Dining Snippets in Jeju (2019): Hello Kitty Café x Donsadon

Jeju wasn’t initially part of our travel plans but since we were flying to Seoul in time for the Cherry Blossom bloom in Jeju, we decided to make a two-day detour trip to the island to do some cherry blossom viewing.

We actually spent time strolling in the famed Jeonnong Ro, a street where the annual Jeju Cherry Blossom Festival is held; but realized we were a tad bit too early for the full bloom of the trees.

HELLO KITTY CAFE

Of course, there can’t be a Jeju stopover without trying the island's quintessential dish, the Black Pig. However, since the restaurant opens at 2pm; and we were already in town as early as 9am, we decided to head over to Hello Kitty Island first to the extreme delight of my mother.

Public transportation’s limited to buses, and the bus drivers aren’t the friendliest. The bus driver failed to heed our signal to alight so we missed the stop to Hello Kitty Island. Let’s just say that getting back to the entrance wasn’t the best experience I had so I was left with in a foul mood.

HOTDOG – KRW 4500

I’m far from a fan of Hello Kitty’s so I immediately proceeded to its café to kill time and to get some food in my system.

I opted for their Hotdog, and I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did. The hotdog was juicy and meaty, and came generously topped with crunchy and sweet fried onion flakes which were too good not to be enjoyed. It was definitely hard to keep my bitchy and grumpy exterior going on after a bite into that amazing hotdog.

DONSADON

After my family’s fair share of selfies with Hello Kitty, it was finally time for the highlight of the trip, a visit to the Seogwipo branch of Donsadon.

It was a bit tricky to identify the restaurant since their signage bore no English translation. I shakily entered the empty restaurant to ask if we were in the right place; and the waiter just replied with a stiff nod. Unfortunately, communication got a bit tricky since the servers could barely understand English or Mandarin. Nonetheless, we were fortunate that they were friendly and engaging enough to at least try to bridge the language barrier. They seemed to be too amused and slightly weirded out how four Filipino-Chinese women wound up in their branch.

Its menu simply consists of the Black Pig and a few side orders such as Kimchi Stew, Plain Rice, and a couple of drinks. One issue you would have to contend with is that they already have a fixed pricing based on the number of persons dining. A solo order is a fixed 100g and fetches a price of KRW9000. Two diners will be a fixed fee of KRW54,000; while three diners will be charged with a fixed KRW 72,000. It was a lot of meat, but I’m pleased to report that not one bit of that precious pig was wasted on us. You’ll be treated to a variety of cuts which the servers would patiently grill, slice, and plate for you.

One bite of the pig and you know why people go gaga for this. The black pig cubes can easily be mistaken as wagyu cubes as these amazingly melt in your mouth. The taste of the meat is immensely clean; and would have you second-guessing if you’re actually eating pork throughout the experience. Dip it into its anchovy sauce and it’s guaranteed to be one of the tastiest bites you’d ever have. The sole disappointment I had would be that its fat wasn’t really good when grilled and rendered; but I guess that extends my life for a couple of years.

KIMCHI STEW (KRW7000)

You do see a strand of black hair sticking out from the meat every now and then. Rest assured, this was done on purpose to certify that what you’re being served with is genuinely the Jeju Black Pig. Like most Korean restaurants, you can expect complimentary refills of their banchan (none really stood out); although, we did order cups of rice (KRW 1000 each) and their fiery but comforting Kimchi Stew (KRW 7000) to complement the meal.

Overall, it was easily one of the best meals I’ve had in my life and I’m just counting down the days until I can have another bite of this marvel. The downside to this would be that it will ruin your local Korean barbecue experiences moving forward!

Donsadon

1884-7, Jungmun-dong, Seogwipo-si, Jeju (board Bus 142 and alight at Jungmun Elementary School bus stop

Date of Visit: March 26, 2019 with Lily Chua, Elizabeth Chua, and Jem Chua