▲ Photos by Darryl Coote, Hon-Greem Ghang

Aligned with Jeju’s campaign to allure more foreigners to the island, the Seogwipo KAL Hotel has revamped their menu for a more Western palate by adding a samgyeopsal (strips of pork belly) steak to their carte du jour. During my recent stay at the Seogwipo KAL I was invited back into the kitchen to watch Sous Chef Lee Gwon Hui put into practice a recipe that took over a month to perfect.


1. Sous Chef Lee Gwon Hui explains that the samgyeopsal meat is a Jeju staple and that before it is placed on the grill it is marinated for two days in bulgogi sauce.

2. Lee detailed the ingredients of the bulgogi sauce which consist of 1 cup soy sauce, 1 cup corn syrup, ½ cup of white sugar, 2 cups of Jeju mineral water, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tbs chilly pepper, 2 tbs season oil, 3 pieces of clover, and 1 bay leaf.

3. Once the pork has finished marinating, the grill is wiped with salad oil to add a tangy taste. The pork is grilled both sides for 5 minutes each before being broiled for an additional 8 minutes.

4. Next came the vegetables, which were marinated for 4 hours in a olive oil rosemary sauce and grilled for 5 minutes.

5. The complex dish takes very little time to cook if prepared in advance, and to wonderful results.

6. The steak is a marriage between Western expectations of food and Jeju traditional cuisine. Though somewhat chewy and sweeter than expected, the dish was surprisingly tasteful. The dipping sauces of soy fruit sauce and doenjang are supposed to be used in unison to add an extra element to the meat. The vegetables were perfect, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. All together an interesting dish that is sure to intrigue and please many.