[NON-HALAL]
Welcome to part three of KY Speaks’ recent family vacation to Jeju Island in South Korea (read part two here)!
One of the island’s most well-known ingredients is Jeju black pig – not to be confused with Iberico black pork. The meat of the Korean version has a normal pinkish hue; the “black” in the name refers to the animal’s fur.
At the foothill of Seongsan here, a number of restaurants specialise in Korean BBQ with a focus on Jeju black pigs. Among them is an establishment called Halla Restaurant, which the writer settled on for no particular reason other than it “looked legit and not entirely touristy”.
Like many eateries in this region, Halla is operated by a couple of old women who speak very, very limited English (Google Translate to the rescue!). Thankfully, the menu is almost amusingly simple, with only three choices of pork cuts, one type of noodle, and steamed rice – labelled in English.
One downside to this place is that you need to order the same number of portions as there are guests. In this case, the order amounted to two portions of grilled black pork (22,000 KRW, or RM75.65); a portion of marinated ribs (18,000 KRW), and a portion of grilled pork belly (18,000 KRW)… which ended up to be quite a lot of meat.
The BBQ experience is not unlike any you may already be familiar with in Malaysia – a non-stick surface with gas fire, and grilling do-it-yourself style.
The black pig and pork belly didn’t taste too different from the “usual” pork, although they were a little more chewy in texture. The marinated ribs, meanwhile, had a stronger and sweeter taste owing to the marinade, making it this writer’s favourite.
The “banchan” (side dishes) served here were on point, too, especially the spicy spring onion and strong-tasting kimchi.
All in all, Halla Restaurant offers a lovely dinner, but for the price, the abalone at Myeongjin Jeonbok was perhaps more worthwhile.
Halla Restaurant (non-halal)
174-3 Seongsan-ri,Seongsan-eup,
Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do, South Korea
Read the original article here. Trying to influence your cravings since 2005, Kar Yeong was Guest Judge on Versus 1001 Rasa Baba’s 2018, R.AGE Food Fight Judge 2015 and NTV7 Foodie Blogger 2014. To read more about Kar Yeong’s food journeys, visit his blog at KYspeaks.com.