I do love Korean BBQ and I do love Korean cold noodles, or naengmyun.  Mapobonga serves some of the best of this side by side.  It’s a pretty unassuming joint with no frills and maybe no more than 10-15 tables.  We sat on the ground yet again, which can be uncomfortable even for me after 15 minutes, and I’m short!  I can’t even imagine how Area Codes manages at over 6 feet tall.  He brought The Annoyer and me here for our first dinner of the night.  Yes, that’s right, first dinner.

Banchan

Marinated Pork
I forgot which cuts of pork were served, likely rib and neck.  They were artfully marinated and even tastier than the bulgogi we had at lunch.

The pork caramelized beautifully on the grill.  

Naengmyun
With the hot humid weather, the cool icy naengmyun was a welcome treat.  The chilly soup was a wonderful balance of sweet and sour. 

Area Codes and The Annoyer insisted that this was the way to enjoy the naengmyun and pork.  A spoonful of chewy noodles with a piece of perfectly grilled pork.  I preferred to enjoy the two dishes in separate bites.  However, it was delicious both ways.

Maponga was one of my favorite restaurants in Busan.  The smokey charred sweet and salty pork made for a wonderful contrast against the tangy cold noodles.  Even though this was supposed to be just dinner #1, I was happily satisfied and could have called it a night.  It was a nice feeling not to feel stuffed like I did at almost every other meal since the vacation started.  I will surely be back here if I ever visit Busan again.

10 – You NEED to eat here*
9 – Awesome
8 – Very good
7 – Good
6 – OK
5 – Average
4 – Not bad
3 – Not good
2 – Terrible
1 – Do NOT eat here

*Not likely friendly to tourists.  Not exactly sure how much English is spoken and there is no English or picture menu.