Hapjeong Korean BBQ after work, gochujang fried rice with egg: Ijjok

My husband got off work, and we were going to eat at home, but then we both started craving pork belly and a glass of soju. So we went to Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal (이쪽 김치삼겹살) at Hapjeong Station. Pork belly alone is great, but well-grilled kimchi with pork belly? Can't resist! The owner grills the meat for you, so it was an easy, relaxed round of somaek (soju and beer).

Who is Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal in Hapjeong for?

• People looking for a great pork belly place near Hapjeong Station
• People who love the combo of grilled kimchi and pork belly
• People looking for a spot for a dinner get-together or company dinner near Hapjeong Station
• People looking for a BBQ place in Seogyo-dong where the meat is grilled for you

Getting to Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal from Hapjeong Station, and parking

Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal is a 3-minute walk from Hapjeong Station, so it's easy to reach by public transport. There's no private parking and the public lots around here are quite pricey. We were going to have soju anyway, so let's just take public transport.

What is the seating like inside Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal?

The inside is split in a slightly unusual way: the 1st floor has three 4-person tables, and next to it you go down to the basement (B1) seats. It works for a date like ours and is also a decent company-dinner spot in Hapjeong, a BBQ place in Seogyo-dong. There were quite a lot of celebrity autographs on the walls, too.

Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal menu and set options

Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal has set menus for 2–3 people and 3–4 people. I didn't know before we went, but the sets looked well put together and generous. There's also Korean beef brisket, plus fresh pork belly, fresh pork neck, whole pork jowl and more. They also have set meals, so it seems like a good place for office workers nearby to come for lunch. The composition and prices were decent too.

The wall also shows how to enjoy the meat at its best, and eating while following it made everything taste even better, haha. If you join the Naver receipt review event, the lunch and dinner perks are different, so check carefully before you take part!

What we ordered after work

• 2–3 person set ₩55,000: 2 servings of fresh pork belly + 1 serving of whole pork jowl + fluffy steamed egg + doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew); the belly can be swapped for fresh pork neck
• Chamisul Fresh (soju) ₩5,000
• Fried rice ₩3,000

What side dishes come at Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal?

I was surprised by how generous the side dishes were. Seasoned scallion salad, soy-seasoned bean sprouts, lettuce, plus garlic and chili peppers: a combination that's perfect with pork. There's roasted salt and wasabi on the table, so put some on your small plate to dip.

Fresh pork belly and grilled kimchi, grilled by the owner

2 servings of fresh pork belly and 1 serving of whole pork jowl. Just look at the color of that meat. A look that can't possibly taste bad: pass. At Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal the owner grills everything, and it was so worth watching that I even filmed it. The kimchi, mushrooms and potatoes were all great too.

He puts every piece on and flips it for you. Top-notch grilling service.

How could anyone diet while looking at this? Haha. The sound and smell of the meat cooking made my head spin.

He puts the perfectly cooked meat on our plate, and the kimchi was grilled beautifully too. Now let's eat! Look at that pork belly. What do you think? Hahahahahaha Glossy and glistening. I dipped it in salt right away, and the juices burst out, so nutty and rich. I can't hold back the soju. How could anyone? Order the soju right now~

After a piece or two of pork belly, the fluffy steamed egg and doenjang jjigae that come with the set arrived. Both were generous, and I was impressed! The steamed egg was exactly the style my husband and I like, and the stew was packed with ingredients. So good. It tasted great, too~

I wrapped pork belly in lettuce with scallion salad and chili, and of course you can't skip the kimchi. The side dishes with the pork belly were good, but eating it with well-grilled kimchi adds a tangy, savory depth on top of the pork's richness, so much better. Pork belly + grilled kimchi = 💜 Even without lettuce, meat topped with scallion salad and garlic is great. One wrap, one shot of soju is the golden rule~ (Any more is cheating)

Whole pork jowl: best with bean sprout soy sauce and wasabi

While I was eating the pork belly in a daze, the pork jowl was also grilled to a mouthwatering finish and cut up for us. The potatoes and mushrooms were nicely cooked by then too. Everything was prepared for us, so all we had to do was eat!💜

Look at this brutal visual. Even now I want to eat it again. I dipped the well-grilled pork jowl in salt, too, and it was chewy and just incredible. A little greasy and nutty at the same time.

Pork jowl is also fine with the grilled kimchi, but pork jowl + bean sprout soy sauce + wasabi = 💜 This was my favorite for my taste.

The mushrooms and potatoes grilled alongside the pork belly? Do I even need to say? Delicious! Hahahahahaha Why no bowl of plain rice, you ask? At Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal, I held back so I could have the fried rice.

What does the gochujang fried rice at Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal taste like?

The fried rice at Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal (₩3,000) is made with seasoned meat gochujang (chili paste), so it has a rich flavor. If you order it to finish, the owner makes this too, and he had total expert vibes. Aren't his hands something special? Hahahahahaha He spread it out evenly for us.

It's done, so let's try it. Thanks to the meat gochujang, it tasted different from other fried rice I've had. Very rich, and it goes well with the grilled kimchi. Put some meat on top too and it's heaven.

Fried rice tips: mix in the steamed egg and wrap it in lettuce

Another tip for the fried rice is to mix in the steamed egg from the set. You could call it extra protein^^ haha. And try wrapping the fried rice in lettuce too. That's a little treat of its own, haha.

On weekdays I'm supposed to hold back on drinking, but with pork belly and grilled kimchi, I couldn't resist the soju. Once again, a clean-plate ending.

Would we go back to Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal in Hapjeong?

We finally had a proper pork-belly-and-soju night, just me and my husband, at Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal in Hapjeong. From the meat to the fried rice, everything was handled so carefully that we could focus on eating and drinking, and the 2–3 person set was quite satisfying (really generous). If you're looking for a great pork belly place near Hapjeong Station, or a BBQ place in Seogyo-dong for a relaxed drink, it's worth a visit.