Best eats in Korea: Just how you like it

What could be more delicious than meat cooked to perfection right in front of your eyes? 

Korean barbecue. That's what. 

Sure, the meat is really delicious. I mean seriously delicious. But Korean barbecue is about so much more than that.

Korean barbecue can make even the cheapest cuts of meat deliciously juicy and tender. In fact, we found the cheaper cuts were actually better. Does barbecued scotch fillet sound pretty good? Don't bother. Short rib is a third the price and, when it's served off the hot plate, it's twice as tasty. Usually thinner slices of meat are better, too. 

The key thing is that the plate is super hot, so everything cooks quickly - the fat renders perfectly but the meat is still tender. 

The cooking about to begin!

Korean barbecue comes with more sides than I could possibly describe here - and it amazed us that every restaurant gave us something a little bit different. The range of condiments always showcased a range of delicious vegetables, textures and flavours. And, if there was something we particularly liked, our bowls were refilled without us even having to ask.

So many yummy sides!

There were also big lettuce leaves that we could use to make lettuce wraps from the meat and sides. I never really got the hang of making them, to be honest, and usually ended up with pickle in my lap. And yet eating the lettuce by itself with chop sticks wasn't straightforward, either - so it was best to just embrace the hilarity (and the pickle, I suppose). 

But all the tasty aspects aside, the best thing about Korean barbecue is that it's communal. We got to cook the meat ourselves with some much-needed guidance from our hosts. And it was just how we like it. 

By the end of our trip, we were real pros. Well, we thought so. 

We certainly had heaps of fun trying!

Me enjoying the deliciousness.

Oh, silly me, did I mention it's also gluten free?

Well, usually. Always check with the language cards - these are a must - so that you can avoid sauces with gluten in them and meat marinated in soy sauce (e.g. bulgogi).  

Despite the language barrier, we had absolutely no problem finding Korean barbecue everywhere we went. 

And, hey, who doesn't love succulent pork belly for dinner every night?