Suwon Station Korean BBQ after two months abroad: Ssosam 208 platter

After a work trip abroad that was long in one sense and short in another — two months — the food I wanted most back in Korea was pork belly and a glass of soju.

Sure, I ate pork belly and drank soju in the US too, but somehow it just wasn't the same. I couldn't figure out what was different, but I missed the feeling of eating and drinking in Korea so much.

Where Ssosam 208 Suwon Station Branch is and what the 208°C stone grill is

Ssosam 208 Suwon Station Branch is a pork belly restaurant at 11 Deogyeongdae-ro 895beon-gil, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. They use a stone-plate grill similar to the one at Seogam Saltgrill.

I visited Ssosam 208, a Suwon Station pork belly spot, to satisfy my cravings — this was my second visit since last time.

Ssosam 208

They use a stone-plate style grill similar to Seogam Saltgrill.

Packed even on a weekday: why you should book Ssosam 208 on Naver

Ssosam 208 Suwon Station Branch has so many customers that there's barely a seat left even on weeknights. Naver reservations are available, so if you're planning a visit, it's better to book ahead.

I visited on a weekday and there were still tons of people.

If I hadn't made a reservation, I might not have gotten a seat. If you're planning to go, you can easily book through Naver, so make sure to reserve before you visit.

Side dishes and dipping sauces that come with the table

The basic table setting at Ssosam 208 Suwon Station Branch includes shredded scallions and myeongi namul (mountain garlic leaves), plus a variety of sauces — lamb skewer sauce, ssamjang, sesame oil salt, wasabi sauce, coarse salt, and even a soy-based meat sauce.

Let me start with the table setting.

Shredded scallions, myeongi namul, and various sauces.

Lamb skewer sauce, ssamjang, sesame oil salt, wasabi sauce, coarse salt. I liked how many sauce options there were.

And even a soy-based meat sauce.

Kimchi tossed in pork belly fat.

Ssosam 208 Suwon Station Branch menu and prices

You order via a tablet at the table. If you leave a receipt review, they give you fondue cheese as a free extra.

Menu ordering is done through the tablet. Worth noting: leaving a receipt review gets you fondue cheese for free.

• Mixed stone-grill platter (small) ₩35,500
• Mixed stone-grill platter (medium) ₩48,500
• Pork belly ₩15,000
• Pork neck ₩15,000
• Cheongyeopsal ₩18,000
• Pork cheek flower cut ₩14,000
• Chewy pork skin ₩8,000
• Daegu original makchang ₩16,000
• Volcano snow cheese kimchi fried rice ₩6,000
• Spicy lava stir-fried noodles ₩6,500
• Flying fish roe steamed egg ₩4,500
• Pork belly doenjang stew ₩3,000
• Ssosam 208 mul-naengmyeon ₩6,500
• Special cold soba ₩7,000
• Paldo bibimmyeon ₩4,000

I ordered the medium mixed stone-grill platter so I could try a variety.

On one side of the table there was a friendly guide on how to enjoy Ssosam 208 to the fullest.

The 48,500-won medium mixed platter, grilled for you on the stone plate

The medium mixed stone-grill platter at Ssosam 208 Suwon Station Branch is 48,500 won and comes with a combination of pork belly, pork neck, and cheongyeopsal (pork jowl). It also comes with free rice noodles — I'd never seen a pork belly restaurant give out rice noodles before.

The free rice noodles that came with the meal. First time I've seen a pork belly place give those out.

The Korean original I'd been missing... soju, sniff.

Usually I reach for beer first, but this time I poured soju straight into my empty stomach.

The medium mixed platter: pork belly, pork neck, and cheongyeopsal (pork jowl). If you love pork belly, I'd also recommend ordering three servings of pork belly alone.

A perfect two-shot (?)

The grilling is done entirely by the server, who puts everything on at once, so if you want to eat it slowly, cut piece by piece, you'll need to ask the server ahead of time.

The '208' in Ssosam 208 refers to the grill reaching temperatures of up to 208 degrees.

The server hard at work grilling.

That sound is always a good one to hear.

Because the grill gets so hot, the meat really does cook in an instant.

Meat sauce, salted anchovy dip and wasabi sauce: which one wins

The pork belly at Ssosam 208 Suwon Station Branch pairs well with the slightly sweet soy meat sauce, and the anchovy sauce isn't too fishy, so even beginners can enjoy it. The wasabi sauce was sweet and distinctive, but not really my style.

Starting with a piece of pork belly

One bite dipped in the sweet soy meat sauce — the balance of the savory pork fat and the sweet-sour sauce is great. I picked out one of the sliced cheongyang chili peppers here and there.

Note: you have to ask separately if you want ssam (lettuce wraps).

The chewy cheongyeopsal goes well with the crunchy shredded scallions.

It's also good with the well-simmered anchovy sauce. It's not the strongly fishy kind, so I think even beginners could enjoy it.

Let's wrap up a generous ssam and take a bite.

The wasabi sauce had a faint wasabi aroma with a sweet base. It was a distinctive flavor, but not really my style.

I think ssamjang and garlic together is the fundamental Korean combination.

I wrapped the tofu that came with the kimchi into a little samhap (three-way combo).

Kimchi grilled in pork belly fat has nothing to envy in my mom's homemade kimjang kimchi.

I never used to like cheongyang chili peppers, not even into my twenties, but I recently tried them again on a whim and fell in love.

There was a perilla leaf hiding in the lettuce.

I tried a bite of the rice noodles too. My girlfriend said they were delicious, but for me... just a fairly ordinary flavor.

Finishing with basalt snow cheese kimchi fried rice for 6,000 won

The volcano snow cheese kimchi fried rice at Ssosam 208 Suwon Station Branch is 6,000 won and comes topped with cheese and seaweed. With kimchi and meat fried into the rice and a blanket of cheese on top, this one dish alone could finish off a whole bottle of soju.

I was going to stop at pork belly, but something felt missing — turns out I hadn't had K-dessert yet, ha. So I ordered the volcano fried rice right away.

They top it with cheese and seaweed.

Rice fried with kimchi and meat... topped with a blanket of cheese.

This one plate could finish off a whole bottle of soju.

The flavor is exactly what any Korean could predict without explanation.

Scraping up the crispy bits from the fried rice — the unwritten rule. It's the concentrated flavor payoff.

Final verdict: is Ssosam 208 worth a return visit?

My first pork belly meal after coming back to Korea — such a happy time. If you're looking for a great pork belly spot near Suwon Station, run over to Ssosam 208.

This was a self-funded visit.