Expect to smell like grilled pork after a meal at BBQ Brothers. But it’s all for a good cause since meats at this Korean joint are cheap and plentiful. And because this is one of those charmingly down-and-dirty places, don’t expect much dishware; everything is meant to be eaten directly off the grill with a freestyle combination of condiments. Either dip bits and ends in salt-spiked sesame oil or smear them in ssamjang (fermented soybean and red chilli paste) and wrap in lettuce with a clove of grilled garlic.
An assorted pig platter comes in at $280 and includes spare ribs, pork neck and two fat-strewn slabs of samgyupsal belly (one of the thickest cuts we’ve seen in any Korean restaurant in town). It’s a generous cache of meat, best enjoyed between sips of beer and bites of kimchi. The restaurant also offers pork rinds ($78) – a popular soju accompaniment in South Korea. Served in large, flat sheets, these are grilled until firm and translucent then snipped into small bits that curl up in the heat. The skin develops a subtle butteriness and the traditional way is to dunk each piece in bean powder post-cooking; it’s a novel thing to try if you haven’t before – but we’d go for another round of small intestines ($98) instead, which are plumped up with umami fat.
We emphasise hog for the tabletop but, if cow is more your thing, shoot for the galbi ($138), which are tender, on-the-bone slices that carry plenty of soy-slicked, beefy flavour. You’ll also appreciate the seafood, especially oysters ($78/four), which can be eaten raw but taste best when tossed on the grill and cooked to a medium rare. This lets the briny juices ooze out and leaves behind a savoury, sea spray-like broth in the bottom of the shell.
Beyond barbecue, the restaurant does a mean kimchi pancake ($38) that’s warm, chewy and studded with bits of finely diced preserved cabbage. And then there’s the naengmyeon ($78) – buckwheat noodles served with julienned cucumbers and Korean pears. With mustard and vinegar mixed into the chilled broth, this may be the best pick-me-up to have after a massive meat fest. Carnivores, whatcha waiting for? Dorothy So
3 Granville Circuit, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2369 6880. Daily noon-1am. Dinner for two: around $550.