336-hour aged pork belly and doenjang stew in Yangju: Mat Chandeul

While looking for somewhere to eat meat in Okjeong, Yangju, I visited Mat Chandeul Wang Sogeum Gui Yangju Branch, known for its aged pork belly. I'd been curious about this place since so many reviews mentioned that staff grill the meat for you and that the aging process makes the juices amazing. Let's get into the review!~

The atmosphere and seating

Walking in, I was pleasantly surprised at how spacious and pleasant the interior was. The big windows especially cut down on that stuffy feeling you often get at BBQ restaurants.

The tables were also on the wider side, which made it easy to spread out the meat and side dishes. And there were quite a lot of staff on hand — pressing the call button got someone over quickly, so ordering never felt like a hassle. The staff were also really kind!

Mat Chandeul's menu and side dishes

The side dishes included rinsed aged kimchi (for grilling), various pickles, spicy radish salad, grilling shrimp sauce, seasoned bean sprouts, lettuce wraps, wasabi, and pollack roe sauce!

Mat Chandeul sells more than just pork belly — pork shoulder, aged pork belly, pork jowl, skirt meat, and various other aged pork cuts. Mat Chandeul Wang Sogeum Gui Yangju Branch also has a lunch special from 11:30 to 17:00, where ordering 3 or more servings of meat gets you 2 free stone-pot rice bowls and doenjang stew (fermented soybean paste stew)!

The defining feature of Mat Chandeul Wang Sogeum Gui Yangju Branch is the aging process — over 336 hours — which makes the meat extra juicy. We ordered

• 2 servings of aged pork belly
• 1 serving of aged pork jowl
• Beef brisket doenjang stew
• 2 bowls of rice

That's what we went with.

The gram weight shows right on the receipt

One more great thing here! When you order meat, the exact gram weight is printed straight onto the receipt — such an honest way of doing business. Worth checking this when you look over the price at checkout.

Aged pork belly, grilled by staff at the table

One of Mat Chandeul's biggest strengths is that staff grill the meat for you! They keep an eye on how the meat is cooking and grill it neatly and deliciously.

I tried it first dipped in plain salt. Maybe because it's refrigerated and aged over 336 hours, the juiciness and umami were out of this world!

The staff also walked us through which side dishes go well with the meat, one by one. So instead of just eating the meat plain, we got to try all sorts of combinations. The fermented anchovy sauce (myeoljeot) was also delicious. I started out mixing up different combos, but by the middle of the meal, dipping straight into the myeoljeot was so good that I just kept doing that haha

On the topping combinations

I've always liked pairing meat with bean sprouts or pickled vegetables, so I tried that here too. I topped it with wasabi, tried it with pickled chili peppers, tried it with bean sprouts — the flavor kept changing depending on the combination.

There was also grilling shrimp sauce, which my boyfriend, a shrimp lover, absolutely loved. (It tasted a bit like shrimp crackers.) Wrapped up with the meat in a lettuce wrap, he said the grilled shrimp sauce added a salty umami kick that made it even better. For reference, my boyfriend's favorite dish of all time is shrimp stew — he's a true shrimp lover lol.

Potato slices grilled right on the pan

Another thing that stuck with me was the potato slices — not your typical BBQ side dish. They got grilled right alongside the meat on the pan, turning golden brown, and eating them together with the meat and pickles was amazing. They had a bit of a potato pancake vibe, and I kept reaching for more than I expected.

Make sure to order the beef brisket doenjang stew

No meat meal is complete without doenjang stew. We ordered the beef brisket doenjang stew along with rice (toppings can be chosen from beef brisket, shepherd's purse, or perilla leaf). This stew was genuinely delicious. It had a bit of a cheonggukjang (fermented bean paste) flavor to it, which made it even better. It's more of a jjaglee style with not much broth, but it wasn't salty at all — instead it was savory and clean-tasting. If you go to Mat Chandeul Wang Sogeum Gui Yangju Branch, you absolutely must order the doenjang stew. Non-negotiable.

Final thoughts

Overall, Mat Chandeul Wang Sogeum Gui Yangju Branch had impressively high-quality meat. The 336-hour aging process made a real difference in juiciness, and having staff grill it for us while showing us the best combinations made for a really comfortable meal. The restaurant is also spacious and pleasant, making it a solid choice for dates, family outings, or work dinners alike. If you're looking for an aged pork belly spot in Okjeong, Yangju, this one's worth a visit.