Seoul Korean BBQ in Jayang-dong: charcoal beef rib finger, Ssamchae

These days, when you go out for Korean BBQ, good meat is a given, and if the value is great too, you end up going back more often, right? Ssamchae Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal (쌈채솥뚜껑삼겹살), the Jayang-dong BBQ place I visited this time, had really good meat quality, and I was so happy with the generous wrap greens and all the side dishes.

Ssamchae Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal hours and parking

Ssamchae Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal is open every day from 11:00 to 02:00, and there is no parking. They also say high oil price relief support funds can be used here.

• Daily 11:00-02:00
• No parking
• High oil price relief support funds accepted

Is Ssamchae Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal only for pork belly?

At this Jayang-dong BBQ restaurant you get pork on the iron lid (sotttukkeong, a cauldron-lid grill), and on the charcoal brazier you can eat things like beef rib finger, top blade and pork skirt meat. From the name I assumed it was a pork belly place, but the choice is wider than that.

At a lot of BBQ places these days the portions feel a bit small, but here one portion is 200g, so the amount is generous. Thinking about the price too, "great value" just came out of my mouth.

It's a newly opened place in Jayang-dong, so an opening event is running right now: every table gets a free spicy minari kalguksu (water dropwort noodle soup). Even the alcohol is cheap, so it's a really good BBQ spot in Jayang-dong.

Self-bar at Ssamchae Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal: wrap greens and side dishes

The first thing that caught my eye as soon as I walked in was the self-bar. They say the seasonal wrap greens come in from the auction every day, and maybe that's why the vegetables looked really fresh.

It's not just the usual lettuce and perilla leaves. There were also kale, celery and angelica leaves (danggwi), so mixing and matching with the meat was fun. As many wrap greens as a ssambap (wrap rice) restaurant!

The side dishes were really varied too. There were 12 kinds that go well with meat, so we could wrap them in all sorts of ways and grill them on the iron lid!

The dining room is split into two areas on either side of the central refill area for wrap greens and sides, so it felt less crowded.

It only just opened, but apparently celebrities have already been here, haha

Since we ordered the brazier set, we got the basic setting, without the sides you grill on the iron lid, like bean sprouts, bracken and kimchi.

There was a generous spread of sides that go well with meat: myeongi namul (pickled wild garlic-chive-like greens), plenty of pickles (jangajji), sauces, kimchi and more. With so many kinds, I never got tired of the meat, and mixing different combinations was fun too.

What meat comes in the Ssamchae half set?

The Ssamchae half set we ordered is mostly beef in a variety of cuts, and it came brazier-grill style! It was 1 portion of top blade, 2 portions of premium beef rib finger, and 1 portion of pork skin.

• 1 portion top blade
• 2 portions premium beef rib finger
• 1 portion pork skin

Even at a glance, the amount and quality of the meat are really good, aren't they??? A Jayang-dong BBQ place with totally overflowing value.

Charcoal-grilled top blade

I grilled the top blade first. It was thick, and there were vegetables for grilling like kabocha squash and eggplant, so I grilled it with a barbecue feel, haha. Thanks to the moderate marbling it was tender but still had a real meaty texture, and the charcoal aroma made the flavor really good.

I thought this was a Jayang-dong pork belly spot, but the beef quality is really good too.

Premium beef rib finger with salt and wasabi

Thick, juicy beef!!!! I totally got why it's called "premium beef rib finger" (hwangje, meaning emperor), hahaha. The pieces are big and really thick, with a savory richness of fat.

The beef rib finger here is fresh and tender, so it tasted best with just salt and wasabi.

Honestly one of the tastiest beef rib fingers I've had. Best for value too! Besides the meat itself, I was even happier that I could freely enjoy the fresh seasonal wrap greens and all the sides.

Seasoned pork skin in the set

The pork skin (kkopdegi) that came with the half set was better than expected too. It's seasoned already so it's full of savory depth with no smell at all, so I think even people who normally don't like pork skin would enjoy it.

How was the extra charcoal whole pork skirt meat?

I was already somewhat full, but I wanted to try the pork too, so I ordered extra whole pork skirt meat (galmaegisal)!

Skirt meat is a special cut, so I wondered how it would be, and the smell of it grilling was already great. One bite and I instantly understood why people call Ssamchae Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal a top BBQ spot in Jayang-dong...!!

It was chewy and juicy, getting more savory the more I chewed, and the charcoal aroma was properly soaked in, so I enjoyed it all the way to the end.

Above all, whichever cut you order here, you can feel that the meat quality is really good. Maybe because the meat is fresh, there was no gamey smell at all, and it was so juicy that I was satisfied the whole meal.

Opening gift: minari kalguksu

Finally, the opening-event gift came out: minari kalguksu! I expected it to arrive like a side dish, but a full main-menu bowl came out as is. The portion was huge.... wow.

The minari aroma was subtle and the noodles were chewy, so the quality was far too good for something free.

Maybe because this place serves fresh wrap greens, the minari was generous too, which made it richer and tastier.

Who is Ssamchae Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal good for?

Every meat dish I tried at Ssamchae Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal was delicious, so next time I definitely want to try the iron-lid dishes too. If you want good meat quality and great value in a hearty meal, I really recommend this Jayang-dong BBQ restaurant. I think it would also work well for get-togethers with friends or a family meal out!