Gojan-dong pub in Ansan: minced-garlic jeyuk bokkeum tip, Samsigi-ne

Today I'm bringing you a review of a brand-new hotspot in Gojan-dong, Ansan, that I visited this past Friday night.

This new spot was opened jointly by the Ansan youth crew already famous around town — the folks behind Banwolga, Yuksul and Gisul — so I went in with high expectations. The vibe, the events, and the food quality all exceeded them, so let me walk you through it.

First impressions of Samsigi-ne in Gojan-dong: folding doors and outdoor-bar mood

Samsigi-ne Jungang Gojan is a new Korean-style bar (hoesikjumjib) on Gwangdeok 2-ro in Gojan-dong. The first thing I noticed walking in was the fully open folding-door front.

With the cool breeze we've been getting lately, sitting by the window felt exactly like drinking on an outdoor terrace — that distinctive yajang (open-air pub) feeling.

The interior had a great retro touch too. One whole wall packed with LP records gave the space a cozy, nostalgic mood.

Little touches like witty signs and cute character illustrations scattered around the space really showed the owners' sense of humor.

What comes with the 52,000 won Samsigi Han-sang set, plus highballs

Samsigi-ne's signature dish is the Samsigi Han-sang set at ₩52,000. Flipping through the menu, I saw the Ansan crew's heartfelt message alongside their flagship set menu laid out clearly. We ordered the han-sang (full table set) packed with their signature dishes.

• Samsigi Han-sang set: ₩52,000
• Samsigi highball: 2
• Non-alcoholic lemon highball: 1

After chatting for a bit, a table-groaningly full spread arrived.

The Samsigi Han-sang centers on smoky, fire-grilled jeyuk bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork), paired with a rich miyeokguk (seaweed soup) simmered with Korean beef brisket, a refreshingly punchy mujusabal (acorn jelly in cold broth), and a thick, pan-rolled 33-second egg roll — a perfect combination and a true representative of Gojan-dong's Korean food scene.

Add in the crisp, refreshing Samsigi highball and the tangy non-alcoholic lemon highball, and the mood really came together.

Seaweed soup, mukbap and rolled egg: how are the side dishes?

The Samsigi Han-sang comes with three sides: Korean beef brisket miyeokguk, acorn jelly mujusabal, and the 33-second pan-rolled egg. Kept warm and bubbling on a burner, the miyeokguk was loaded with beef brisket and had a deep, savory broth. The rich broth wrapped my stomach in warmth — it worked as both a drinking snack and a hangover cure at once.

The mujusabal came in a sweet-and-sour broth generously loaded with acorn jelly, seaweed flakes, egg garnish, and chopped kimchi. Scooping up a big spoonful of jelly with the broth was so refreshingly sharp it nearly cleared my head, and it paired perfectly with the spiciness of the jeyuk bokkeum, washing it right away.

The long plate stacked with a thick pan-rolled egg was visually stunning. Golden-brown on the outside, melt-in-your-mouth soft inside, topped generously with ketchup and parsley — the balance of savory and sweet was excellent.

One bite of spicy jeyuk bokkeum, one bite of soft egg roll — an endless loop I couldn't stop.

The best way to eat jeyuk bokkeum: minced garlic and cheongyang chili

The tip at Samsigi-ne is to eat about half of the jeyuk bokkeum, then mix in the minced garlic and chopped chili that come alongside it. The menu stand on the table showed just how proud they are of their jeyuk bokkeum.

They use only fresh (never frozen) Korean pork shoulder, domestic chili flakes, freshly pressed sesame oil from a local mill, and fresh vegetables, all stir-fried to order over high heat in a Chinese wok. Maybe that's why the first bite hit with a sharp smoky char and a chewy, satisfying texture.

Our jeyuk bokkeum was practically still sizzling. Get even more delicious, please~

Here's the tip from the sign and from the Samsigi staff themselves for eating it best.

Eat about half the jeyuk bokkeum first, then pour in the garlic and chopped chili that come with it and mix it all together.

Following the instructions, once I'd eaten about half the pork, I dumped in a generous amount of minced garlic and cheongyang chili and mixed it all up — and it exploded with a spicy kick and insane umami, transforming into an entirely new, upscale dish. It cut through the richness completely, and I couldn't put my chopsticks down until the very end. If you visit, you have to try this method.

3,000 won soju for three people, and the salad mix-up

Samsigi-ne Jungang Gojan is currently running a deal where a party of three gets soju for ₩3,000. As we finished up and headed to pay, we spotted the back of the menu stand on the table and all gasped at once.

On the back it read: 'Because it's Samsigi-ne! Come with 3 people, get soju for ₩3,000!!!' These days a bottle of soju runs ₩5,000–6,000, so ₩3,000 for a party of three is a genuinely great deal, right?!

There was also a cute little event where if you correctly guess the ages of all three staff members (Samsigi, Samdori, and Samsoni), you get a free bottle of soju. Sadly we only found out at checkout, so we missed our chance — but next time we're going straight for the soju to grab that deal.

And one more cute little detail. Back home, sorting through my photos, I noticed the basic cabbage salad that comes with the meal had been decorated adorably. Too busy chatting and eating, we hadn't noticed at the time — but in the photos, there was a cute cat(?) face drawn on top of the salad using dressing and ketchup.

None of us had noticed at all. That thoughtful little touch warmed my heart all over again.

We even picked up the nose and mouth pieces without realizing what they were — didn't notice even while filming it.

From the delicious food to the open, atmospheric outdoor-bar vibe, the clever events, and the thoughtful little details — this was a perfect Friday night out.

If you want to experience the fresh energy of Ansan's young entrepreneurs and a properly laid-out Korean feast, make sure to go with two friends to make a party of three — and don't miss out on that ₩3,000 soju deal.

Samsigi-ne Jungang Gojan: location, hours and parking in Ansan

• Address: 1F, 185-10 Gwangdeok 2-ro, Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours: Mon–Sat 17:00–01:00 (next day), closed Sundays
• Parking: Free, use the building's elevator parking lot (under 2,000cc / no SUVs)