Jongno 3-ga Korean BBQ, angelica wraps & white kimchi: Simin Sikdang

It had been a really long time since I came to Jongno 3-ga Station after work with friends.. When we meet up I mostly head to Gangnam and Nonhyeon, but this time I thought I'd walk along Cheonggyecheon too.. so we came to the Jongno 3-ga side.

Where is Simin Sikdang Main Branch, and how do you book and park?

Simin Sikdang Main Branch (시민식당 본점) is a Korean BBQ restaurant a 5-minute walk from Jongno 3-ga Station, at 30 Donhwamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul. If you book on Naver first, you won't have to wait. There's no parking support, so you'll need a nearby paid lot.

As usual, we went to a pork belly place to drink soju with our samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly).

It's a place called Simin Sikdang, a 5-minute walk from Jongno 3-ga Station. If you book on Naver first there's no waiting, just so you know. There's no parking support, so please use a nearby paid lot.

There were lots of set menus, and a curious fried rice called wagyu gujeolpan cheese fried rice (served on a traditional nine-section platter).

Inside Simin Sikdang Main Branch: atmosphere and group seating

The inside of Simin Sikdang Main Branch has a typical pork belly restaurant feel, and the 2nd floor is for groups. They even have a clothes styler (air dresser) on hand, so it looked like a good company dinner spot near Jongno 3-ga Station.

First off, the interior is a typical pork belly joint.

Since it's near Tapgol Park by Jongno 3-ga Station, the crowd skews fairly older, but lots of middle-aged and older diners is proof of a truly good restaurant.

There were seats on the 2nd floor too,

and we were told the 2nd floor is a space for group guests.

What really shows the owner's good sense is that they keep a clothes styler on hand... If you have a company dinner around Jongno 3-ga Station, Simin Sikdang seems like a fine choice.

A Michelin three-star-level open kitchen. Somehow an open kitchen makes a restaurant feel more trustworthy.

What are the side dishes and wrap vegetables like at Simin Sikdang Main Branch?

Every table at Simin Sikdang Main Branch has a big grill plate plus a separate burner for the kimchi stew, and the side dishes and wrap vegetables are unlimited at the self-serve bar. My favorite part was that the wrap vegetables included angelica leaves (danggwi).

I had made a reservation, so everything was already set up. The first thing that caught my eye was the enormous grill plate.

Each table had a burner, set up so you can simmer the kimchi stew while you eat.

The side dishes were quite varied: onions and salad that you pour soy sauce over, lightly seasoned scallion salad, plus ssamjang (wrap sauce) and sliced garlic.

I thought this was dried radish strips at first, but when I tasted it, it seemed more like seasoned skate (ganjaemi). It's crunchy and fun to chew.

So many kinds of wrap vegetables. What I liked most was that they had angelica leaves.. haha

If you run low on side dishes while eating, you can grab more from the self-serve bar, and the wrap vegetables are unlimited too, so it's almost like a ssambap (wrap rice) restaurant..

Simin Sikdang Main Branch menu and prices

Simin Sikdang Main Branch serves pork belly sets, Seonjin Pork and wagyu à la carte cuts, and meals like stews and cold noodles. This day we ordered the half set for 2–3 people, which includes kimchi stew and fried rice.

• Couple Asamyuk set ₩65,000
• Simin Samgyeop half set ₩7,000
• Simin Samgyeop full set ₩125,000
• Seonjin Pork fresh pork neck ₩17,000
• Seonjin Pork hangjeongsal (pork jowl) ₩21,000
• Wagyu sirloin ₩31,000
• Wagyu kkotsal ₩36,000
• Wagyu tenderloin deotsal ₩27,000
• Premium kimchi stew ₩11,000
• Ttukbaegi bulgogi ₩12,000
• Jeyuk ssambap set ₩15,000
• Country doenjang stew ₩9,000
• Mul naengmyeon ₩12,000
• Bibim naengmyeon ₩12,000

We settled on the half set for 2–3 people that I'd seen on the sign out front. With kimchi stew and fried rice included, it was quite reasonable.

How do the kimchi stew and pork belly in the half set taste?

In the Simin Samgyeop half set, the kimchi stew comes out first, followed by Korean pork (hanbon) belly with bean sprouts, gat kimchi, kimchi and white kimchi. The wide grill heated up well so the meat cooked fast, and it was savory from the very first bite.

The kimchi stew came out before the meat. They told us to boil it hard before eating.

It was packed with ingredients, so I was really looking forward to the taste.

Then the pork belly came out. A flower stuck in it was another touch of the owner's good sense. The raw meat is Korean pork, so need I say more..

Vegetables to grill in the pork fat: bean sprouts, gat kimchi, kimchi and white kimchi. White kimchi was an unusual thing to get.

I ordered soju before the meat was cooked, and it came as ice soju;;

Straight from the ice soju into a somaek (soju and beer mix).

The grill is so wide that there's still room left even with all the meat on it. That sizzle never stops feeling good.

Maybe because the plate heats up so well, the meat cooked really fast. I suspect it's a cast-iron plate.

What a sight.. The Maillard crust really comes through.

The first bite. For the first bite, salt and sesame oil dip is the golden rule. Wow.. the pork belly is really savory. I'd guessed as much from the raw meat earlier, but still.. delicious.

White kimchi, angelica wraps and seasoned skate together

I tried the white kimchi I'd been curious about, and it had a different charm from regular kimchi. I made some wraps too..

The angelica was, as expected, amazing. That distinctive aroma is really good. If you've never tried angelica, I really recommend coming and trying it.

I also had a bite with what I think is seasoned skate. Owner, if you ever see this post.. please tell me the answer.

I also made a samhap (three-way combo) with the tofu from the kimchi stew.

How do you make the wagyu gujeolpan cheese fried rice?

At Simin Sikdang Main Branch, the wagyu gujeolpan cheese fried rice arrives on a nine-section platter around the time you're finishing the meat, and you stir-fry it yourself following the instructions on the table. Fry the wagyu first, then add vegetables, kimchi and bean sprouts, then cheese, and it wasn't as salty as I expected.

The fried rice came out when we were nearly done with the meat. Since this area gets a lot of foreign tourists, I think they serve it on a gujeolpan to let them experience Korean tradition.

There was a guide on the table for making the gujeolpan fried rice well, so I read it through carefully and started cooking.

• First stir-fry the wagyu thoroughly
• Toss in the vegetables, kimchi and bean sprouts
• Once it's well fried, add the cheese
• Then stir-fry it all again

What a sight, wow. I liked that the fried rice wasn't as salty as I expected. Fried in rich, umami-packed wagyu fat.. it's a flavor that would surprise foreign tourists.

Overall verdict on Simin Sikdang Main Branch near Jongno 3-ga Station

At Simin Sikdang Main Branch we enjoyed one continuous flow from kimchi stew to pork belly to wagyu fried rice. From stew to meat to fried rice, a really proper pork belly meal... a BBQ place where the owner's good sense stands out. Rather than a regular pork belly experience, it felt like being served a full course: that was Simin Sikdang Main Branch at Jongno 3-ga Station.