Old-school Korean BBQ in Ilsan: stone-grilled pork belly at Auseong

Back at an Ilsan pork belly spot after 10 years: Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu

Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu (아우성 개성손만두) is a dumpling and pork restaurant near the entrance of Western Dom, and I went because I wanted pork belly in Ilsan. It's actually not my first visit. I came once about 10 years ago, so going back felt oddly nice, haha. It has been in the same spot for a long time, so it feels like one of Ilsan's old-timers.

It's by the Western Dom entrance, so it wasn't hard to find. Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu sells both dumplings and meat, but I remembered coming for the pork belly years ago, so I came for pork belly again. Even though I went during the daytime, the place was quite full.

What's the atmosphere at Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu like?

The vibe is a homey, old-school pork belly joint rather than one of the clean, trendy BBQ places you see these days. That actually adds to the feeling of a restaurant that has been running for a long time. Since I'd been here 10 years ago, a few old memories came back, haha, and it was strangely heartwarming that it's still in the same place.

Ordering 2 servings of pork belly, and the side dishes

We ordered 2 servings of pork belly. After we ordered, the side dishes were set out one by one, and I liked that there was more variety than I expected. Kimchi and onion were ready too, which went well with the meat.

Pork belly on a stone plate: is it really less greasy?

What I personally liked most here was the stone plate. When you grill pork belly on it, the fat from the meat drains downward, so even as I kept eating, it wasn't as greasy as I expected.

I grilled the pork belly hard and tried a piece, and yes, meat just tastes best grilled, haha. The kimchi grilled in the pork fat was especially good. The kimchi itself is fairly sour, but together with the rich, nutty pork fat it actually matched really well.

Kimchi grilled in pork fat, and the free steamed egg

A piece of pork belly with well-cooked kimchi on top cuts the greasiness and keeps you reaching for more. Personally, kimchi lightly grilled in the meat fat like this was much better than plain kimchi.

Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu also serves steamed egg (gyeran-jjim) for free. It was softer than I expected and seasoned just right, nice to eat between bites of meat. You're always happy when a BBQ place brings out steamed egg, right? Haha.

Finishing with extra stew and rice

After eating a good amount of pork belly, we ordered stew and rice too. Eating just meat feels different from eating it with rice, and as a Korean, a meal only feels finished once you've had rice at the end, haha.

A spoonful of rice with stew between bites of meat made it a hearty finish. Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu isn't a flashy, decorated restaurant; its charm is that it feels like a neighborhood BBQ place that has steadily run in the same spot for ages.

Why a long-standing BBQ place felt even nicer

Above all, it was impressive that someone like me, who came 10 years ago, can come back to Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu at all. So many new restaurants open and close these days, so seeing one that has held its ground for so long feels nice and somehow trustworthy.

Western Dom pork belly restaurant Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu: who is it for?

If you want pork belly near Western Dom, or a place where you can eat meat comfortably without a flashy atmosphere, Auseong Gaeseong Sonmandu seems like a good choice. Grilling on the stone plate lets the fat drain, so the pork keeps its richness while feeling a bit less greasy, and the sour kimchi grilled alongside matched well too.

Personally, the most fun part of this meal was simply returning to a place I'd visited 10 years ago. Since it has held this spot for so long, I think it's worth a visit for anyone looking for an old-school BBQ place in Ilsan. With pork belly, kimchi, steamed egg, stew and rice, I left nicely full after a long time.