Incheon ssam bap: half-cooked pork you finish on the pan at Chagane

Where is Chagane Ssam Bap near Gil Hospital?

Chagane Ssam Bap (차가네쌈밥) is a ssam bap restaurant near Gil Hospital in Namdong, Incheon. It's well known as a Gil Hospital area favorite, and today I was craving ssam bap, so I paid it a visit.

I decided to find out for myself what made it a go-to spot near Gil Hospital. Here's the exterior. The Chagane Ssam Bap sign is huge, so you can spot it from far away.

Chagane Ssam Bap menu and prices

The pork ssam bap set at Chagane Ssam Bap is ₩14,000 per person, and ssam bap includes wraps, snail ssamjang (wrap sauce) and rice by default. The menu prices are listed per person.

• Pork ssam bap set ₩14,000
• Webfoot octopus pork ssam bap set ₩18,000
• Squid pork ssam bap set ₩18,000
• Beef bulgogi ssam bap set ₩18,000
• Squid set ₩19,000
• Ssam bap only, without meat ₩12,000
• Domestic raw pork belly set 180g ₩18,000, extra portion also ₩18,000
• Aged kimchi add-on 150g ₩3,000 (they say it's homemade with domestic ingredients)
• Doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) ₩5,000
• Snail salad ₩10,000
• Extra snail ssamjang ₩3,000
• Nurungji rice (scorched rice) ₩3,000
• Snail ssamjang to go ₩5,000

You can order meat dishes too, and overall the prices felt reasonable.

Are the wrap greens unlimited at Chagane Ssam Bap?

Yes, you can take unlimited refills of wrap greens at Chagane Ssam Bap. There's a good variety, and they're washed clean, still glistening with water. The color is really lovely.

There are more greens right next to them. The strength of Chagane Ssam Bap is that the wrap greens are unlimited~

Yagwanmun herbal tea at Chagane Ssam Bap

Chagane Ssam Bap also has yagwanmun tea (an herbal tea). Since it's said to be good for your health, a lot of older customers come here. Careful, it's hot~

First, I brought back a basket with a variety of greens. The colors are vivid and each leaf has its own aroma and flavor, so you can enjoy them in all kinds of ways. I think that's a major strength of Chagane Ssam Bap.

Garlic is a must with ssam bap, right? So I got whole garlic cloves too.

I gulped down a cup of yagwanmun tea and felt healthier already.

How is the half-cooked pork served at Chagane Ssam Bap?

The spicy pork in the pork ssam bap comes half-cooked, so you can stir-fry it once more on the tabletop pan until it sizzles. This little detail feels like Chagane Ssam Bap's strength. It feels like you're cooking it yourself, and it has a bit of a juumeolleok (hand-marinated pork) vibe too.

What side dishes come with Chagane Ssam Bap sets?

The side dishes at Chagane Ssam Bap were delicious. The young radish kimchi (yeolmu-kimchi) was especially good, and so were the sweet potato stems tossed in perilla sauce. Nuttiness to the extreme.

And the japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), steamed shishito peppers and seasoned bean sprouts too, every single side was tasty. The sides alone could take care of a bowl of rice.

They tear the kimchi jeon (kimchi pancake) into bite-size strips with chopsticks for you. The crispy kimchi pancake was seriously, insanely good.

The seaweed soup, which I hadn't had in a while, was good too. Seaweed is healthy and tasty, a true all-rounder.

Snail ssamjang with pan-fried pork

The snail ssamjang at Chagane Ssam Bap was delicious, maybe because of the savory depth the snails add. Eaten with the pork ssam bap, it added extra umami.

Here's the full spread, and I wouldn't envy any other ssam bap place with this table. The lineup is really solid.

How was the doenjang stew at Chagane Ssam Bap?

The doenjang stew at Chagane Ssam Bap was fantastic too. It's been a while since I had such a good one. Onion, tofu, chili, snail ssamjang, enoki mushrooms and more, every element was in there, so this alone could take care of a bowl of rice.

So many rice thieves here. The seaweed soup is good too... honestly, carb thieves.

Is Chagane Ssam Bap worth going back to?

I felt this is a ssam bap place I should visit often. The wrap greens are in great condition and the staff are kind. And as a ssam bap spot near Gil Hospital, it's a total thumbs-up from me.