Black pork belly dinner for two in Seomyeon, Busan: 189 Cheolsune

Why we chose 189 Cheolsune for pork belly in Seomyeon

I went out for dinner in Seomyeon a while back after not having been in a while. Seomyeon has so many good restaurants that it's always hard to pick one, but that day I really wanted proper samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly). Rather than just any pork belly, I wanted somewhere with good meat and good kimchi to go with it, and that's how I ended up at 189 Cheolsune Matgimchi Samgyeopsal.

Actually, I didn't discover this place from the name alone. I'd been to Rama & Bavana, a well-known Indian restaurant in Seomyeon, before and enjoyed it a lot, and it turns out 189 Cheolsune Matgimchi Samgyeopsal is Rama & Bavana's fourth brand. Maybe because I had good memories of Rama & Bavana, learning about this new brand felt kind of exciting. This time I wasn't there for Indian food but for proper pork — anyone who loves meat should find this place interesting.

Ordering 450g of matgimchi samgyeopsal: black pork and master-made kimchi

Seomyeon is a great meeting spot, so there are tons of restaurants there, and especially in the evening plenty of people look for a Korean BBQ place. When I meet friends or a partner in Seomyeon, we often end up choosing meat for dinner, and this time I chose 189 Cheolsune Matgimchi Samgyeopsal because you can try several cuts of pork here.

As the name suggests, the concept here is meat and kimchi together — and not just kimchi as a side, but kimchi with a real backstory, which caught my attention. They say they source kimchi directly from one of Korea's 10 master kimchi makers. As someone for whom kimchi matters just as much as the meat at a pork belly restaurant, I was pretty excited about this. One well-fermented piece of kimchi alongside grilled pork belly is enough to make you finish a whole bowl of rice, and when the kimchi itself is delicious, eating the meat becomes a whole different experience.

The Cheolsune Pork used at 189 Cheolsune Matgimchi Samgyeopsal is said to be top-grade black pork fed acorns and barley. Black pork usually brings to mind a chewier texture and nuttier flavor than regular pork, and being able to try different cuts was another highlight. People who love meat often prefer mixing pork shoulder or other cuts in rather than sticking to just samgyeopsal. I also like tasting a little bit of everything, so I'm already thinking about trying other menu items next time.

Since it was my first visit, I ordered the most basic option to get a good first taste: matgimchi samgyeopsal 450g. It was just the right amount for two people's dinner, and we decided to add some main dishes on top of that.

Pre-seared pork belly, grilled at the table by staff

After ordering, the meat came out already pre-seared. When you grill samgyeopsal from raw at the table, the wait while it cooks can feel pretty long, so having it pre-seared was a real convenience. And a staff member grilled it right at our table.

This kind of service is quietly so comfortable at a Korean BBQ restaurant. We didn't have to worry about when to flip it or when to cut it — the staff member grilled it to just the right point, so we could relax and chat while we waited. Samgyeopsal especially can suffer if you flip it too often or miss the timing, so having someone else handle it was great. Once it reached the perfect state, we just ate it right away — having someone grill for you really is easier.

I picked up a well-cooked piece and tried it — you could feel the juiciness, and the more I chewed, the better it tasted. It had that classic samgyeopsal savoriness, and it went great paired with the kimchi.

Side dishes from the self-serve bar

There were basic side dishes served with the meal, but whenever we ran low, we could just grab more from the self-serve bar. At Korean BBQ restaurants it can sometimes feel awkward calling a staff member over just for more side dishes, so having a self-serve bar meant we could take as much as we needed without any hassle.

Especially when eating meat, wraps and accompanying side dishes run out fast. Being able to grab more without worrying about it was quietly convenient. Restocking from the self-serve bar while the meat grilled kept the meal flowing without interruption.

How the seasoned kimchi and pork belly tasted together

Honestly, the kimchi was one of the biggest reasons I picked 189 Cheolsune Matgimchi Samgyeopsal that day. It's a little disappointing when the kimchi isn't good alongside meat. Samgyeopsal especially is a fatty dish, so you need tangy, well-fermented kimchi alongside it to keep your palate feeling clean. Since they source their kimchi directly as claimed, it lived up to expectations and paired really well with the meat.

Putting kimchi on top of a piece of pork belly was delicious, and lightly cooking the kimchi on the grill gave a different but equally good feeling. Personally, I enjoyed the meat far more with kimchi than on its own. The crunch of the kimchi and the tender, savory feel of the meat together kept me reaching for more. That's when it clicked why the name includes 'matgimchi samgyeopsal' (tasty kimchi pork belly)! Between bites of meat and bites of kimchi, the plate emptied faster than expected.

189 Cheolsune is Rama & Bavana's fourth brand

One thing I learned on this visit was that 189 Cheolsune Matgimchi Samgyeopsal is Rama & Bavana's fourth brand. Maybe because I had good memories of eating Indian food at Rama & Bavana before, this felt even more fun to me. It was surprising that one brand could put out such different restaurant concepts that normally look like they'd have nothing to do with each other. If you already know or have visited Rama & Bavana, this place might catch your curiosity too. I also found myself wanting to try other pork cuts here next time.

Deep, savory doenjang jjigae

One dish I personally really enjoyed was the doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew). Doenjang jjigae at a Korean BBQ restaurant just hits differently than the kind you make at home. After grilling meat on the pan, a spoonful of hot doenjang jjigae pairs so well, and here the stew was rich and savory, which worked great alongside the meat.

It went well with rice too, and taking a spoonful of the broth between bites of meat felt like a palate reset each time. I personally prefer doenjang jjigae with a strong, savory soybean paste flavor over something too bland, and this one suited my taste well. When you go out for meat and the side dish turns out to be delicious too, it just puts you in a good mood. Eating samgyeopsal, then doenjang jjigae with rice, felt like a proper full dinner.

When you're choosing dinner in Seomyeon, samgyeopsal is always a safe pick, but there are so many pork belly restaurants that it's hard to decide where to go. What stuck with me about 189 Cheolsune Matgimchi Samgyeopsal was the use of top-grade black pork fed acorns and barley, and kimchi sourced from one of Korea's 10 master kimchi makers. Most of all, the matgimchi samgyeopsal 450g we ordered came pre-seared and was then grilled tableside by staff, which made it easy to eat comfortably. That's a real plus for anyone who isn't great at grilling meat or who just wants to chat comfortably while eating.

Finishing the meal with mul-bibim-myeon

When eating samgyeopsal, a main dish can't really be skipped. Eating only meat left something missing, so we also ordered mul-bibim-myeon (cold spicy mixed noodles in broth). I like pairing naengmyeon or bibim-myeon-style noodles after eating meat, and after the savory, fatty taste of samgyeopsal, the noodle dish completely refreshed my palate.

Alternating a bite of meat with a bite of mul-bibim-myeon worked well too. Adding a noodle dish made the meal feel more complete, and it was nice to switch up flavors instead of eating meat the whole time. At a Korean BBQ restaurant you often have to choose between doenjang jjigae and a noodle dish as your side, but that day we ordered both.

Whenever we ran low on side dishes, we could just grab more from the self-serve bar, which made things easy. The pairing of samgyeopsal and kimchi was great, and with mul-bibim-myeon and rich, savory doenjang jjigae on top, it made for a satisfying full meal. Most of all, having enjoyed Rama & Bavana before, eating at this fourth branch of the same brand centered on black pork and kimchi felt like a fresh experience.

If you're craving samgyeopsal in Seomyeon and want kimchi that's just as delicious as the meat, not just an afterthought, this place is worth a visit. Next time I have a meat outing planned in Seomyeon, I'd like to try cuts other than samgyeopsal. Another good meal today^_^