Seohae Korean restaurant: minari pancake and makgeolli at Sammi-jip

Sammi-jip at 5 p.m.

I was hunting for a good samgyeopsal (pork belly) place in Cheongna and ended up at Sammi-jip (삼미집), known for its kimchi pork belly cooked on a sotttukkeong (cauldron-lid griddle). I went at 5 p.m. and ordered 2 servings of kimchi pork belly, a minari (water dropwort) pancake and makgeolli (milky rice wine).

You get pork belly, well-fermented kimchi and fragrant minari all in one go, so it worked nicely as dinner and a light drinking session at the same time. After we finished, the combo of kimchi pork belly and crispy minari pancake was still on my mind.

Location and parking in the Cheongna 4-danji restaurant alley

Sammi-jip sits on Cheongna Canal-ro 233beon-gil in Seo-gu, Incheon. It's inside the Cheongna 4-danji restaurant alley, so it was easy to get to when looking for somewhere to eat nearby.

Outside, the signage highlights the cauldron-lid kimchi pork belly and Korean-made kimchi, so you can tell right away what the main draw is. There's space to park right in front of the restaurant, and valet is available too.

A bright, clean interior

Once inside, the space ran deeper than it looked from outside, with plenty of seating.

It's done mostly in bright white tones, so it felt cleaner than your typical cauldron-lid barbecue joint. There are tables for bigger groups and high chairs too, so it looked like a good pick for a family meal or a get-together.

You can browse the menu and order on the tablet at the table.

A dinner of kimchi pork belly and minari pancake

Today's order: 2 servings of kimchi pork belly, a minari pancake and makgeolli. Rather than just pork belly on its own, adding the fragrant minari pancake and makgeolli made the dinner table a lot more generous. Being able to alternate between meat and pancake kept things from getting monotonous.

Kimchi pork belly cooked in the kitchen

The kimchi pork belly isn't something you grill from scratch at the table — it comes out already cooked through in the kitchen and served on the cauldron lid.

Thick-cut pork belly, sliced into easy-to-eat pieces, with napa cabbage kimchi, bean sprouts, minari and shredded scallions piled alongside.

Once the meat arrives, you let the heat of the lid cook the kimchi and vegetables a little more and then dig straight in. Minari comes standard.

Since it needs cooking time, it's best to put in any extra orders early. The scallion salad sauce that comes as standard.

Thick pork belly that kept its juices

The pork belly was golden brown, savory on the outside and still juicy inside.

The ratio of lean to fat wasn't over the top either, and the meat's rich flavor came through more with every chew.

I started with a light dip in salt to taste it plain, then switched it up with grilled kimchi and minari on top.

Thick but not tough, so it was nice to take it slow, one piece at a time.

Kimchi and minari cooked in pork belly fat

As the pork fat pooled in the center of the lid, the napa kimchi and bean sprouts soaked up that savory flavor.

Once the kimchi was cooked through it picked up more umami, and eating it with a piece of pork belly cut the greasiness. Add minari and you get a fresh, herby note right behind the rich meat. Grabbing bean sprouts and shredded scallions along with the pork and grilled kimchi made the texture fuller than meat and kimchi alone.

Crispy minari pancake with makgeolli

The minari pancake was crisp around the edges, with plenty of minari fragrance and bite left in the middle. It's crispy and delicious — a must-order.

The batter isn't too thick, so the first thing you notice in a bite is that fresh minari aroma. Slipping a piece in between bites of kimchi pork belly felt lighter than eating meat nonstop.

With the makgeolli served cold, it rounded out into a dinner where you get to enjoy both pork belly and pancake.

Standard side dishes and the self-serve bar

The basic spread included dongchimi (radish water kimchi), shredded scallions, ssam (wrap) greens, garlic and ssamjang (dipping paste) — sides that go well with kimchi pork belly.

The cool dongchimi was great for a spoonful after the pork belly and minari pancake. The self-serve bar had napa kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts, pickled radish for wraps, pickled onions, garlic scapes, lettuce and perilla leaves, so you could grab whatever extra sides you wanted.

Sammi-jip info

• Address: 18 Cheongna Canal-ro 233beon-gil, 1F, Seo-gu, Incheon, South Korea (인천 서구 청라커낼로233번길 18 1층)
• Hours: Daily 10:30–22:30
• Last order: 21:30
• Parking: In front of the restaurant, free

Two dishes I kept thinking about afterward

What I really loved about Sammi-jip, this Cheongna pork belly spot, is that the meat comes out already cooked so it's easy to eat, and you get the kimchi and minari browned on the cauldron lid right alongside!! Eating the juicy kimchi pork belly, then adding the crispy minari pancake and makgeolli, meant switching between different textures and aromas. We could focus on the conversation and the food instead of grilling, and even after the meal that pairing was still on my mind. The minari pancake was seriously delicious too, and the staff were super friendly, so it made for a lovely dinner. ^^