One of the must try traditional dishes in Jeju will be the dombe meat which means steamed and sliced pork served on chopping board. Tracy found one near our accommodation, so we dropped by for Day 3 dinner. It was a Saturday evening on our day of visit and we should've realised that restaurants in town areas should be busier than normal days. Hahaa, so we went and placed our name on their waitlist (there isn't any list per se but the staff did see us and knew we would like to dine there) and will call when there's a freed up table. So, we waited outside along with a few other chaps.
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| shop front |
We were called in after waiting for 20 minutes. We noticed that the guests there usually comes in larger groups of 4 or more. Age range, I'd guess it's thirties and above.
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| interior |
The shop looked like it was run by a family. The young staff seemed to be the son, while the dad was busy delivering side-dishes to the tables and finally, the lady who performed the table-side service seemed to be the lady boss.
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| side dishes and lettuce |
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| main course - Jeju Black Pork |
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| lady boss slicing up the meat and teaching us how to eat it properly |
The lady boss will enquire if we are first timers and if yes, she'll teach the table on how to create flavours using the sides given and which sequence works best. She'll slice up some pieces (one each per pax for the group), then shares which item goes with the meat (for example, a slice of marinated onion) and eat it. And she'll ask that you eat combi to ensure that you are enjoying the meat as it was meant to be. Hahaa, it was slightly stressful as her pace was pretty fast but glad she spent time to share with diners on how to enjoy the boiled pork.
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| sauce |
The boiled meat itself was tender and tasted good even if it was just with a touch of salt. Our second round of meat came after the first was completed. Normal pork tasted good too although there was a slight difference in texture with a less premium feel. The fats in the normal pork felt a tad chunkier. But I enjoyed it all the same. Can't say no to meat!
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| normal pork (300gm) |
The atmosphere in the restaurant is not unlike an izakaya, where guests enjoys small bites with their drinks, shares anecdotes with their friends and also shares some friendly banters with the staff. You'll see most tables enjoying their beer/soju/makgeolli. We had makgeolli because the carbonated rice wine with its slight sweetness, is the perfect foil for the boiled pork.
Overall, we spent ₩92,000 for the meal, which was roughly around SGD24 per pax (inclusive of makgeolli and some soda).
CheonJitGol 천짓골식당
Address: 294-10 Cheonji-dong, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do, South Korea
Contact: +82647630399
Business Hour:
Closed Sunday
Sat - Fri: 5pm to 10pm
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