Seocho Korean BBQ for a Duroc pork set: Sodangkkae O-gyeopjip

Sodangkkae O-gyeopjip Gyodae Main Branch: details and parking

The address is 2F, 84-3 Seocho-daero 50-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It is open 11:00–23:00 Monday through Friday and 12:00–23:00 Saturday and Sunday, with last orders at 22:00. The first-floor parking lot in the building is free to use.

Duroc pork I found in Gyodae

The Duroc breed is pretty unfamiliar, right? I had never heard of it before this visit either. The sign out front says it is packed with meaty flavor.

I looked it up online, and Duroc is apparently a pig breed raised around New York and New Jersey in the eastern United States. Along with Spain's Iberico and Hungary's Mangalica, it is classified as one of the world's three premium pig breeds.

American Duroc would normally be frozen because it has to come from the U.S., but Sodangkkae O-gyeopjip says theirs is chilled. I wonder what the secret is...

Must-order dishes

• Sodangkkae Assorted Set for 2 (BEST) ★★★★★: an assorted set of o-gyeopsal (five-layer pork belly), pork neck, and pork jowl, plus yukhoe (Korean beef tartare), stew, and more
• Cheese Bomb Steamed Egg ★★★★★

The basic sides and stew

The vegetable and namul (seasoned vegetable) sides included shredded scallions, green onion kimchi so good I wanted a refill, macaroni (?), perilla leaves, and Cheongyang chili peppers.

There were also minari (water celery), seasoned bean sprouts, napa cabbage kimchi, bracken fern, shishito peppers, enoki mushrooms, and king oyster mushrooms to eat with the meat.

I am a wasabi lover, so I was wondering how to get some, and there was an add-wasabi option under “Add Side Dishes” on the kiosk! Three sauces came for dipping the meat. The first was pickled sliced Cheongyang chili peppers, which I was trying for the first time. It was spicy and salty, but quietly addictive. Then there were the classic ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste) and salt.

Fluffy Cheese Bomb Steamed Egg

The steamed egg looked so fluffy that I automatically grabbed my spoon and started tapping, tap tap tap.

The portion was huge—such great value.

A two-person set with grilled o-gyeopsal, pork neck, and pork jowl

When you order the set for two, you get three cuts: o-gyeopsal, pork neck, and pork jowl.

It was so convenient that the staff at Sodangkkae O-gyeopjip grilled everything themselves. A poster says they grill it so you can focus on the conversation. There was also a business card event: first prize is the Sodangkkae Assorted Set (worth ₩81,500), second is yukhoe (worth ₩27,000), and third is muksabal (chilled acorn-jelly soup) or Triple Jjapagetti (worth ₩9,000). If you are stopping by, make sure to bring a business card!

They cooked the meat incredibly deliciously and just right, so I really enjoyed it. At a barbecue restaurant, the meat matters, of course, but I think the things you can eat alongside it matter too.

I loved that they prepared such a variety—minari, bracken fern, bean sprouts, kimchi, mushrooms, and shishito peppers—so everyone could eat according to their own preferences.

Yukhoe included in the set

This is the yukhoe included in the Sodangkkae set for two. Sesame seeds were scattered over the beef, with radish sprouts underneath.

The egg yolk arrived in a small stainless-steel bowl, so naturally you have to put it straight on the yukhoe and mix it in for the full flavor.

It looks like they cook their rice with Suhyangmi rice brought from Paltan, Hwaseong. Suhyangmi is said to have a savory scorched-rice aroma and a chewy yet soft texture. They give you a soft drink or seasoned honeycomb pork skin for posting a review, so do not forget to leave one :)