Korean BBQ in Siheung for two: galbi platter and cold noodles, Samstar

There are those weeknight evenings when you just find yourself craving good grilled meat. After a busy day, part of you wants to just eat something simple at home, but then that moment hits where you really want to grill meat properly over charcoal. That day, my husband and I were searching for good restaurants in Jeongwang-dong and ended up at Samstar Charcoal Grill.

The two of us ordered a mixed beef galbi platter and mul naengmyeon. Meat alone can feel like something's missing, but adding the cool mul naengmyeon made it perfect for a weeknight dinner out. Grilling the meat ourselves and chatting slowly made it feel like a relaxed date night as a couple.

Samstar Charcoal Grill in Jeongwang-dong: address, hours and parking

Samstar Charcoal Grill is located at 47 Jungsimsanggaro, Siheung, Gyeonggi. It's open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., with last order at 10:30 p.m., and closed every Sunday. Parking is free for 2 hours if you use the Sihwa parking lot behind the building.

We found street parking nearby so we didn't end up using the Sihwa lot. Walking in, the interior felt clean and comfortable overall.

It had that lively BBQ restaurant buzz, but each table had its own ventilation system, which made grilling charcoal meat a pretty pleasant experience.

Starting with the mixed beef galbi platter

What we ordered that day was the mixed beef galbi platter.

There's just something exciting about watching meat cook on the grill when you're at a BBQ place.

As the faint charcoal scent rose and the surface of the meat started browning nicely, I briefly forgot how tired I was from the weekday.

We grilled the beef galbi piece by piece, checking as we went. Rather than piling it all on at once, grilling just enough for each bite was the better way to enjoy the charcoal aroma and juiciness.

A well-grilled piece eaten plain was clean and savory, but pairing it with the banchan or sauces gave it a completely different flavor direction.

Eating a bite of meat, then a bite with banchan, then meat again kept the flavors shifting in my mouth, which made us eat slowly.

What banchan comes with dinner at Samstar Charcoal Grill

Eating only meat for a while can make your palate feel a bit heavy, so having banchan alongside really helps.

The banchan lineup included myeongi namul (wild garlic leaves), pickled vegetables, gat kimchi (mustard leaf kimchi), baek kimchi (white kimchi), napa cabbage kimchi, pickled onion, and we could also enjoy various sauces and ssam vegetables.

I personally love wrapping meat in myeongi namul, so I tried it with the beef galbi. The salty flavor blended with the richness of the meat, and I kept reaching for more, one bite after another. The savory doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) was also really good.

On the other hand, when you want something clean and light, pairing the meat with baek kimchi or pickled onion works well. It was fun how the same beef galbi felt different depending on what we ate it with.

Ending the meal with mul naengmyeon

And to wrap up the meal that day, we had mul naengmyeon.

After eating a good amount of meat, you naturally start craving something cold and refreshing. After the warm charcoal-grilled meat, a chopstickful of cold mul naengmyeon definitely made my mouth feel clean and refreshed.

I don't know why meat and naengmyeon go so well together. A bite of meat, a bite of mul naengmyeon, then meat again — repeating that combination, our plates were nearly empty before we knew it.

What I especially liked was that visiting with my husband on a weekday evening meant we could eat slowly and talk instead of rushing. Even without a grand date plan, sharing a good meal and chatting about our day was enough to make it a genuinely nice time.

Worth a trip for Korean BBQ in Jeongwang-dong?

Samstar Charcoal Grill is a good Jeongwang-dong BBQ restaurant to check out if you want to enjoy meat alongside a variety of side dishes.

If you're planning a weekday dinner out with your husband or wife like we did, pairing the mixed beef galbi platter with mul naengmyeon is a great combination. Eating meat and finishing with a refreshing bowl of naengmyeon made for a satisfying meal overall. Most of all, this visit reminded us that you don't need a special occasion to enjoy a low-key date over charcoal-grilled meat nearby.

In short, Samstar Charcoal Grill, a good Jeongwang-dong restaurant, was a great spot for a weekday couple's dinner — enjoying the mixed beef galbi platter and finishing cleanly with mul naengmyeon.