Gunsan Korean BBQ with yeolmu noodles: Jongchagyeok

A Gunsan pork belly restaurant that feels like a train trip

I visited Jongchagyeok Gunsan Branch, a premium pork belly spot in Gunsan's D Ocean City. Jongchagyeok is built around the idea of taking a train ride on a meat-eating journey: the exterior resembles a train, while the inside evokes a train carriage, making it feel as though you are eating meat aboard a train.

Better still, they use domestic YDL three-way-cross premium Korean pork, so I got to enjoy tender meat bursting with juices.

Jongchagyeok's menu and train-carriage-like space

Here is Jongchagyeok's menu. They sell domestic YDL three-way-cross premium Korean pork by cut, including chunky salt-grilled pork, pork belly, pork jowl, beef rib meat, and pork skin. There are also plenty of sides: Haenam Station yeolmu kimchi noodle soup, Chuncheon Station bibim makguksu (spicy buckwheat noodles), Jongchagyeok cold jjolmyeon (chewy noodles), Italy Station cheese steamed egg, fried rice, ramen, and more.

The dining room is decorated to recall the inside of a train. With an atmosphere like looking at the scenery outside a train window, it really makes you feel as if you are traveling. The tables are very large and generously spaced, so it feels wonderfully comfortable. You can pick up extra vegetables, side dishes, and sauces at the self-service bar!

Marble pork belly and generous sides

We ordered two servings of Jongchagyeok marble pork belly, Italy Station cheese steamed egg, Haenam Station yeolmu kimchi noodle soup, and the Jongchagyeok lunchbox. If you join the Naver receipt-review event, they give you either the Jongchagyeok lunchbox or a drink for free, so I definitely recommend claiming it haha.

First, they bring out the banchan (Korean side dishes), with a great variety to eat alongside the meat. They even provide suggested winning combinations with these sides, and if you follow them, you will demolish the meat in no time.

They also give you complimentary kimchi bean-sprout soup. It is packed with crisp bean sprouts and kimchi, making for a wonderfully refreshing soup.

Myeongi namul (pickled wild garlic leaves), green-onion soy sauce, and green-onion kimchi.

There were so many accompaniments—rinsed aged kimchi, shiitake wasabi, spicy sauce, salted squid, pollack roe sesame-oil sauce, and wasabi—that eating the meat was so much fun.

This is two servings of marble pork belly. Because the meat is partially grilled first at the “pre-grilling station,” it takes around 10–15 minutes. If you want more, it would be good to order it ahead of time. Even the phrase “pre-grilling station” is cute, and the station-style setup suits the concept perfectly. The thick meat looked so appetizing.

The surprisingly huge single serving of yeolmu kimchi noodle soup

Then the Haenam yeolmu kimchi noodle soup arrived right away, and I was genuinely shocked. The portion is enormous. It is ₩6,900 for one serving, but I thought I had accidentally ordered two. This is one serving.

They add two whole eggs, chewy thin wheat noodles, and plenty of tangy yeolmu kimchi to a chilled, sweet-and-sour broth dotted with tiny ice crystals. It is a side dish you absolutely need with meat in summer.

One bite makes you feel chilled right to your bones.

The owner grills all the meat from beginning to end. I loved that all I had to do was relax and eat what was grilled for us.

Cheese steamed egg and beautifully browning meat

This is the Italy Station cheese steamed egg. The portion is truly enormous: a large ttukbaegi (earthenware pot) is filled with volcano-style steamed egg and piled with mozzarella, looking incredibly tempting. One bite and it simply melts in your mouth. It is mild enough for children too, so I recommend ordering it as a side.

The meat was turning a delicious golden brown, and the owner's grilling skills were clearly no ordinary thing.

The mushrooms were grilled golden and delicious too.

The Jongchagyeok lunchbox filled with kimchi fried rice

Last to arrive was the Jongchagyeok lunchbox. The truly old-school lunchbox was packed with kimchi fried rice, a fried egg, seaweed flakes, and lettuce, and it looked absolutely mouthwatering.

With its runny-yolk egg and sweet kimchi fried rice, this could not possibly be bad.

They finished grilling all the meat and placed it together for us. The thick pork belly looked so appetizing.

The meat and all the side dishes were now perfectly ready.

A winning pork belly combination with seaweed and salted seafood

Following the Jongchagyeok one-bite winning-combination guide, I wrapped meat and salted squid in gim (roasted seaweed). Wrapping meat in seaweed felt really unfamiliar, but wow—the nutty seaweed, juicy pork belly, and sweet-spicy salted squid were an insane combination.ㅠㅠ It was seriously so good.

This time, I put thick pork belly and pollack roe garlic sesame oil on seaweed and wrapped it up. The savory depth was insane. Pork juices burst out, while the salty, nutty umami of the pollack roe came together with the seaweed for a fantastic bite.

The wasabi shiitake was both salty and sweet, and it went beautifully with the juice-filled pork belly. Eat it with the winning combination of myeongi namul and wasabi, and the meat disappears in your mouth before you know whether you even ate it or it melted away.

Next, I tried the lunchbox with the meat, and this just melts gently in your mouth. The lunchbox itself was delicious, with kimchi fried rice, lettuce, seaweed flakes, and a runny-yolk egg giving it a nutty, sweet-spicy flavor; adding thick, juicy pork belly took it up another level.

Wrap the yeolmu kimchi noodle soup around the meat, and the tangy yeolmu kimchi and noodles meld with it into a flavor that lets you eat meat endlessly.

I ate the meat nonstop in all sorts of ways. Following the winning combinations, I had already finished all the meat before I knew it.

This is a winning combination I discovered: put salted squid and the pollack roe garlic sesame-oil sauce on the lunchbox, wrap it in seaweed, and it is so nutty and sweet-spicy that two people could be eating it and not notice if one disappeared. I really hope you try this combination at least once!

And finally, complimentary nostalgic jjondeugi (chewy Korean snack)! It had been so long since I had eaten chewy jjondeugi, and it brought back childhood memories—I loved it.

This restaurant accepts Gunsan Love Gift Certificates and Onnuri Gift Certificates. Its unique, fresh train-trip concept made it feel as though we were traveling while eating meat. On top of that, the YDL three-way-cross premium Korean pork had excellent texture and was overflowing with juices. The meat itself was so delicious, along with all the varied accompaniments and the affordable, tasty side dishes! It felt like an almost perfect Korean BBQ restaurant to find in Gunsan. Since they grill all the meat for you, I also thought it would be wonderful for families, company dinners, and group gatherings.