Dasan Station pork belly BBQ at opening: bomdong kimchi sides, Udontan

Why Udontan Dasan Main Branch out of all the BBQ places near Dasan Station

Udontan Dasan Main Branch (우돈탄 다산본점) is a BBQ restaurant in the eatery alley by Dasan Station, where staff grill charcoal pre-seared meat for you at the table. Dasan is the main branch, and it's the only one in the country, which makes me love it even more.

Personally, I love the Dasan New Town area. There's an outlet mall in Dasan so shopping is great, and parks and other places worth visiting are close by, so whenever I head to Seoul I end up stopping here a lot, and for lunch or dinner I usually go around Dasan Station. Why do I crave meat every single time I eat out, haha? Out of the many BBQ places in Dasan I ended up at Udontan and fell for it, so let me tell you why!

If you walk into the eatery alley by Dasan Station you'll see tons of BBQ places, right? So why this one? The meat comes pre-seared over charcoal and they grill it at the table, so you can cook everything at once, and it's full of juice and tasty.

What are parking and seating like at Udontan Dasan Main Branch?

For parking you can use the basement garage in the building, but it has a spiral layout, so beginners, skip it! Head for the nearby public parking lot. The inside seems small, but it's privately partitioned off and I had no discomfort at all.

There's also an exhaust vent in the middle of each table, so all the smoke from grilling gets sucked right up, whoosh~

There are also outdoor seats outside with a street-stall vibe.

We sat at a seat in the middle of the inside, and my first impression was "clean," and it stayed that way the whole time~

Udontan menu and meat set options

The Udontan menu has prime beef rib, plus Korean pork belly and pork neck. The meat sets include a stew, and you can pick either beef rib doenjang (soybean paste) stew or Korean pork kimchi stew, so it's good value.

The beef rib is aged using Udontan's own method so it isn't tough and keeps its true beefy flavor, and the pork belly and neck come pre-seared so the juices don't escape. It tastes nothing like meat at home, so you feel it was worth eating out, you know?

How long is the wait if you go at opening?

We chose the pork belly set that day, and since we were there right at opening, the charcoal took a little while to heat up, so I think we waited about 20 minutes? The meat comes pre-seared.

The bomdong salad side dish that made me forget the wait

But here's the thing: the basic side dishes at Udontan Dasan Main Branch were so good that I didn't even realize I was waiting for the searing. I've been to quite a few BBQ places, and these were the best ever.

The salad-style kimchi (geotjeori) brought my runaway appetite right back. From the tangy bomdong (spring cabbage) salad to the red chili-flake salad.. the sides were also neatly plated so they were easy to eat, and I loved that when you ask for a refill they give you a generous heap.

Small plates and spoons and chopsticks are kept in a hinged storage box on the wall at each table, so you get more room on the table and can take them out hygienically.

How do they grill the pre-seared pork belly at the table?

The pre-seared pork belly at Udontan Dasan Main Branch comes out charred only on the surface and still raw inside, so staff grill it once more on the table's grill. I kept saying "so good" over and over while eating the sides, and the pre-seared pork belly arrived, and it felt pretty fast.

They grill it briefly over high heat, with real skill. The oil doesn't splatter and the juices stay in, so you can turn the heat off and taste it in peace.

When the meat is almost done they also stir-fry king oyster mushrooms, shishito peppers and scallions in the fat, which is a treat in itself.

Once the meat starts cooking, they move whatever is ready to the waiting zone on the grill, and they really grilled it well without burning anything.

4 dips for pork belly and my top pick, pickled onion

At Udontan Dasan Main Branch you can dip the pork belly in 4 sauces: ssamjang, pollock roe, lamb skewer sauce and salt. The fun is getting four different tastes out of one pork belly.

Still, my number one pick is the pickled onion! The chili is spicy and brings out the savory depth.

The beef rib doenjang stew included in the set

For the stew included in the pork belly set I chose the beef rib doenjang stew, and it came out while we were eating the meat.

They're beef rib trimmings, but meeting the doenjang makes them so nutty and rich. Lots of tofu and chives go in, and the onion makes it sweet.

A Dasan Station pork belly place I'd revisit even on a diet

Every time the juicy pork belly disappeared I felt wistful.. The reality that I couldn't order more because I'm on a diet is harsh, but even if it's just one bite, I'm going to Udontan.

I got one refill of the salad too and enjoyed it all over again as good as new. Udontan Dasan, showing the essence of Dasan Station pork belly. I hope nobody hasn't been! ♥