Korean BBQ near East Pole in Guui: gochujang pork belly at Sanggu's

I've been on a pork belly kick lately, working my way through pork belly places one by one, and cauldron-lid pork belly is its own genre, you know? Last weekend, on my way back from East Pole, I searched for Guui pork belly spots and found Sanggu's Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal (상구네솥뚜껑삼겹살). The reviews were so good that I went in with high expectations, and it was still even better than I hoped!

Sanggu's menu: set or à la carte?

Sanggu's has a half-plate set (banpan set) and à la carte items. I debated getting the half-plate set, but ended up ordering à la carte.

But it was so good that I kept adding orders, and in the end I ate everything in the set anyway.. ^^~ If I was going to do that, I should have just ordered the set from the start, haha.

What's in the self-bar?

The self-bar at Sanggu's has everything you need: bracken and bean sprouts to grill on the cauldron lid, kimchi, sauces and wrap greens.

I loved that if you run short, you can just go get as much as you want without feeling awkward. Personally, the bracken was so good that I kept going back for refills 👍🏻

Do staff grill the meat? Does the oil splatter?

At Sanggu's, the staff grill the pork belly for you. At first they put up a splatter shield while grilling, and later they took it away so it was easy to eat!

Honestly, whenever I go for pork belly... no matter how well I wear an apron, I always come home with a speck of grease on me ㅠ But at Sanggu's, not a single drop splattered, so I could eat comfortably.

How does the cauldron-lid pork belly and grilled sides taste?

The pork belly was cut to just the right thickness, which made it easy to eat. The bean sprouts grilled in pork fat, the aged kimchi and the bracken were all delicious too, and perfect with the pork belly. My absolute favorite, the bracken, got a solo shot, since I saved one for it.

For a side dish, I recommend the kimchi stew

The kimchi stew I ordered as a side was spicy and so good. It goes perfectly with pork belly, haha. If you're debating a side dish, I recommend the kimchi stew.

How much is the draft beer at Sanggu's?

The draft beer at Sanggu's is a whopping ₩1,900. I was craving somaek (soju mixed with beer), but it was broad daylight, so I went with draft beer. Is there anywhere else that sells draft beer at this price these days ㅠ It's cheap and the taste beats most draft beer bars. Recommended!!!

Can you grill naengsam on the cauldron lid too?

Next up was naengsam (frozen pork belly). At Sanggu's, even the naengsam is grilled on the cauldron lid, not on aluminum foil. I love naengsam, but at naengsam specialty places it's often grilled on aluminum foil.. and I always felt a bit uneasy eating it ㅠ At Sanggu's you can enjoy tasty naengsam without worrying about endocrine disruptors.

Naengsam cooks fast, so I grilled it myself as I ate. I sprinkled on the thoughtfully provided pepper, chop chop. It was so good that the naengsam vanished the moment it was grilled ..^^~

Doesn't the gochujang pork belly burn?

Gochujang pork belly burns easily because of the marinade, but they laid parchment foil underneath, so I could eat without worry. I couldn't stop there and ordered the gochujang pork belly too. The sweet and spicy gochujang pork belly has a different charm from plain pork belly..

Fried rice to finish: overall review of Sanggu's

I was really full, but I couldn't give up the closing "K-dessert" fried rice, so I ordered it anyway, haha. It's been a while since I feasted like this.. And it's so tasty yet cheap, which made me even happier...! I'm jealous of everyone who lives in Guui....

If you're looking for good food near Guui Station or Gangbyeon, I really recommend Sanggu's. They're open for weekend lunch, so you can start on meat early, and they have a lunch menu on weekdays, so it seems like a good place to visit anytime, haha. The prices are hard to believe, so do stop by!