Cheonan Korean barbecue with pork jowl and kimchi stew: Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji

Newly opened Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch in Cheongdang-dong

Over the weekend, I visited the newly opened Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch in Cheongdang-dong, Cheonan, for some delicious meat. Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji is already famous for its kimchi stew at its Seongjeong-dong flagship, and I had visited both the flagship and another branch before—but this time, I came because the Cheongdang branch had just opened!

To give you the conclusion first: it delivers the flagship’s flavor beautifully, while the clean atmosphere, reservations, and convenient parking made the service even more satisfying ♥

You can spot the plaque saying it appeared on the show Saturday Is Good for Rice for pork belly and kimchi stew, haha. Since Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji has actually been featured on TV as a great spot for pork belly and kimchi stew, the kimchi stew here is essential,,

An outdoor-stall-like atmosphere with the windows open

The weather was so lovely on the day we visited that they had opened all the windows wide. Even though we were indoors, it had the feel of a yajaang—an open-air Korean drinking-and-dining stall—and I loved it, haha. On fine days like these, eating grilled meat in such an open setting is a treat in itself ♥

The interior was clean and the tables were reasonably spaced out, so I highly recommend it for a family meal or grilled meat with friends! Looking at the menu, there was a great range of meats along with well-chosen side dishes, making it easy to enjoy this and that alongside the meat, haha.

A reservation visit and the standard meal spread

Since we reserved in advance, our table and side dishes were already set up when we arrived, so we could start eating right away, haha.

Several basic side dishes come out, and you can easily refill anything you run short of at the self-service bar. In particular, having myeongnanjeot (salted pollock roe) at the self-service bar is one of the things I love about Motttung..𖤐 It is delicious lightly grilled on the griddle, or mixed into rice with sesame oil—honestly, that is insanely good too.

The included spread was quite substantial too. Corn cheese and a fried egg come with it, and they were so tasty that I kept picking at them before the meat even arrived, haha.

On top of that, a soybean paste stew loaded with tofu and zucchini comes as standard, so it would pair perfectly with a bowl of rice while eating the meat. From the banchan (Korean side dishes) to the stew, this Cheongdang-dong, Cheonan spot has a really well-rounded meal spread ♥

Pork jowl and Cheonsang pork neck, grilled by the staff

We ordered pork jowl for ₩19,000 and Cheonsang pork neck for ₩16,000! The meat looked amazing from the start, haha. The pork jowl in particular came in nice thick pieces, so it looked delicious before we even tasted it ♥

The staff grilled it themselves and cut it into easy-to-eat pieces, which is another advantage of Motttung, this Cheongdang-dong, Cheonan favorite—you can relax and eat without worrying about grilling the meat yourself ♥

They also made wraps for us, one piece per person, using mu-ssam (pickled radish wraps), kelp, and shredded scallions. The combination went far better than I expected, and I immediately thought, wow, this is good. The meat itself is delicious, but I think Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji’s charm is being able to eat it in so many different combinations, haha.

The meat was delicious on its own, but it was fun trying it in different ways. I lightly grilled the gim (roasted seaweed) that came as a side dish and wrapped the meat in it—seriously delicious. Haha. And the combination of baek-kimchi (white kimchi) with a scallion soy-sauce seasoning worked unbelievably well too.

With pork jowl’s distinctive chewy, nutty flavor and the different side dishes in rotation, I just kept reaching for more. Personally, pork jowl is the meat from Motttung that I most want to recommend, haha. If you love pork jowl, I really hope you order it at least once when you come here!

Order the kimchi stew together with the meat

And the kimchi stew was one of the biggest reasons I came to Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji Cheongdang Branch! It takes about 20 minutes after ordering, so I recommend ordering it at the same time as your meat. That way, it arrives just as you have eaten a good amount of the meat, making it perfect for finishing the meal, haha.

It costs ₩13,000, but the portion is seriously generous—a fantastic-value dish for two to three people, packed full of meat and well-fermented kimchi,,🫶🏻

The broth had that deeply simmered kimchi-stew flavor, and it was so good with rice after the meat. Haha. I could really see why this place is famous for kimchi stew. Personally, if you go to Motsaenggin Ttungdwaeji, I absolutely recommend pork jowl + kimchi stew. If you are looking for a grilled meat restaurant in Cheongdang-dong, Cheonan, I especially recommend it to anyone who loves pork jowl and kimchi stew!