Sam Il Bulgogi House

Bulgogi is big in Korea. In fact, it is the national dish. Thankfully, it is also quite tasty and if you haven't already done so, try it. Sam Il Bulgogi is a good and popular place to go. It is an easy place to find in the Sinjang Dong market outside of the main gate and most people know where it is if you ask.

When entering the restaurant, remove your shoes and step up on to the floor of the restaurant without placing your feet on the "dirty" entry-way floor. Remember to wear socks!

You can sit at either at traditional floor level Korean dining tables or you can sit at Western style table and chairs. They do not have high chairs, but will allow you to bring a stoller in to the room for the little ones. Or, you can bring a portable booster seat and sit it on the floor or in the chair at the table.

The restaurant doesn't exactly accomodate children in the American sense of the word, but they love kids and appreciate them being there. Kids enjoy sitting at the table on the floor and watching their food cook at their table. Overall, bulgogi is a pretty kid friendly food because they can eat only the parts of the meal that they want.

The best things to do is order one or two orders of your preferred bulgogi (beef is traditional, but chicken is also very common.) You can pick spicy or "sweet". That should feed 2-4 of you comfortably. Once you've ordered sit back and relax. Enjoy a drink and watch some silly Korean TV. It is an informal place.

The wait staff will start your table BBQ and start cooking the meat which is marinated according to your order. He/She will also bring a myriad of small bowls containing condiments, such as kimchi (pickles vegetables, such as cabbage), rice, and lettuce leaves. The most important part of the meal is the kimchi, so don't put it aside. It would be considered rude. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to find at least one of the types you will like if you need help knowing what you are eating, just ask. They are very helpful.

When the meat is cooking/cooked, the wait staff will cut the meat in to (large) bite sized pieces with scissors and now it's time to eat! The traditional way of eating bulgogi is to take a leaf of lettuce, place some rice, kimchi, and meat in the leaf. Wrap the meat tightly around the contents and place the ENTIRE thing in your mouth, so don't make it too big. You can ask for more of your favorite condiments. I particularly like the Korean pancakes. Yummy!

When you are done, you will pay for your bill in the entry way. You can tip. While tipping is not customary in Korea, may of the places outside the main gate understand that this is the way Americans show appreciation for their meal.

Helen, Guest Blogger