Yay~~

The samgyeopsal came pre-seared!

I've seen plenty of places grill mushrooms alongside the meat, but this was my first time seeing zucchini and pinecones grilled together — pretty striking. They looked so pretty haha.

The staff grilled every single piece of meat and plated it for us.

Meat is always tastiest when someone else grills it for you haha.

All the staff were friendly and genuinely skilled at grilling meat. haha lol.

Cut by cut: samgyeopsal, moksal and kkodeulsal compared

They told us to eat the moksal with the scallion sauce? and, mm, good stuff.

I don't usually like moksal, but eating it with scallions made it really delicious. All the cuts were tasty overall, but for my taste, samgyeopsal was the best.

Kkodeulsal had a good chewy texture, but eating a lot of it was a bit hard on my teeth haha... lol. If you're someone who likes an impactful skin and texture, you'd probably love kkodeulsal haha.

Kkakdugi fried rice, served two portions at a time

Honestly, I don't usually read other people's reviews before going to a restaurant? It feels like getting spoiled somehow? lol, is that weird...? Anyway, someone told me the kkakdugi (radish kimchi) fried rice here was delicious, so I ordered it, and it really was.

I wished there was more kkakdugi in it, but the seasoning was exactly to my taste, so I kept eating even when I was full. Oh, the kkakdugi fried rice was a (2-person) portion. Not a single serving, haha.

For 3 women, having (the set + 1 extra samgyeopsal + 1 extra kkodeulsal) and finishing with the fried rice seems like it'd be just right?

TMI: I haven't had much of an appetite lately so I think I ate a bit less than usual, which made me wonder if I'd been overeating unnecessarily up until now..... Lately I've been thinking that eating just a little feels easier on the stomach and better for the body. Haha.