Jeongwang Station Korean BBQ where staff grill your pork: Hamdon

You know you need to eat plenty of meat to stay healthy, right? I really love meat. (Of course I love vegetables too!) But it's rare for a BBQ place to grill it for you, isn't it? So when I heard that at Hamdon in Jeongwang-dong, top-level grillers do the grilling, I went straight over.

Where is Hamdon Jeongwang Main Branch, and what are the hours and parking?

Hamdon Jeongwang Main Branch (함돈 정왕본점) is at 31-1 Jungsimsangga 3-gil, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, on the 1st floor. It's open from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. with no break time. Last order is at 10:30 p.m.

For parking, use Parc Parking (파르크주차장) in the building right next to Hamdon. Just ask them to register your free parking~

Meat always tastes better when someone else grills it. Thanks to that, I could enjoy a relaxed, delicious meal. I was really satisfied, so let me introduce it to you.

Is Hamdon Jeongwang clean?

The first thing I noticed when I walked into Hamdon Jeongwang was how clean it is.

My rule is never to go to unfriendly or dirty places. By that standard, Hamdon Jeongwang passed from the very first impression.

What we ordered on the tablet

At Hamdon you can order easily from your seat on a tablet. We ordered one serving each of galmaegisal (skirt-like pork cut), pork belly and pork neck, plus doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) and a cider (Korean lemon-lime soda), so a bit of everything.

Hamdon's basic table setting and minari

The basic setting at Hamdon comes on a wooden tray with pickles (jangajji), scallion kimchi and fresh vegetables. It was set up after a short wait after ordering, and every side dish looked neat and tasty. It's a lineup that goes well with meat, and it felt really generous.

Hamdon is especially known for pork belly wrapped with minari (water dropwort). A heap of fresh minari came out and it smelled fragrant just from looking at it. It's the perfect partner to cut through the richness of the meat. There was even a friendly guide on how to eat it for the best taste.

Does Hamdon really grill the meat for you?

Yes, at Hamdon the grill staff cook over 80% of the meat for you. Our meat finally arrived, and the bright pink color alone said fresh. I was already excited to try pork belly, pork neck and galmaegisal, all different cuts.

The moment the meat hit the hot grill, that sizzle was music to my ears. We were hungry, so we asked them to put everything on. You can just ask them to put on the meat however you like~ Having a top-level grill staffer cook over 80% of the meat is Hamdon's own strength! They know the best timing, so we could trust them completely.

An expert's touch really is different. Flipping the meat with flashy tong work over the smoky grill looked so cool. We just sat comfortably, chatted and waited, and I can't tell you how nice that is.

Before I knew it, the meat was golden brown and cut into bite-size pieces. You could see with your own eyes how full of juice it was.

The galmaegisal cooked fastest, so they put it on the stone plate like this. They even moved it to the edge so it wouldn't burn, which was a perfectly thoughtful touch. Now it's time to really dig in.

How much meat is in Hamdon's doenjang jjigae?

Hamdon's doenjang jjigae has far more meat than tofu or vegetables, and even whole bone-in meat. The stew came out just as the meat was finishing, and it looked so appetizing bubbling away. One spoonful of the broth was savory and deep, just excellent.

What surprised me most was the amount of meat in the stew. There was far more meat than tofu or vegetables.

There was even a whole bone-in piece, so I grabbed it and gnawed away happily. This isn't a stew, it's a full-on dish.

How to eat Hamdon's minari wraps

Minari wraps, Hamdon's highlight, are easy: fold the minari, then add a piece of meat and gochujang (red chili paste). Fold the minari by hand, top it with a nicely cooked piece of meat, and add a little spoonful of the gochujang served alongside, and you've got a nutty minari wrap. With that fragrant minari, the meat never gets greasy, not even a little.

Taste, service and cleanliness were all satisfying at Hamdon, the Jeongwang-dong pork BBQ spot. If you want to enjoy delicious meat grilled by an expert, without any effort, definitely give it a visit.