We were always on the lookout for great tasting grilled meats and decided to go for the crowd favourite at Maple Tree House Itaewon. This area is pretty well known for its its cosmopolitan dining and nightlife, and is practically littered with many restaurants including Korean BBQ. Many foreigners like to hangout at this area too.
Arrived at that area at about 8pm and there was a queue already. Left our name and the service staff informed us to come back in another half hour's time to check if there's any available table.
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| let's dine here |
Was basically just walking up and down that area to kill time. There was a huge Chinese restaurant, international restaurants serving German, French fares and plenty of watering holes.
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| soju bottles as wall decor |
Finally got a table at about 840pm and we were pretty excited! The restaurant serves mid to premium range meats, and its diners were mostly working adults and tourists.
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| our corner |
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| for larger groups |
Our main target for the night was Korean beef, 한우 (Hanwoo). When else can we eat Hanwoo if not when we were in Seoul, right? But we were also mindful of budget so we ordered sparingly. Almost.
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| USDA Prime Ribeye (150g) |
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| Premium Korean Aged Beef Striploin (150g) |
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| charcoal fire is a must |
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| wait for it |
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| almost there |
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| grab a bite of mouthwatering succulent piece |
The beef was tender yet retained its beefy-ness. Not overly marbled but satisfying enough. I think we ordered another round of the striploin for the finale.
For drinks, we had Korean raspberry wine. Like a dessert wine. Offered a glass to the Caucasian family at the next table to try.
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| bokbunja |
Also ordered some pork to grill. Fresh meat that was not frozen makes all the difference, you know.
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| front: Jeju Korean Black Pork Belly (150g) Back: Jeju Korean Black Pork Collar (150g) |
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| let it grill~ let it grill~ |
The pork jowl was so amazingly white and promises of an amazing experience. Indeed, it had a fantastic mouthfeel and 'crunchy' firm when the meat was chewed. Juicy as promised.
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| Pork Jowl (150g) |
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| pork jowl |
The grilled meat came with leafy vegetables for the wrap, salad and some side dishes like kimchi and tofu.
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| pickled perilla leaf |
We enjoyed the meats and left the place happy. Spent about $50 to $60 per pax. To end the meal, we were served cold omija tea. It's also known as five-flavours tea which consist of sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, and pungency/tartness.
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| omija 오미자차 |
Maple Tree House
Address: 26 Itaewon-ro 27ga-gil, Itaewon 1(il)-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Website:
http://www.mapletreehouse.co.kr/kor/html/main.asp
Contact: +82 2-790-7977
Business Hours:
Daily 1130am to 1030pm (till 12am on Fri and Sat)
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