The pork bulgogi set is available at Stubborn Bull, just at the price of 4,000 won near Chonggye Stream in downtown Seoul.
/ Korea Times Photo by Lee Hyo-won



By Min Hee-young
Korea Times Intern

Stubborn Bull has a line that extends out the door at lunchtime, but a whiff of the restaurant's spicy pork will increase the patience of those who wait.

Dutifully waiting outside allows a close look at the cook in action. One elderly woman in an apron and thick protective gloves, the heart of the operation, hovers over a wood fire amid the rising heat and smoke.

Large groups are usually split up because of limited seating, but coming with at least one companion is advised. A sign reads, "Due to restricted seating, we do not serve lone customers."

Also restricted at Stubborn Bull is the menu; the restaurant serves spicy pork and rice only (4,000 won) at lunchtime. The dinner menu is spicy pork (5,000 won), with the options of cow intestines (11,000 won) and rice (1,000 won). Additional rice, soup and side dishes are available at no extra cost during lunch.

Once seated, the food usually arrives quickly ― pork chops accompanied by rice, bean paste stew, kimchi, cubed radish and thinly sliced radish kimchi, seasoned seaweed, bean paste-flavored spinach, bean sprouts, peppers and garlic, and a pile of lettuce leaves quickly cover the small round table.

A simple bite of the tender meat explains why Stubborn Bull can inconvenience customers to wait. The pork cut in two-inch lengths is mildly spicy, sensationally succulent, and distinctively retains the smoky flavor of the grill.

One recommendation is making a sandwich with rice, pork, peppers and garlic, and bean paste wrapped in a lettuce leaf. The taste of the smoky pork cloaked in cool, crisp and crunchy lettuce is complemented by the zesty side dishes, and will make you start planning another trip to Stubborn Bull.

The meal, however, would have been better with steaming hot sticky rice rather than the drier kind served at the restaurant. For the bargain price and the mouth-watering pork, however, made it all well worth it.

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Stubborn Bull is near exit 4 of Jonggak subway station on line 4. Turn left at Boshingak Bell, walk straight and turn left again at Cheonggye Stream. The restaurant is located right next to "The Place."

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