Open-air Suyu Korean BBQ with lid-grilled bean sprouts: Suyu Daewang

Skipping the gym for an open-air Korean BBQ near Suyu Station

Suyu Daewang Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal (수유대왕솥뚜껑 삼겹살) is a cast-iron lid pork belly place near Suyu Station, and its glass wall opens up so you can eat meat with an open-air vibe. It was supposed to be a swimming day for me, but on my way to the bus after work the weather was so cool and so nice. So I texted everyone around me about how nice it was, hahahaha

So there I was, torn between working out and going out to play... and I'm a weak-willed person who loves to play. I went home and lay down, but it just wasn't happening, so I came back out, haha. I'd made it all the way home!! And still came out... that willpower is the best. To ease my guilt, I met up with my companion, did some slow jogging, and headed to Suyu Daewang Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal, a great Suyu Station meat spot, hahahahaha, because this is the place with the opening glass wall.

Seating and atmosphere at Suyu Daewang Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal

Suyu Daewang Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal shares its space with Sohanmarijip (소한마리집, a beef restaurant). The windows on the inner side were open, so I took a seat on the side with the open door.

It's a spacious Suyu BBQ restaurant with two rows of tables on each side of a partition. When I paid later, I saw a booking for a 20-person group, so it seems like a good Suyu Station spot for group gatherings too.

Prices and table setting fee at Suyu Daewang Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal

At Suyu Daewang Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal, 600g of aged whole pork belly, aged whole pork neck, or half pork belly and half neck is ₩29,000. And the price gets better: an extra 200g is just ₩9,900. Cheap!!

The catch is a personal table setting fee of ₩2,000 per person. And the side menu is crazy, so many options, haha

How to grill lid-style pork belly

Do read the grilling instructions. Staff put the meat on at the right temperature; you brown the fatty part first until golden, then cook the other sides until crisp.

What's in the self-serve corner?

The self-serve corner at Suyu Daewang Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal has extra tongs and scissors, wet wipes, wipes for cleaning the grill, lettuce and wraps, bean sprouts, seasoned chives, chili peppers, wasabi and gochujang (red chili paste). I was curious and went to look: there are extra tongs and scissors, and wet wipes as well as ones for wiping the grill.

Wrap vegetables, bean sprouts, seasoned chives and chili peppers aren't in the basic side dishes they bring you, so I recommend grabbing them from the self-serve corner. There's wasabi and gochujang too!

The basic side dishes

The basic sides at Suyu Daewang Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal are pork fat to grease the giant lid, a meljeot (salted anchovy-style fermented sauce, I think?), whole-cabbage kimchi and bean sprouts in a big bowl, and minari (water dropwort) as standard. Honestly, the basic sides are good too, haha

This is the table after I collected a bit of everything from the self-serve bar. The side dishes go so well with the meat~

Thick whole pork belly with minari and bean sprouts on the lid

At Suyu Daewang Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal, a staff member first comes over, puts the meat on, then adds kimchi, bean sprouts and minari.

I hate overcooked minari, so I set it aside and grilled just the meat. I thought it was nicely golden, but it needed a bit more, hahaha. The pork belly is thick, so it takes a while to cook.

When the meat is almost done, you add the bean sprouts too. It's a giant lid, yet the grill is totally full, haha. Only part of the meat gets cooked first, so I kept the rest on one side.

Suyu Daewang Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal is a Suyu meat spot with an open-air feel. A breeze came in from outside, and I ate thinking, even without working out, this was worth it, hahaha. I recommend putting chili and garlic into the meljeot.

How does the pork belly taste?

The first bite of pork belly is always with salt. And the meat is way tastier than I expected? Wow. The minari aroma is lovely, and I was surprised by how well it goes with the bean sprouts.

I wasn't going to make wraps, but then I brought lettuce from the self-serve corner and made lettuce wraps, and dunked the meat deep in the meljeot too.

Finish with mul naengmyeon: vinegar and mustard are a must

At Suyu Daewang Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal I ordered mul naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles in broth), and I loved that it had slushy ice floating in it and plenty of broth. Vinegar and mustard are a must! Add them and it's really good. Perfect as a drinking snack.

Indoor restrooms too: a good Suyu Station spot for group gatherings?

And on top of that!! This Suyu Station meat spot has its restrooms indoors!! Separate for men and women, with 2 stalls each. I had no idea such a good place existed..

Good meat prices, tasty food, a varied self-serve corner, and indoor restrooms.. I highly recommend it as a Suyu Station spot for group gatherings too. I was so happy after eating that I suddenly joined my older sister and her husband, who were drinking elsewhere, for round two. I think that was the natural next step, haha