Yangyang meat restaurant for chewy pork jowl: Yeoyejeong

While traveling in Gangwon, I was looking for a meat restaurant in Yangyang and visited Yeoyejeong. I ordered fresh galbi and pork jowl together, and the pork jowl's chewy, bouncy texture especially stayed with me.

Where is Yeoyejeong, and what was parking like?

Yeoyejeong is at 49 Ssangsolbaegi-gil, Seom-myeon, Yangyang-gun, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, South Korea. It is in a standalone building, and the parking area felt fairly spacious.

I followed the path leading to the building and went inside.

Was it busy even in the early evening?

Even though I visited in the early evening, there were already many customers. I took interior photos during a gap after some customers left. More people kept coming in while I ate, and it seemed that nearly ten parties left because the restaurant was full.

How much were the meat and side dishes?

The menu was posted on the wall and placed at every table. Most meat portions were 200 g, and most side dishes were ₩5,000, which I felt was reasonably priced.

The items I ordered and their prices at the time of my visit were as follows.

• Fresh galbi, two servings: ₩34,000
• Pork jowl, two servings: ₩36,000
• White kimchi noodles: ₩6,000
• Steamed egg casserole: ₩5,000
• Doenjang-jjigae: ₩5,000
• Sotbap (rice cooked in an individual pot): ₩1,000

A shared spread of side dishes was served for each table, along with separate individual side dishes and sauces.

While waiting for the meat, I looked around and saw that they were also running a review event. Large stickers and squishy toys were set out.

Which was more memorable: fresh galbi or pork jowl?

Soon, the meat arrived along with the grill. I received the fresh galbi and pork jowl and started grilling them right away.

I usually find pork jowl too fatty, so its texture has not suited my taste very well. Here, though, the skin side caught my attention even before grilling, and it looked chewy, which made me look forward to it.

After grilling both sides and trying it, the pork jowl was bouncy. It was the best pork jowl I have had. The fresh galbi was good too, but I reached for the pork jowl more that day.

Did the sotbap and white kimchi noodles go well with the meat?

Next, I had the sotbap and doenjang-jjigae. I was especially satisfied with the price because the sotbap, rather than a regular bowl of rice, was ₩1,000.

The doenjang-jjigae had mushrooms cut into easy-to-eat pieces. I also enjoyed the steamed egg casserole I ordered with it.

It was my first time trying white kimchi noodles. I ordered them because I wanted something cool on a hot day, and the broth was clean-tasting and pleasantly tangy and sweet. It was refreshing and went well with the meat.

They also gave us a separate dish for placing cooked meat. It was convenient to use during the meal and felt thoughtful.

I ate my fill of the meat and side dishes. If I return to Yangyang, I would like to come back for the bouncy pork jowl.