Sharing a collection of great Chinese restaurants for domestic travel.

I ate spicy braised short ribs at the original restaurant in the Dongin-dong Jjimgalbi Alley. The sauce, generously flavored with garlic and red chili powder, is spicy and addictive. It is a must to stir-fry rice in the leftover sauce. The visual presentation, served directly in a large metal bowl, is also interesting. Dongin-dong Jjimgalbi is known to have originated in this alley in the 1970s, and it is characterized by a red, spicy sauce that primarily uses garlic and red chili powder instead of soy sauce. Serving it in a metal bowl is a tradition that remains from that era. Since many restaurants allow you to adjust the level of spiciness, if it is your first time, start with a medium level. When stir-frying rice in the leftover sauce, adding dried seaweed flakes and sesame oil helps to tone down the spiciness, making it easier to eat.

I had the Tteokgalbi set meal at an old restaurant in the Tteokgalbi Alley in front of Gwangju Songjeong Station. The tteokgalbi, made by mincing a mixture of Hanwoo beef and pork, is full of charcoal aroma, and the accompanying bone broth is superb. It is the perfect meal course before catching the KTX.