Jongno Korean BBQ after a workout, shiitake wasabi pork belly: Cham

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch: Jongno pork belly for an after-work dinner

Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch (참돼짓간 종로본점) is a Korean BBQ restaurant on the first floor of the Picadilly CGV building in Jongno. My friend and I found it after work while wandering around Jongno looking for dinner. The weather these days is perfect for meat in the evening, haha. Not too hot, just right for pork belly!!

Is there a wait at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch?

We came at an awkward hour so there was no wait, but the inside was almost full. It's near Jongno Station, and you can spot it from far away because of the crowd, haha. No wonder it's a well-known Jongno pork belly place.

Table setting and sauces at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch

The basic table setup came out the moment we sat down. I was amazed at how fast it was, hahaha. Is this the famous Korean "ppalli-ppalli" (hurry-hurry) of a great restaurant!!!

There's a nice variety of sauces: ssamjang-style sauce, spicy sauce, salt and wasabi. The shiitake wasabi especially was a stroke of genius. I kept exclaiming over it when I ate it with the meat later.

What's on the self-serve bar at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch?

You can grab wrap vegetables and side dishes from the self-serve bar without feeling awkward about it. Wrap ingredients and side dishes too!!! You can pile them on without worrying what your companion thinks. Because!!!!

The good thing about Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch!!! This self-serve bar where you can take what you like without feeling awkward!!! It was also kept neat and clean, so I could fetch more side dishes without hesitation. When you eat meat you end up eating loads of wrap vegetables, so it was great to take them freely, haha.

How do the Boseong pork belly and flower pork neck taste?

We ordered the pork belly (Boseong black pork, 보성녹돈) and the flower pork neck (Boseong black pork). I just wanted to stress the Boseong black pork, lol.

The meat looked special from the start!!! Bright pink color and thick cuts. My mouth was watering while taking photos, is that for real, lolol. It's pork, T_T

Does Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch grill the meat for you?

The staff grill the meat for you!!! This was honestly the best part. A good meat place has to get the grilling perfect too, but this day I just got to eat. So comfortable. Really comfortable!!!!!!

You can tell the quality of this Jongno pork belly spot's meat just by looking. So happy to be at a really good meat place ^______^

They even cut it for you!!! I'm the youngest at my company, so I always feel pressure when grilling meat, but here it's just comfy~~~~~~

All I could say when I ate it was "so good" T_T The juices really burst, and it's not just greasy but deeply nutty and rich!!!! The flower pork neck was chewy yet tender, and the pork belly was full of juice so I kept reaching for more. Totally my taste, haha.

I immediately understood why people call it a great Jongno pork belly place. There's also a faint charcoal aroma that made the meat's flavor much better. Food taste can change with tiny details, and they got those details right!!

Hehe, transforming into a happy eater

How to eat pork belly with shiitake wasabi

The thing you must try at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch is the shiitake mushroom wasabi. Haaa T_T This is the shiitake wasabi I mentioned earlier, and it's the real deal. Please tell me how to make it T_T I want to learn!! Boss!!

Meat on lettuce, then scallion salad, bean sprouts and wrapping kimchi, all in one bite.

Pure happiness. People who love meat will definitely love this combo. The wrap vegetables were fresh too, which made it even more satisfying.

But my number one pick that day was something else: shiitake + wasabi + meat. Seriously, please try it. Please.

That potato turns into a potato wrap (gamja-ssam), which was really unique and strangely addictive.

Egg fried rice to finish at Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch

The staff make the closing fried rice for you too. There's no end to being full, hahahaha. Of course we went for the Korean-style finishing fried rice. I was hungry because I'd worked out that day...

It was so comfortable to have the fried rice made for us like this. The ingredients inside were generous, and they crack an egg right in front of you and mix it in.

Rice packed in every last bit of space left in my stomach, lolol, and it finished off deliciously.

Who is Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch best for?

I'd recommend Cham Dwaejitgan Jongno Main Branch to anyone looking for a good Jongno pork belly place. First, the shiitake wasabi is so good!!!! The self-serve side dishes were comfortable to use, and above all the meat itself was delicious. Another day ended with a full belly.