After-work pork BBQ in Baebang, Asan: roe butter rice at Arego Gogi

This post was written with a meal voucher provided by Arego Gogi Asan Baebang Branch.

Yesterday evening, right after work, my husband and I went for aged pork near Baebang Station!! The place is clean and comfortable, and you can eat pork belly, pork neck, galmaegisal, kkodeulsal and jjolgitsal all at once, so I was really happy and wanted to share. We added flying fish roe butter rice and loved it. The meat-packed kimchi stew comes free, so great value!!!

Where is Arego Gogi Asan Baebang Branch, and where can you park?

Arego Gogi Asan Baebang Branch is a 10-minute walk from Baebang Station, and if you drive, there's plenty of room at Public Parking Lot No. 3. By car it takes less than a minute~ (A bus stop is close by too, so public transport is easy.)

It's very easy to get to, and I found it quickly thanks to the white sign with stylish lettering that says Arego Gogi~! Atmospheric waiting seats sit out front, which adds a nice touch!!

Arego Gogi Asan Baebang Branch opening hours and closing day

Arego Gogi Asan Baebang Branch is currently open from 16:00 to 23:00! On Sundays only, it's 15:00 to 22:00, and Tuesday is the regular day off.

Is Arego Gogi good for group dinners or eating out with a baby?

Arego Gogi Asan Baebang Branch has plenty of seating that works for groups, plus baby chairs, so it suits company dinners and family meals. Inside, it was quite busy. I watched the empty tables fill up with groups before long, so I could feel how popular it is, haha.

There's a good variety of group seating~ so it's well suited to company dinners. If you need to book the space, give them a call. A banner reading "Hunger fixed by meat, fatigue by drinks" hangs above the tidy open kitchen too!!

They've put baby chairs on one side. Attention, parents bringing little ones!! You can eat comfortably, so that's awesome~

What the name Arego Gogi means, and its 48-hour aged pork

I heard that "Are" in Arego Gogi is a dialect word for "the day before yesterday," and it means the meat is wet-aged for at least 48 hours. How special, haha! I like that they put that much effort into deep, rich flavor. I think it comes from wanting to serve properly made meat down to the last bite!!

There are also tips for eating Baebang pork belly at its best, and I got so excited to hear it pairs well with minced garlic pickles, mustard pickled radish, curry powder, wild garlic leaf pickles (myeongi namul), Andes lake salt, salted cutlassfish guts and more~~~ Disposable aprons are set out too, so you can freely grab one.

What we ordered for two: Hangeun Special and roe butter rice

At Arego Gogi Asan Baebang Branch, we ordered the Hangeun Special (serves 2–3, 600g) and flying fish roe butter rice. It's charcoal grilling, so you can cook and eat quickly.

• Hangeun Special (serves 2–3, 600g)
• Flying fish roe butter rice

With a Naver receipt review you can get honeycomb pork skin or one can of a drink, so you should join in~

What to grab at the self-service corner

Arego Gogi Asan Baebang Branch has a self-service corner where you can take as much as you like. They don't bring wrap greens at first, so just fetch them yourself. Angelica leaves and king oyster mushrooms are there too!! I was also impressed that they left sesame oil out for anyone who wants an oil dip!

The meat finally arrived! Top-grade meat with the gamey smell removed and its natural savoriness and tenderness pushed to the max!!! It's a generous assortment of pork belly, pork neck, galmaegisal, kkodeulsal and jjolgitsal, haha.

Which side dishes and extras come with the BBQ?

Arego Gogi Asan Baebang Branch brings out a lavish spread of extras: pickled onion, minced garlic pickles, ssamjang (dipping paste), curry powder, premium salt, wasabi, whole-grain mustard, salted cutlassfish guts, mustard leaf kimchi, wild garlic leaf pickles and mustard pickled radish. Before grilling, we decided to work through the generous side dishes first!

Before the special cuts, I tried the pickled onion: crunchy and tangy! It comes with chives, so the aroma is nice too.

Next I tried the minced garlic pickles, and the garlic aroma is fantastic!!

I used the ssamjang for dipping garlic. It's perfect for wrapping in greens too!

The curry powder was great for dipping too, with a rich flavor~

You can use the premium salt too, and I'm happy you can add wasabi, whole-grain mustard and salted cutlassfish guts as well!

I also eagerly picked at the mustard leaf kimchi and wild garlic leaf pickles they provided as side dishes. The seasoning has soaked in nicely, so they're savory!

Mustard pickled radish goes well with aged meat too. I still remember its sharp, tingly kick.

For wrap greens we had lettuce and angelica leaves, and I fetched the king oyster mushrooms from the self-service bar too!

How good is the flying fish roe butter rice?

The flying fish roe butter rice at Arego Gogi Asan Baebang Branch is a side with plenty of roe and a generous pile of seaweed flakes, and when you mix it, the butter aroma is lovely. I ordered it out of curiosity, and my husband really loved this side dish!

He said he was hungry and dug in as much as he liked~~ The seaweed flakes really play the supporting role. Such a good thing to have ordered!

The free meat-packed kimchi stew

Arego Gogi Asan Baebang Branch serves kimchi stew for free, isn't that insane?! It's a meat-packed stew, so it's full of meat too, haha.

How we ate the Hangeun Special, cut by cut

The star of the day was the Hangeun Special, which comes out beautifully arranged with pork belly, pork neck, galmaegisal, kkodeulsal and jjolgitsal! Of all the cuts, we grilled the pork neck first. My husband grilled it with all his heart!!

Pork neck: a perfect match with wasabi

I cut the grilled pork neck with scissors and tried it, and the juices came alive the moment it hit my mouth~~ The grain of the meat is distinct and it gets nuttier the more you chew, so much flavor!! It felt less like a meal and more like being treated to a proper feast, haha.

I tried it with wasabi on top too, and it's a perfect match with pork neck!

I wrapped it in various greens too, and with raw garlic and mustard pickled radish on top, I'm in love~

Galmaegisal: dipped in curry powder, with wild garlic pickles and mustard leaf kimchi

Next we grilled the galmaegisal, which cooks faster than the pork neck~

Before the pork belly, galmaegisal is a must! Dipped in curry powder and eaten with wild garlic leaf pickles and mustard leaf kimchi, the flavor is rich.

It was fantastic even well-done. The nutty flavor as you chew goes nicely with the curry aroma!

It was great on its own too. I ate a lot and still didn't get sick of it~ I tried it with mustard pickled radish as well, and I was already so happy before even reaching the pork belly!!

Pork belly with pickled onion and mustard pickled radish

We grilled the pork belly! Look at that thick cut! The well-grilled pieces go with the sweet pickled onion. Topped with crunchy onion, it's a honey combo~

I wrapped it up neatly and tried it, and a big smile broke out. The mustard pickled radish was a stroke of genius!!

Kkodeulsal: crunchy, chewy fat

We grilled the kkodeulsal too. The look of it is unusual from the start, haha. As the name suggests, kkodeulsal is chewy and firm, and the fat crunches as you bite, so the texture is fun~

I wrapped it in wild garlic leaf pickles, full of that wild garlic scent, and my mouth didn't feel heavy at all!

I grilled the king oyster mushrooms until crisp too, and they were nice and chewy!

Smoke, smell and hygiene: is Arego Gogi worth a return visit?

Arego Gogi Asan Baebang Branch runs its ventilation system constantly, so we could eat comfortably without worrying about smoke or smell. It's also a place worth making a trip for if you want aged pork near Baebang Station!!

From the fridge to the aging room and the kitchen, hygiene is managed thoroughly, and it's an honest place run with the feeling of serving a meal to family!! I definitely plan to go back!