Namyangju Korean BBQ with tomato pork: 2002 Witch's Arpeggio

The address is 142 Sure-ro 661beon-gil, Wabu-eup, Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea (경기 남양주시 와부읍 수레로661번길 142). It is open ყოველდღিদিন from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with a break from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. and last orders at 8 p.m.

A place where the refreshing sound of the stream welcomes you! I made a special trip with my beautiful Shih Tzu crew to 2002 Witch's Arpeggio (2002 마녀의 아르페지오), a lovely restaurant in Namyangju. The fact that dogs are welcome and that you can enjoy the cool stream right below the restaurant was absolutely the best.

Many people remember this place and come looking for its gochujang (Korean red chili paste) pork belly, but once the meal is over, its real charm wins you over and you remember it as a great spot for tomato-marinated pork belly. Let me tell you all about my delicious visit with the Shih Tzu beauty team.

Can you enjoy the stream with your dog?

Located on Sure-ro in Wabu-eup, Namyangju, Arpeggio is not somewhere you just happen to stop by—it is a Namyangju Korean BBQ restaurant worth making time for, with the full outdoor-dining vibe. It is also great for a drive near Seoul, making it perfect for a weekend outing.

There is a stream directly below the restaurant, so it could not be better for taking a walk with my Shih Tzu beauty team, dipping our feet in, and unwinding. At a time like now, after the peak-season crowds have passed, you can enjoy the stream's freshness and the mountain breeze much more peacefully and leisurely.

48-hour jar-aged tomato-marinated pork belly

We settled onto the outdoor terrace and ordered from the kiosk. The signature dish is tomato-marinated pork belly, flavored not with gochujang but with a special sauce made from fresh tomatoes. Witch's jar-aged tomato-marinated pork belly is ₩20,000, while Witch's jar-aged cheese tomato-marinated pork belly is ₩25,000.

At first, you might think, “Tomato marinade?” because it sounds unfamiliar, but one bite of the pork belly, aged in a jar for 48 hours, and it is so good. Rather than an aggressive, heavy heat, it combines tomatoes' gentle savory depth with a deep, clean spiciness. You can adjust the spice level, too!!

Especially, every side dish served with the meat—from tomato kimchi to jeonbyeong (Korean pan-fried pancake)—was so delicious that my chopsticks never got a break.

When you come to a stream, you absolutely cannot leave out a cold makgeolli (Korean rice wine), right? Arpeggio's house-made blueberry makgeolli is ₩10,000 and makes a fantastic pairing with the sweet-and-spicy tomato-marinated pork belly.

Maybe because it is made through 48 hours of jar aging, the tomato aroma and spiciness had soaked deeply right into the meat.

When I visit again, I will order the crispy-outside, tender-inside potato pancake that I skipped this time, along with the basic pork belly!! The cheese was delicious too, but the piece of meat the staff grilled and served on my small plate was just so good.

Order the jar-aged cheese tomato-marinated pork belly and, along with the cheese, you get a spectacular torch-fire show that delights both the eyes and the mouth!

The savory cheese stretching through the spicy, rich tomato-marinated pork belly made it much gentler even for people who do not handle spicy food well, and the full, mouth-filling richness was truly a work of art. Cheese topping plus that torch-charred flavor was the best.

Finish with pollack roe scorched-rice cauldron fried rice

For a satisfying finish to an Arpeggio-style meal, you have to fill up on the pollack roe scorched-rice cauldron fried rice (₩5,000), generously loaded with salty little pops of pollack roe. The combination of crispy nurungji (scorched rice) and savory pollack roe makes it impossible to put down your spoon even when you are full.

As I ate deliciously with the Shih Tzu beauty team, listened to the stream, and relaxed, it felt as though the fatigue of everyday life simply melted away. On a day when you want to heal in nature with your dog, make unforgettable memories at Arpeggio, where a cool stream and the deep flavor of 48-hour aging await!