The restaurant is located in Euljiro area, central Seoul, serving galbi - beef ribs marinated in spices and grilled on charcoal. Having lunch at noon, journalist Ben Mckechnie saw in the kitchen the fire burning as the meat had just come down to the plate. The sizzling sound of marinade sauce and the aroma radiating made his stomach rumble. Ben has been to Seoul for 11 years and has never seen such a busy barbecue shop at noon. The shop is open from 12am to 9:30 pm every day, except for the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month.

Waiter in black apron went out and back into the kitchen to bring the grills to the table. They were tasked with cutting meat and ribs into smaller pieces at the guests' tables. The hardest part of enjoying this dish is the clean chop ribs.

Ben shared that, when he bit into the freshly grilled meat, the fire and smoke came up in his mouth and then the rich sweetness of the meat and the marinade. Each piece of galbi seems to be a little different, when it softens quickly, when you have to chew a little more. "Whether you eat galbi or ham, ribs with other vegetables, the taste is still great and the food is delicious," says Ben.

Today, Seoul has hundreds of steakhouses, but Joseonok is still widely believed to be the only place to make truly delicious Korean-style steaks. Open since 1937, this is one of the oldest restaurants still operating in the Korean capital. The walls are covered with newspaper and black-and-white photos of Joseonok as part of the 83-year-old restaurant's history.

While Korean barbecue restaurants often set kitchens in the middle of the table for guests to grill themselves, Joseonok still makes galbi the old way: A chef will cook for all customers. Therefore, the restaurant does not have fuming tables, the meat is evenly cooked (slightly outside but pinky and moist enough inside), keeping the sweetness.

Galbi diners can eat kimchi, lettuce, green peppers and chili sauce. Photo: Ben Mckechnie.

Chef Park Jung-gyu has been working here since 1960. He shared, “The recipe for the galbi marinade has not changed in 80 years. But not really because in recent decades, people are increasingly concerned about eating healthier, we have reduced sugar.

Mr. Park's marinated spices are simply soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and sugar. He often buys ribs and beef and brings it to the shop at 8:30 am to chop up. Beef is always fresh, not chilled. Ribs must be marinated for 2 or 3 days before baking. According to Mr. Park, the secret to a good galbi is that the ribs must be covered with marinade sauce when taken on the grill.

Kim Jin-young, the third generation of the family running Joseonok, said the first barbecue restaurant in Seoul dates back to the Joseon period (1392 - 1910), located in the area near royal palaces such as Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung. . It was so popular that the people in the palace also wanted to eat. Galbi and bulgogi (ribs and steaks) are derived from maekjeok - grilled skewers marinated in steaks nearly 2,000 years ago.

Galbi grilled beef ribs is originally from royal cuisine but Joseonok is one of the first restaurants in Korea to popularize this dish to everyone, making it a popular dish. When Japan occupied the Korean peninsula (1910 - 1945), meat became a luxury food and was only for the Japanese elite. Kim's grandmother opened Joseonok, which became a rare restaurant in Seoul owned by Koreans and served only Koreans.

According to Mr. Park, the restaurant was initially opened to sell drinks with food. In the 1940s, meat became a more popular item, and in Seoul galbi was gradually known. Since then, Kim's grandmother decided to switch to selling only grilled beef ribs. A few dozen years later, the menu is still simple, only galbi, some soup and naengmyeon (cold noodles) to eat when the meal is about to finish. Many diners of Joseonok said that eating galbi here reminds them of childhood food.

When eating in Joseonok, your table will have a shiny metal chopsticks bowl, fragrant grilled ribs, a few small bowls of kimchi of all kinds, ssamjang chili sauce for dipping and raw vegetables, green peppers served. Photo: Ben McKechnie.

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