From your first steps inside 88 Pocha, it’s clear this place is different from typical Korean barbeque spots. The former CNB space transformed into a distinctive restaurant headed by chef Hyemi Im where, instead of smaller grill plates, each table has a large, deep custom-made pan in the middle designed for dak-galbi.

For the uninitiated, dak-galbi starts with chicken – which is marinated in gochujang, ginger and more – being brought to your table raw. It’s cooked before your eyes on a hot pan, and diners do their best to wait patiently as the chicken sizzles.

Side dishes include oysters, fried chicken, kimchi pancakes and cold noodles. For dessert, try street food favourite hotteok: a shallow-fried pancake filled with brown sugar and seeds, served with ice-cream and brown sugar syrup.

The restaurant takes its name from the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and a late-20th century influence is clear in everything from the restaurant’s signage to its lighting. Walls are lined with retro advertising posters and the speakers play ’90s K-pop bands like Fin.K.L and S.E.S.