Seongnam samgyeopsal grill: A Set and cauldron rice, Mat Chandeul

Today I visited Mat Chandeul Wang Sogeum Gui Moran Branch, a pork belly restaurant near Moran Station. I've already made a fuss about loving Mat Chandeul in a previous post, but the Moran branch was delicious too. Though it seems the banchan (side dishes) vary a bit by branch!!! This one had wood ear mushroom, which was really unusual. And they gave a bit more meat than the listed weight... very likeable....

Mat Chandeul Moran Branch hours, seating and parking

• Hours: Daily 12:00–23:00, open year-round, no break time!
• Group seating, floor tables bookable
• Underground parking available, ask staff if full
• Local currency accepted

Mat Chandeul Wang Sogeum Gui Moran Branch is really close, within 5 minutes' walk of Moran Station! We drove, and there's a parking lot in the building. But you have to call the restaurant to ask them to open the barrier!! Good to know in advance. Also the roads around here are all narrow, so I wouldn't recommend it for new drivers...

What comes in the 47,000-won A Set? 400g pork belly plus doenjang stew

The dining hall was huge! Looked perfect for group meals or company dinners. Mat Chandeul's pork neck is tasty too, but the pork belly is really something. We ordered the A Set meat combo! It comes with 400g of meat (choice of pork belly or pork neck) + stew (choice of kimchi or doenjang).

A Set (pork belly/doenjang) - ₩47,000 / Aged fresh pork neck 150g - ₩16,000 / Cauldron rice - ₩4,000

Wood ear mushroom banchan, a first at a Korean BBQ place

First the banchan gets spread out — acorn jelly, lettuce wraps, pickled radish, rinsed aged kimchi, wild garlic, spicy pickled peppers, wood ear mushroom, wasabi, and more! Seeing wood ear mushroom was so surprising haha. First time seeing that topping at a Korean BBQ place. And that spicy pickled pepper is seriously addictive with the meat, whoa.

422g for a 400g order, and staff grill it from start to finish

The pork belly came out right away, and they grilled potatoes and rice cakes alongside it too. We ordered 400g but got 422g of meat — made me weirdly happy haha. The meat was grilled by staff from start to finish, so we could eat comfortably!

Maybe because it's aged meat, the surface got that Maillard sear right away. Meat with that kind of browning is always so good.

Once cooked through, they place it on the stone plate so it stays warm. The color on this meat is amazing haha. Aged meat with such intense umami is always delicious — a richer flavor overall!! I took the first bite dipped simply in Himalayan salt to enjoy the pure flavor.

Grilled aged kimchi, pickled chili peppers and wasabi together

Mat Chandeul always has some kind of banchan pairing curated for you haha, which is fun. They grill rinsed aged kimchi, then have you top it with meat and a generous heap of spicy pickled peppers, then dip it in wasabi. The combination of tangy kimchi, spicy-salty pickled peppers, and sharp wasabi is really so good haha. Also the wood ear mushroom is seasoned with something tangy that goes great with the meat, and it's nice wrapped with wild garlic too.

I made thick, hearty lettuce wraps too. The well-cooked potato and rice cake were such tasty carbs, right? I was so, so full but kept shoving in the grilled rice cake anyway because it was too delicious.

Cauldron rice at 4,000 won, ready 15 minutes after ordering

And finally, the cauldron rice arrived! You have to wait about 15 minutes after ordering to get it. Piling the doenjang stew, loaded with meat and tofu, on top of the rice and mixing it all together made for a finished bowl in no time. The doenjang stew was also so nutty and delicious.

Adding 150g of aged fresh pork neck at Mat Chandeul

My husband wanted more meat, so we ordered the pork neck too! Same as before, staff grilled this one for us too, and it was more mild and juicy — also delicious! But personally I think Mat Chandeul's pork belly is the best haha. Still, if you can't handle greasy food well, the pork neck is tasty too, so I'd recommend it.

Scrape up the crispy scorched rice from the cauldron rice and eat it together with the squid jeotgal (salted fermented squid) that comes with it — another rice-thief combo. Mat Chandeul always delivers above the basics every time I visit, so I always leave very satisfied. If you're looking for a great pork belly restaurant with tableside grilling near Moran Station, I highly recommend this place!

A place with umami-packed aged pork belly