Fresh meat restaurant Ilmirak, whose name carries the meaning of enjoying the food that is served, rather than gulping it down to fill your empty stomach, was named as such out of the simple hope that they would become number one in their neighborhood. Owner Kwon Ji-hyo used to be a restaurant blogger who traveled around the country and visited over 1,500 restaurants. Three years ago, he opened up Ilmirak in Mok-dong. Now they’ve set up shop in Sangam as well. Their wish came true with Sangam Ilmirak becoming the restaurant with the number one sales in that town, even though it only opened last December. The rich flavor that comes from aging the meat for ten days makes it incredibly delicious, but the secret to people visiting again and again is in the side dishes that come with it. Every single side dish was intentionally made to go with the meat. Green onion kimchi made with ground, salted hairtail, pickled vegetables that have been ripened for over a month, aged kimchi rinsed in water, salted guts of hairtail and fresh wasabi… each and every one of these brings out a different flavor in every bite of meat you eat. Step out of the usual ssamjjang and salt with sesame oil, and try grilled pork belly with wasabi and rinsed, aged kimchi, washed down with a draft Heineken. It’ll be a taste you’ll never forget.
