By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
``Samgyeopsal'' or grilled pork loin is undeniably one of the favorite grilled dishes in Korea. ``Tteok'' or rice cakes are another favorite snack. But the idea of combining grilled pork loin with rice cakes does not exactly sound like a great meal. Or is it?
We checked out the restaurant chain Tteoksam Sidae (Fusion Pork House) to find out what it's like to bring together tteok and samgyeopsal in one meal
The restaurant chain has many branches, but we picked the one in Myeongdong, which attracts a good mix of tourists, shoppers and office workers during lunch and dinner.
The menu is fairly simple: ``tteok-sam'' (shorthand for rice cakes and pork loin) with kimchi (9,000 won for 180 g.), ``chadolbagi'' or beef brisket (18,000 won for 150 g.) and rib eye roll (29,000 won for 150 g.) If you can't choose, you can order the set that includes both samgyeopsal and chadolbagi (25,000 won).
We settled on ordering the restaurant's specialty, tteok-sam. Each table has a stone grill, where the slabs of fatty pork loin, a heap of kimchi, some onions, mushrooms and potatoes are placed. The grill is placed at an angle, so the melted fat slides off one side.
There are small bowls filled with different sauces ― teriyaki sauce, barbeque sauce, hot sauce and bean flour. The grilled pork can be dipped in any of these.
The rice cakes, it turns out, are thin pink and white wrappers that look like stickier versions of wonton wrappers. At first, they only give a few rice cake wrappers, but you can ask for more.
If you're not quite sure how to eat the rice cake with the grilled pork, just glance at the walls, which have a step-by-step guide.
First step, grab a rice cake wrapper. Then, get a piece of pork and dip it in one of the sauces, and place it on the rice cake. Add pieces of grilled kimchi and spring onions, depending on your taste. Final step, pop it in your mouth.
Overall, the combination of rice cakes and grilled pork is not as weird as it might sound, and somehow goes together in a tasty way. The grilled kimchi added a little kick to the whole combination.
There's also a basket of sesame leaves and lettuce, if you prefer a more conventional way of eating samgyeopsal.
To get to the restaurant in Myeongdong, get off Myeongdong Station Subway Line 4, Exit 5, turn right at the first street. Go straight and turn left at the first alley. The restaurant is located on your left.
Visit www.ttoksam.co.kr (Korean only) for other locations around Seoul.