Mapo Korean BBQ set with steamed egg: Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal

Staff-grilled kimchi pork belly near Hapjeong Station

Today, I finally went out for some proper pork after ages 🐷 One of the biggest things I look for when I go eat meat is who grills it and how, and it was so nice and easy here because the staff grill the meat themselves.

We ordered the ₩55,000 set for 2–3 people, and since we could eat all sorts of things alongside the meat, it felt sooo!! substantial.

Two-story layout and side dishes

It has a unique layout that feels a little different from a typical Korean BBQ place, with two stories, which made the space itself fun. It did not feel overly huge for a meat restaurant, and the second floor is narrow across the width, so it felt private! But you can still see the first floor from upstairs, so rather than feeling closed in, it had a comfortable atmosphere for a meal. And as you can see in the photo, the side dishes were served very efficiently, which felt fresh :0

+ The restroom is on the first floor!

The side dishes included pickled mung bean sprouts, seasoned scallions, potatoes, and more... They were great for cutting through the richness of the meat. Especially the pickled soybean sprouts—they went so well with the meat and were the perfect match >0<! Put seasoned scallions on a piece of meat and have a shot of soju, and that is it. (I want to ask for the pickled soybean sprout recipe..)

By the way, wasabi and salt are provided!

Wasabi and pork. Need I say more.

Fresh pork belly and heaps of grilled kimchi

Look at how fresh that pork belly is. The restaurant description says it is selected female pork from Dodram Han Don.

• 🐷 Domestic pork → Han Don raised in Korea
• ✨ Systematic quality control → managed from raising through shipping and processing
• 🥩 Tender, clean-tasting meat → popular for grilling cuts such as pork belly and pork neck
• 💧 Freshness control → freshness is managed throughout distribution

No wonder. The meat was so tender.

They suddenly brought over a big container, so I was like, what is that? Then they pulled out a massive amount of kimchi!

Is this amount of kimchi for real? I am so excited. The name is Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal (이쪽 김치삼겹살), and seriously, if you love the pork belly-and-kimchi combo, you absolutely have to come here.

They cut up the kimchi~ they grill the meat~ they do absolutely everything from start to finish. You just get comfy and eat like crazy.

From volcano steamed egg to fried rice

Wow. A legend was born. Here come the volcano steamed egg and soybean paste stew, dun dun duuun. Next to them: that glorious pork belly and whole pork jowl, grilled insanely well by the staff.... Kimchi,,,, potatoes..... Even the side dishes were legendary little flavor bombs, so I can remember every taste... I am writing this blog post right now and my stomach will not stop growling.... Familiar delicious food is seriously dangerous........

After eating the kimchi and pork belly, I thought, haha. The fried rice here cannot possibly be bad. Inside, I kept shouting, “Owner, I love you.”

Can you see that beauty, haha? Legendary... It was just moist and delicious,,, I was basically in heaven. And maybe because the grill plate was so good, nothing stuck to the bottom, plus we got to eat thin, crispy nurungji (scorched rice) too—so happy..... It was sooo good~!!

After we finished, we arrived at the restroom on the first floor~ Gotta get that pork belly smell out, you know~ I did not see any hand cream, but I spritzed on the fabric deodorizer and got rid of the smell completely. It was the yellow Snuggle one—owner, you get me, haha. It is a scent I like. Just saying~..~

Fresh pork belly + perfect grilling from the staff + heaps of grilled kimchi + incredibly tasty, generous side dishes + fried rice to finish: personally, it was an incredibly satisfying meal right through to the end 🥩🔥