I had bulgogi for the first time in a while because it seemed like prokogi was the recommended dish over samgyeopsal, and it was delicious! I found that adding perilla leaves made it tastier than having it with lettuce, so I recommend trying it that way. The restaurant was spacious and nice, but the attitude of the staff was a bit disappointing.

For the past 2-3 days, the cold weather has returned and I found myself craving something hot and spicy like a stew. I remembered there were some Korean restaurants in the middle of Daimyo, so I headed straight there. I found it! Looking at the menu, I saw they had a stew-like dish that looked perfect. I entered the restaurant and since it was still early, I was the first customer. The spacious interior made me feel like I had the place to myself (a few more people came in later, which was reassuring). There was a QR code on the table for ordering, indicating that this method has become quite popular. There were also menus on the table, so I carefully looked through the photos and descriptions before ordering on my phone. The staff recommended the "Pekpa (Hot Charcoal Bulgogi) Set Meal," but I decided to stick to my original plan. There were two types of stew available - the 7-Minute Pork Kimchi Stew for 880 yen (with rice) and the Semaul Miso Stew for 880 yen (with rice). The description of the former mentioned "thickly sliced pork simmered for the most delicious 7 minutes, cut with scissors, etc.," resembling Samgyeopsal, so I went with that. It's bound to be delicious. The stew that arrived was the hot and red one I was hoping for. Along with rice and namul, a container of chopped Korean seaweed was served, with instructions to sprinkle the seaweed over the rice and then pour the stew like curry. I love Korean seaweed, so I was pleasantly surprised and felt lucky! I sprinkled a generous amount of seaweed, poured the pork belly-filled kimchi stew over like curry (as instructed). The colors looked great and it was very appetizing. The spiciness wasn't too strong, but the hot pot warmed me up and the generous amount of rice left me feeling full. All this for 880 yen is a great deal. Other menu items are also reasonably priced, mostly under 1,000 yen. I'd like to try the Pekpa set meal next time. The restaurant may look dark and a bit intimidating from the outside, but I highly recommend it.

On a regular day off, I finished my errands in the Akasaka area and decided to look for a lunch spot in the Akasaka Daimyo area. After finding out that the restaurant I was aiming for was "sold out" or unexpectedly closed, I finally decided to try out "Semaul Shokudo Niku Tenjin Daimyo branch" which I had seen before. It seems to be a famous Korean restaurant with branches in Japan. The entrance had a photo of what seemed to be the founder, giving off a local vibe. Upon entering, K-pop music was playing in the slightly dimly lit restaurant filled with mostly female customers. There were hardly any men... which made me feel a bit uncomfortable. Nevertheless, I looked at the menu and decided to go with the recommended "Pekpa (Hot Charcoal Bulgogi) set" for 880 yen. You could choose between soy sauce flavor and gochujang flavor, and this time I chose soy sauce flavor. After about 10 minutes, the dish arrived. It was grilled meat coated in soy sauce sauce served on a hot plate. The set came with rice, lettuce, two side dishes, gochujang, and seaweed soup. It was quite a generous portion for the price. Wrapping the sweet soy sauce marinated grilled meat in lettuce and eating it was delicious, with a hint of charcoal flavor. The portion of lettuce was also plentiful, so there was no need to worry about running out. I used the slightly awkward metal chopsticks commonly found in Korean restaurants to finish the meal, and ended with the seaweed soup. The meal had a good portion size and a sense of authenticity, but the high ratio of female customers, which is common in Korean restaurants, was quite extreme in this place, making it a bit uncomfortable for a lone male diner. Thank you for the meal.

I visited a ramen restaurant that had just opened on a Sunday afternoon around 2 pm, but it was closed. According to the information, it was supposed to be open on Sundays! Oh well, there's no point in getting upset here. I decided to walk around and stumbled upon this place. I had been wanting to try it for a while, so it was like a dream come true. The original store is located in Gangnam, Seoul, and they have about 200 branches in Korea, making it a well-known restaurant among Koreans. Inside, there were only table seats, K-pop music playing on the TV, and a casual atmosphere. I was told to sit wherever I liked, so I chose a seat randomly. They had a lunch menu available until 3 pm, with one dish and two flavors. However, you could also order from the regular menu, which included stews and set meals. Since I was there within the lunch hours, I ordered the Bulgogi lunch set with spicy sauce. They served a pot of water for each table. The dishes were all served together on one tray. The grilled pork was served on a hot plate and already coated in the spicy sauce, making it delicious when eaten with rice. There was also plenty of fresh lettuce for wrapping, which made for a healthy meal. The set also came with two side dishes, spicy sauce, and seaweed soup. For the price of 880 yen, it was quite reasonable to enjoy charcoal-grilled pork. It was great that they were open on Sundays and offered lunch specials at the same price as weekdays.

This is a truly Korean flavor ^_^ A famous restaurant even among FC fans, with prices that are very reasonable and generous portion sizes for set meals. The Galbi-chim is incredibly delicious! During lunch, the place was full of women. This time, I ordered Kimchi Jjigae and Bulgogi set meal. It was satisfying in terms of taste and portion size^_^

I visited Yoritampurukogi for the second time and ordered samgyupsal, seafood and chive pancake, Semaul miso stew, Saba-ruchumokbap (Korean rice ball you make yourself), and Makgeolli. Yoritampurukogi is thinly sliced meat that you wrap with vegetables and eat. It's fun because you can dip it in various sauces and eat it however you like. The meat is grilled by the neat Korean staff. Samgyupsal is thick and delicious. Semaul miso stew came with rice, I think. You can eat it together or separately, and it had just the right amount of spiciness. Making your own Korean rice ball, Saba-ruchumokbap, by mixing it with gloves was enjoyable. It's Instagram-worthy and makes you feel like you're in Korea. I will definitely go back!