Cheongna Korean BBQ: three pork cuts and grilled kimchi, Sammi-jip

My parents, my partner, and I had dinner at Sammi-jip (삼미집) in Cheongna. It is a place where you cook meat, kimchi, minari (water parsley), and bean sprouts together on a pot lid. We tried all three cuts, but what stayed with me most was rice topped with kimchi cooked in pork fat.

What did the four of us order?

To try several cuts together, we chose the Sammi Kimchi half platter. It came with neck pork belly, diced pork jowl, pork belly, and doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew).

• Sammi Kimchi half platter with doenjang-jjigae: ₩56,000
• Additional kimchi pork belly: ₩17,000
• Three bowls of rice: ₩1,000 each

The meat was partially grilled in the kitchen after we ordered. We had to wait a little for the first meat to arrive, which was a slight disappointment when we were hungry. Once it was on the table, though, we could focus on eating, and the staff were kind.

How were the kimchi and vegetables grilled on the pot lid?

A notice outside said that the restaurant makes its own Korean kimchi, so I was curious about it. Side dishes began arriving one by one before the meat, and the table filled up quickly.

We had napa cabbage kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts, minari, shredded scallions, mushrooms, onions, lettuce, perilla leaves, and lightly frozen dongchimi (radish water kimchi). Garlic, ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste), and Himalayan salt were also set out. The staff first put napa cabbage kimchi on the pot lid, then added shredded scallions, minari, and seasoned bean sprouts in turn.

The kimchi, cooked in pork belly fat, went well with the meat. My favorite combination was a piece of grilled kimchi over rice. As I alternated between a piece of meat and kimchi-topped rice, I kept reaching for the kimchi.

Which of the three cuts did my family like most?

The meat was crisp on the outside and juicy inside. The dipping sauce worked well, but I preferred it lightly dipped in Himalayan salt. Adding minari after eating it with kimchi brought an herbal aroma and made for a different flavor.

My mother liked the kimchi pork belly most, my partner and I liked the diced pork jowl, and my father preferred the neck pork belly. Since everyone had different tastes, the platter with several cuts suited us well. My mother wanted more pork belly, so we added one serving.

The additional kimchi pork belly also arrived partially grilled, and they gave us extra minari as well.

How was the doenjang-jjigae included with the half platter?

The Sammi Kimchi half platter included doenjang-jjigae as a standard item.

The seasoning suited my taste, and it was savory and rich. When I scooped it with a ladle, there were plenty of mushrooms and vegetables too. My father finished a bowl of rice with the stew.

What side dishes can you refill at the self-service bar?

Most vegetables and side dishes, except minari, could be refilled at the self-service bar. There were napa cabbage kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts, pickled radish wraps, pickled onions, fresh garlic scapes, garlic, perilla leaves, Cheongyang chili peppers, and lettuce.

There were side dishes such as garlic scapes and pickles that had not been part of the initial setting, so we took small amounts as needed. I did not see pa-jeori (seasoned scallion salad) at the self-service bar. It seemed that we might need to request more separately, but I did not check directly.

We ate lettuce wraps with pickled radish, then brought back more kimchi and seasoned bean sprouts to cook on the pot lid.

How were the seating and dining environment for a meal with my parents?

The interior was deeper and more spacious than it looked from outside. Just inside the entrance were two six-person tables separated by partitions, with around 11 other tables as well. The white interior felt bright, and the tables were fairly well spaced, so we could eat without paying much attention to neighboring diners.

When we visited, the floor did not feel slippery and the tables hardly felt sticky. High chairs were available, and we ordered through a table tablet. Each table was given a 500 ml bottle of bottled water.

Takeout and Wi-Fi are available, and the restaurant says it offers lunch specials on both weekdays and weekends. A notice said one bottle of corkage is free, with no restriction on alcohol type.

How did we make the final fried rice?

Although fried rice is also sold as a separate menu item, we made our own with two bowls of rice. We finely chopped kimchi and seasoned bean sprouts from the self-service bar and added sliced leftover pork belly. We added the rice to the pot lid and pressed it with a ladle as we fried it.

We fried the leftover ingredients together, and the kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts, and pork belly made it tasty. Even though we were full after the meat, we still ate the fried rice. Waiting for the first meat was a slight disappointment, but it was convenient that the staff even grilled the kimchi during the meal, and my parents enjoyed it too.

Where is Sammi-jip, and what is the parking information?

Sammi-jip is in the Cheongna 4 Complex dining alley. The address given in the original post is 18 Cheongna Canal-ro 233beon-gil, Seohae-gu, Incheon, South Korea. Its listed hours were daily from 10:30 AM to 10:30 PM, with last orders at 9:30 PM.

The restaurant says it can park seven cars in front and offers valet service. The church parking lot opposite the restaurant may be used on days without services, according to its notice.