KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 27 — In the realm of drinking foods, Korean anju has possibly the best PR campaign right now.
There isn’t a single Korean action thriller, medical drama, rom-com or supernatural flick that doesn’t feature a scene with eating and alcohol involved, whether it’s chimaek (fried chicken and beer) or barbeque with soju.
A lesser-known example of anju is jokbal, pig’s trotters braised in soy sauce and spices.
Often served in large portions to be shared, it’s typically eaten as a ssam — wrapped in lettuce with sauce and vegetables — much like the more popular bossam (thinly sliced boiled pork belly or shoulder).
One of the many Korean restaurants in Desa Sri Hartamas, Wang Jok specialises in jokbal and bossam.
Though the restaurant opened in 2015, the rise of Korean barbeque and fried chicken in the Klang Valley has since overshadowed these dishes.
Inside, Wang Jok avoids the stereotypes lesser spots lean on to seem “authentic”, playing soft instrumental covers of slow pop ballads instead of blasting K-pop at obscene volumes.
A TV on the wall plays a Korean news broadcast on mute, for those wanting to catch up on events back home.
The menu, in Korean, English, and Mandarin, is split between platters of meat and side dishes, featuring more anju like pajeon and mak-guksu (cold buckwheat noodles).
Soju is typically the drink of choice in places like these, but makgeolli (RM29) is a sweeter low-proof alternative. The milky, lightly sparkling rice wine is traditionally paired with pajeon, a type of scallion pancake, and is fast becoming popular in Korean restaurants and marts here.
After a bowl or two — the traditional way to drink makgeolli — our platter of pork knuckle and pork belly with vegetables (RM105) arrived.
The generous spread of sliced pork belly and trotter, fanned out on the plate, could easily feed three or four people.
My dining companion and I were left nearly comatose by the end of the meal, partly because we added a kimchi pancake (RM25) to go with our drinks.
Soft, gelatinous, and pleasantly chewy, the collagen-rich skin and fat of the belly and trotters would’ve been too indulgent on its own, but became a perfectly balanced bite when wrapped in the cold, crisp embrace of fresh lettuce.
Pickled cabbage, scallions, and carrots added crunch and much-needed sharpness, rounded out by the savoury and slightly spicy punch of a healthy smear of ssamjang, a fermented soybean paste-based dipping sauce.
You end up eating more meat than you normally might, but between the fresh lettuce and pickled elements, you don’t feel the greasy meat sweats creeping in.
This is drinking food, but it’s drinking food that allows one to avoid a long night of soju and an even longer morning after.
Washed down with makgeolli, we rolled out of the restaurant as early as half past nine, ready to nurse the oncoming food coma but spared the heady haze of soju-fuelled regret.
Wang Jok Korean Restaurant
19, Jalan 23/70a, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Open daily, 12-10pm.
Tel: 03-6211 0906
Facebook: @jangwoo68
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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