RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK Good night, Sweet Oak
A platter of southern-style barbecue and side dishes is served at Sweet Oak in Wonju, Gangwon Province, June 20. Courtesy of Kevin Grabb
WONJU, Gangwon Province — I drove out to the city of Wonju, in Gangwon Province, after I received some distressing news. The famed barbecue restaurant Sweet Oak will be going on an indefinite hiatus, starting from June 28. My wife and I have been coming here on an annual pilgrimage for the last five years, and we knew we had to come out to send it off before it closed.
Gus Flores and Euna Kim pose in their restaurant, Sweet Oak, in Wonju, Gangwon Province, June 20. Courtesy of Kevin Grabb
Gus Flores and Euna Kim opened the restaurant in 2015, and this isn't the first time it's shut down for a while. The married couple ended up in Korea in part because of Flores' Korean heritage. He previously visited in 2008 and enrolled in a language course in Seoul, before returning to the U.S. in 2013 to learn how to barbecue. He then went to culinary school in London, where he met Kim. Eventually they returned to Korea together, ending up in Wonju due to family connections on his mother’s side and the desire for something “less cramped than Seoul.”
Less cramped might not fully apply to their restaurant, though, because just a short time after we were seated, Sweet Oak was 90 percent full — a good sign for any restaurant. Since their barbecue was often labeled “Kansas City style,” I probed Flores on what that means.
“That is actually really funny,” he laughed. “Years ago, someone had come to the restaurant and noticed a ‘Certified Barbecue Judge’ certificate on the wall from the Kansas City Barbecue Society. They decided to post a picture to Reddit.”
The restaurant has been branded as "Kansas-style barbecue" ever since. But is it?
“We don’t subscribe to any particular region," he clarified. "We borrow techniques and flavors from every tradition, but wood, fire and smoke bring all of it together.”
A sign for Sweet Oak in Wonju, Gangwon Province, Saturday / Courtesy of Kevin Grabb
Smoke being a big part of barbecue, the restaurant uses local oak from Gangwon Province, which explains its name.
Our platter arrived with mountains of meat on offer. Among them were burnt ends — a Kansas City specialty, they are the point ends of a brisket cut. I’d never had these before and they were spectacular — like a three-layer meat cake. First, you get the crisp exterior, then a bouncy layer of beef fat and then brisket for the finish. It’s extremely rich and fatty, something akin to a “condensed brisket” since it is served in bite-sized pieces.
We also had the lamb chops, which arrived perfectly cooked with slight grill marks and a chimichurri topping. Each bite was moist and juicy, and the meat was perfectly pink inside. Little bits of salt accentuated the flavor. It’s such a shame that lamb is so often viewed as a pungent, over-seasoned dish here in Korea, because when seasoned well it’s one of the best meats in the culinary world.
The platter also included chorizo. The casing almost keeps the juicy meat inside, but it’s a losing battle. The sausage looks spicy at first glance, but comes apart in the mouth in all its unctuous and fatty glory.
Also included was Sweet Oak's peri-peri chicken. The dish includes bird’s eye chilis, making it a pleasure to eat and so different from the chilis of Korea or North America, with a zesty brightness. There was a healthy dose of lemon in the dish, too, which added rather than subtracted. The chili, lemon and moist chicken were heavenly, and that's coming from someone who does not usually order chicken dishes at any restaurant.
The ribs featured a balance between smokiness and a sweet glaze that really shone through. Upon tucking in, my wife noted how tender they were. “One-year-olds could eat this.” It truly exemplified the idea of meat so soft it was falling off the bone. For the glaze, Flores uses his signature OG Sauce. When we picked up the squeeze bottle, it was still warm, indicating it had gone from preparation to table in mere moments. It was truly fresh and delicious, sour over sweet.
And finally, there was the grand finale brisket. Need I explain why I saved this for last? It was bouncy, chewy, soft and stretchy. It deserved every complimentary adjective for mouthfeel one can imagine. Spectacular.
Magpie beer is served at Sweet Oak in Wonju, Gangwon Province, Saturday. Courtesy of Kevin Grabb
“He is good at texturing,” my wife remarked, as we wiped our mouths. She was right.
All through dinner, I’d been eating things that felt good in my mouth as well as tasted good. Nothing was overcomplicated. Sweet Oak doesn't rely on half a dozen sauces to make anything palatable. The technique of Gangwon wood smoke, patience and an eye for quality ingredients really does sing here. This is why so many make the trip out to Wonju just to eat at Sweet Oak.
When asked about how loyal his customers are, Flores said, “It’s about trust. People know we’re going to try to be consistent, whether it’s a busy Saturday or a chill Wednesday.”
Sweet Oak is open 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. from Wednesday until Sunday, and then who knows? Visit @sweetoakbbq on Instagram for more information.
Kevin Grabb is a Canadian homebrewer and YouTuber. His channel Korea Brewing Adventure covers Korean alcohol from production to consumption.