Songni-dan-gil jokbal restaurant with 10,000-won corkage: Narae

It had been a while since we had good weekend weather — where did you all go? With the fireworks festival happening, I bet a lot of you headed out there haha. My boyfriend and I hate crowds though.. Yeouido? No thanks ^^ We stayed in the neighborhood as usual!

And there was a jokbal (pig's trotter) restaurant that had recently opened on Songni-dan-gil, so we checked it out. The interior is so clean and pretty that I think women especially will love it. Let me show you right away.

Where is Narae Jokbal Songpa Direct Branch, and is there parking?

Narae Jokbal Songpa Direct Branch is located on Songni-dan-gil in Jamsil. You might picture an old-school jokbal joint, but this one's so sleek you could easily walk right past it thinking it's not the place haha.

No parking available, unfortunately ㅠㅠ Parking on Songni-dan-gil is tough anyway..

This Jamsil / Songni-dan-gil favorite also has terrace seating outside. It was cool out that day, and by the time we finished eating, everyone had moved out to the terrace! I'll sit outside next time ^^

We had a 5pm reservation but arrived about 20 minutes early hahaha ^^

Inside Narae Jokbal: high chairs and a self-serve side dish bar

It really didn't feel like a jokbal place at all?! Honestly it reminded me more of a good gourmet burger spot!! Super clean, and the tables were spacious, which I loved. Everything was spaced out well, too, so no cramped feeling.

The restroom is inside the restaurant and gender-separated, which was nice.

They also have baby chairs, so it's a great spot to bring kids along.

There's a self-serve side dish bar, so you can grab more of any side you want ^^ And Narae Jokbal allows corkage! No restriction on alcohol type and it's ₩10,000 per table~ No limit on number of bottles either, ooh.

Narae Jokbal menu and what comes free with a dine-in order

There's jokbal and bossam (boiled pork wraps) on the menu, so pick whichever suits you! If you're dining in, ordering a main gets you fresh-fruit makguksu (cold buckwheat noodles), sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew), and patbingsu (shaved ice dessert) for dessert, all included ^^ And there's a takeout event with a ₩5,000 discount plus a free 500ml cola!

They're also running a Naver receipt review event, so don't miss that~!

Half-and-half jokbal (medium) Kelly Jinro

I considered bossam for a bit, but I was curious about the fire jokbal so we went with the half-and-half.

First they brought out the basic side dishes! I took a photo and honestly — is this really a jokbal place? Everything photographed so beautifully?!

The complimentary sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew)

The complimentary sundubu-jjigae! It had soft tofu and an egg inside too ^^ My boyfriend told me to eat the whole egg, so I happily did haha.

The complimentary fresh-fruit makguksu (cold noodles)

Narae Jokbal's fresh-fruit makguksu was great because the sweetness wasn't artificial. The seasoning wasn't too strong either, so it was a sweet-and-tangy noodle dish good enough to eat on its own!!

The noodles didn't go mushy and stayed chewy, and eating them alongside the jokbal was a perfect match ^3^

How does the medium half-and-half jokbal taste, and how spicy is the fire jokbal?

Finally, the half-and-half jokbal arrived! Neatly arranged on the plate.

Narae Jokbal doesn't have the strong signature jokbal smell, so I think just about everyone would enjoy it! Some places have such a strong herbal smell ㅠㅠ

They gave us both the skin part and the meat part, and the meat was so moist that I kept eating that over the skin that day haha.

The skin was also wonderfully bouncy and chewy, and the fire jokbal wasn't too spicy, so the two of us — total spice wimps — could keep eating it! I'd say it's less about spiciness and more about a clear smoky-fire flavor. If you want it seriously spicy, you might be a little disappointed, so it's worth asking if they can adjust the heat ㅠㅠ

We ate some just with salted shrimp on top, and some wrapped in lettuce. With so many side dishes to pair with, we kept mixing it up!!!!

Patbingsu: the free shaved ice dessert

When they brought the jokbal, the staff told us to just let them know whenever we wanted the dessert shaved ice. So we asked for it once we'd nearly finished the jokbal.

You know that classic old-school shaved ice feel? The ice came with red beans, cereal, and roasted grain powder on top. I really love this old-fashioned style of bingsu haha.

Finishing with the bingsu gave the whole meal a clean, satisfying ending! The course was pretty much perfect ^0^ (Not-so-secret confession: the bingsu was so much our style that we ended up ordering another bottle of soju just to go with it..^^)

There was even mouthwash by the register! Narae Jokbal really had thoughtful little touches — nice.

Is Narae Jokbal Songpa worth a couple's dinner?

The clean, pretty interior made for a pleasant meal, and I especially loved that ordering a main gets you three extra dishes on top. The jokbal was chewy and moist without a strong herbal smell, so I think just about anyone would enjoy it ^^ If you're looking for a Jamsil / Songni-dan-gil favorite, Narae Jokbal Songpa Direct Branch — go go!!