Gwangjin Seoul Korean BBQ with staff-grilled pork belly: Sanggu's

A pot-lid pork belly restaurant between Guui and Gangbyeon Stations

Sanggu's Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal Gueui Branch (상구네솥뚜껑삼겹살 구의점) is located between Guui Station and Gangbyeon Station, an eight-minute walk from either station. It says they use domestic grade 1+ female pork, and the standing sign introduces the lunch and signature menus. They even have three kinds of draft beer, starting at ₩1,900—at a time of such high prices, I could immediately tell this was a good-value place.

The self-service bar and four-person-table atmosphere

At Sanggu's Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal Gueui Branch, the self-service bar is divided into a vegetable bar and a banchan (Korean side-dish) bar, so you can use it conveniently. The vegetables looked wonderfully fresh, which I liked. The tables inside were full, so I could not take photos, but they are mostly four-person tables. It looked great for family get-togethers, work dinners, and dates.

Ordering three portions of fresh Korean pork belly

I debated whether to have a set or order à la carte, but I was craving samgyeopsal (pork belly) today, so I ordered three portions of fresh Korean pork belly, a bowl of rice, and steamed egg. There are many other meats too, including beef brisket, chewy pork cuts, pork jowl, pork neck, and flash-frozen pork belly, plus sides such as green-onion kimchi, soft tofu Yeol Ramen, and naengmyeon (cold noodles). These days, many places serve 160 g or 180 g per portion, but most portions at Sanggu's Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal Gueui Branch are 200 g, which I liked even more.

The basic spread included onion sauce, ssamjang (savory dipping paste), chili peppers, garlic, salt, pepper, sesame oil, and pickled radish wraps. Kimchi, bean sprouts, and bracken fern were already arranged on the specially made domestic pot lid.

Then the three portions of pork belly I ordered at Sanggu's Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal Gueui Branch arrived. There was pork fat for greasing the grill, along with onion and mushrooms.

Pot-lid pork belly grilled from start to finish

The staff at Sanggu's Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal Gueui Branch grill everything from start to finish. They also set up a splash guard at the side so grease would not splatter, which meant hardly any splashing and made it even nicer just to wait comfortably.

The steamed egg my wife likes came next. She is not very fond of cheese, so I ate all the cheese while my wife ate almost all the steamed egg, haha. It was nutty and nicely salty—really good.

Doesn't it look delicious as it turns beautifully golden?! The staff member used skilled hands to cut it into easy-to-eat pieces.

It was almost fully cooked here. The heat was strong, and cooking it on the pot lid made it cook quickly; with kimchi, bean sprouts, and bracken fern grilling alongside it, there was no way this combination could taste bad, haha.

Pork belly with onion sauce, ssamjang, and salt

Wrapping the fresh Korean pork belly from Sanggu's Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal Gueui Branch with onion sauce brought together crisp onion, the sweet-tangy-salty onion sauce, and the pork's juices, so the flavor came through even better. With ssamjang, its salty savoriness met the rich meaty flavor in a lovely combination. Dipped in salt, the pork belly was crisp outside and tender inside, with a slight saltiness that let me enjoy the nutty juices and the meat's natural sweetness. I was satisfied, haha. If you love samgyeopsal, pork, and meat, I recommend visiting Sanggu's Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal Gueui Branch~~