논현동 해몽 (Nonhyun-dong Hye Mong)

Just when you think you know all the good places to eat, something new always comes up.  This restaurant isn't new at all but I don't think a lot of people know about the place unless you live in the Nonhyun area.  We dined at a restaurant called 해몽 (Hye Mong) which is famous for their 목살 (Pork Shoulder) and 등갈비 (Pork Ribs).  It's located in a small alley across from the Seoul Customs Building and you'll drive right by it if you are not paying attention.

They take reservations until 6:30pm.  We took care of some errands and arrived around 7pm on a Saturday and luckily there was one table available.  As you can tell from the picture, they didn't invest too much money on the interior.  But nothing like a hole in the wall Korean BBQ joint.  You can see a lot of the celebrity signatures on the wall back there.

I get so excited when it's time to eat.

Here come the sides.  Kimchee.

String Green Onion and Romaine in a spicy vinegar sauce.

Garlic Chives in Sweet Soy Sauce.

오뎅탕 (Fish Cake Soup).  

A little deviation from your typical Fermented Soybean Soup served at every Korean BBQ restaurant.

They use briquet charcoal which produces a really high temperature.  Not a very healthy source of heat but Koreans use if often for Korean BBQ.

Grease up the grill with some pork fat.

You have to order two servings of the Pork Ribs so we ordered that and one serving of Pork Shoulder.

There were three guys cooking the meat for all the customers and we luckily had the owner cook ours.  They don't like the customers cooking the meat and prefer to cook it for you.  I like their concept because there are a lot of people who overcook the meat and then they blame the meat for being dry or tough. 

You can tell he's got it down to a science.  Cuts it up real quick, goes to another table to take care of their meat, then comes back for a quick turn.

Perfect.

Try eating it with each side.

도시락.  This combination of rice, dried seaweed, fried kimchee, and egg come in a closed metal lunch box that is shaken really fast and it combines all the ingredients for you when you open the lid.

등갈비 (Pork Ribs)

The ribs take about 30 minutes to reach your table and you can't make additional orders after your initial one so make sure you order enough for your party. 

Put on the Michael Jackson gloves.

It's already 80% cooked when it reaches your table so all you gotta do is give it a little crust.

Love a woman who can chow down.

She follows my lead.

Probably should have called it quits but I had some soju left over so ordered a ramen to finish it off.

Nothing special - regular Shin Ramen.

 

The price is pretty high compared to other Korean BBQ restaurants at 14,000 won for a serving of Pork Shoulder and 15,000 won for an order of Pork Ribs which you have to order at least two of.  I asked for garlic and jalapenos but they didn't have those either.  But the restaurant is focused on providing quality meat and it doesn't end there as the staff cooks the meat for you so you can have the best dining experience.  Worth going back whenever I have a craving for some good, juicy ribs.


논현동 해몽 (Nonhyun-dong Hye Mong)
강남구 논현동 107-11 (Gangnam-gu, Nonhyun-dong 107-11)
02-515-6080