Bossam

WITH only three weeks left in Korea, it’s time to start ticking off some of those dishes I’ve been meaning to try but never have.

On that list was bossam – steamed pork.
So tonight we hopped on our bikes and hot-tailed it to Grandma’s Bossam, a very busy little joint it turns out, opposite our favourite galbi eatery.

It was a lovely evening to wind through the streets of The Gu. Lines of paper flags were strung up on fishing line above the streets, flapping away in the breeze. And the more we rode around, the more I realised again just how many little haunts there are in The Gu and how dense it is with bars and eateries.

Once sitting on bamboo floor mats, we ordered traditional bossam.
First out was a generous bowl of cloudy soya bean soup, with soft pieces of onion and cabbage, and a little plate of boiled quail eggs and coarse salt.

They looked so spritely sitting there in their spotty shells, and what a nice little size to stave off the hunger pangs.

Next, a platter with a firm mound of kimchi and coleslaw, and a separate steamer of warm pork slices.
After a quick glance around to see what everyone else was doing, it seemed the go was to make bite-sized parcels of kimchi, coleslaw and pork.

The coleslaw was sweet. The kimchi was different to anything we'd tasted - it was a hefty amount layered with pickling sauce and bits of other vegetables, but it wasn't spicy or sour - two kimchi trademarks.

It was almost sweet, and as Wes described, a bit medicinal. The pork was moist with a subtle flavour, and certainly worked well with the kimchi, but really not a mix I'd be in a hurry to try again.

Our parting thought as we trundled home: one dish we'll be happy to leave to the Koreans.