Destination Dining: Ginger Pig, Seoul

Ginger Pig in Hongdae, Seoul. Photo / Facebook

Ginger Pig

354-6, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul

We arrived…

on a cool spring evening, and were greeted cheerfully by the staff. It was a busy Friday night, but staff had no trouble finding a table for the four of us.

We chose here because…

Korean barbecue is a must-do for any visit to Seoul, and a quick Google search for a spot near our accommodation led us here. As befits the restaurant's name, the internet had told us the ginger pork at this establishment was to die for.

Our first impression was…

that we'd made the right choice – it was packed full of local groups of friends sharing dinner. It was evidently more upmarket than other Korean barbecue joints, however; the crowd was largely fitted out in designer clothing, and the menu was not cheap.

We started with…

local Cass beers and kimchi, the latter of which is in unlimited supply all night. It's a delicious Korean staple, and only lightly spicy for those with a low tolerance.

The highlight was…

They say don't believe everything you read on the internet, but in this case, you can. The ginger pork was incredible, and had clearly been lovingly marinated to bring it to an extraordinary level of flavour – so good that we ordered another portion. The staff happily fry your meat on the hotplate on your table in front of you, and the smell alone is hypnotic and mouth-watering. They then chop it up and you construct a sort of leafy burrito out of the provided lettuce, kimchi, spring onions, sauce and extra ginger provided. It's heavenly.

Dessert was…

Another Cass beer and an ice cream on the way home. Sweet stuff isn't usually part of the Korean barbecue experience.

Come here if…

You want an upmarket version of classic Korean barbecue. Other places can be lacking in such incredible taste explosions, and it's worth forking out more for the experience.

The bill…

was on the pricier side, particularly for Seoul. This is definitely a one-off travel indulgence. Our bill between four, including drinks, was 109,000 Korean Won – NZ$143.