The Korean language, Hangul, has really been adding some interesting words to it recently. A lot of this vocabulary describes sounds or feelings, and usually consists of two syllables that are the same. The name of a restaurant I had recently visited, Bogle Bogle, is one of those words.
Bogle Bogle comes from the sound a pot of soup or stew makes when it is boiling. Imagine the bubbles breaking the surface, almost violently, and you get the sound “Bogle Bogle”, which is very similar to the English “Bubble Bubble”.
The Bogle Bogle Pork Restaurant, located near Tongdosa Temple, is noted, obviously, for their pork.
Their menu has a wide range of pork dishes on it, including their namesake dish, stewed pork ribs (Galbi JJim), fried pork belly, and boiled pork.
While visiting the Tongdosa Temple, I decided to visit the restaurant. As I and my dining companion were very hungry, we decided to try two dishes. Of course we had to go for the signature dish, Bogle Bogle, and then we decided to try the Stewed Pork Ribs.
The staff at Bogle Bogle is a husband and wife team, and they were very nice and friendly. They quickly brought the Bogle Bogle, which would cook at our table, and a wide variety of side dishes.
It would take too long to describe all the side dishes, but there were a number of stand-outs for me including the cucumber kimchi, cabbage kimchi, potato salad, cooked spinach and more! In fact, they make their own kimchi and it is stored in the basement of the restaurant!
The Bogle Bogle dish consists of thinly sliced pork and had lots of cabbage and onions in it as well.
After some water was added to the dish, there was also some ramen noodles that were added to go with it. As I really love ramen, I was very excited by this!
A few anxious minutes quickly went by, and the soup was indeed bubbling away nicely!
Finally it was time to try this dish and I was very happy to tuck in.
The signature dish was excellent! The meat was plentiful and had a nice flavor. The onions and cabbage kimchi added some zing and spice to the dish, and the ramen meant that you had a wide variety of textures to enjoy.
It was even more tasty when I wrapped up some of the meat in a lettuce leaf, added some garlic and rice, and some samjang sauce to it.
While we were enjoying the Bogle Bogle, the owner arrived with our Stewed Pork Ribs, which were already cooked by them.
Arriving in a hot metal pot, and loaded with meat covered with a dark rich, red, spicy sauce, this dish caused me to almost drool all over the table.
While the Bogle Bogle was very good, this Galbi Jjim was even better. The pork ribs had been marinated in a wonderful bulgogi sauce, and this added a new dimension to the flavor as there was a sweetness and saltiness underneath the spicy sauce.
Another great thing about the Stewed Pork Ribs is that the was a LOT of meat on each bone, and not just a few tiny pieces. I learned later that the owner actually cut the ribs himself, which seems like a lot of work, but boy was the result worth it.
After a wonderful lunch that involved a lot of eating, we finally ended up with a clean pan!
Bogle Bogle provides a nice range of pork dishes and the flavors and service are outstanding. If you are ever near Tongdosa Temple, this restaurant would make a wonderful place for lunch or dinner.
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