Korean barbecue in Yangyang for house-made doenjang: Yeoyejeong

Yangyang Yeoyejeong, where I ate loads of lettuce because of the house-made doenjang

I do not usually make wraps when I eat meat. I want to enjoy the flavor of the meat on its own.

But at Yeoyejeong, a meat restaurant in Yangyang, I ended up eating loads of lettuce with just doenjang, without any meat. The lettuce was good too, but the doenjang was seriously insane.

I even asked the owner whether I could buy some doenjang to take homeㅠ They do not sell itㅠㅠㅠ They make it themselves, and really, really, really—you have to try this.

A meat restaurant with a huge parking lot in a tucked-away location

As you follow the navigation to Yeoyejeong, a meat restaurant in Yangyang, it guides you somewhere slightly out of the way—the kind of place that makes you think, “There’s a meat restaurant here?” But hidden gems being a little out of the way is practically a rule, right?

And being a little out of the way means? Yes, the parking lot is as large as a sports field.

As you would expect from a 10-year-old meat lover, they look very excited;; Our family tends to eat dinner early, but by the time we left, the restaurant was packed with group diners.

Our dinner of pork belly, doenjang, and side dishes

Other bloggers seemed to order a lot of pork galbi, but we decided to try the pork belly. Maybe it was a blogger’s sense of duty to write a different review, haha.

That doenjang that makes even people who normally do not eat lettuce easily finish a whole head of it!! That doenjang! The one in the middle!

Yeoyejeong, a meat restaurant in Yangyang, has delicious doenjang—house-made doenjang, at that. And that means it is a great side-dish place too. Every single side dish was delicious. Honestly, you could polish off a bowl of rice with just the side dishes.

The garlic chili pickles were especially good: the sharp garlic and spicy peppers kept their crisp texture, yet the pickles were tender rather than tough. They were not overly salty or harsh, and their bright flavor neatly cut through the richness of the meat. Their spicy yet refreshing taste was an insane pairing with pork belly. The pickles were really delicious!

Charcoal-grilled pork belly that was easy to enjoy with a child

Yeoyejeong, a meat restaurant in Yangyang, also has children's tableware ready, so it was a good place to visit with a child.

The pork belly at Yeoyejeong in Yangyang was excellent quality. When grilled, it was not dry at all; it held plenty of juicy moisture inside and had a wonderfully tender bite. The charcoal fire is strong, so you need to turn it quickly.

Its savory meat aroma spread gently without any unpleasant smell, so the children ate it well, and my parents-in-law said they enjoyed it too. Thanks to the doenjang the restaurant carefully makes in-house, my parents-in-law were also eagerly eating lettuce wraps with rice, just like I was. The various banchan (Korean side dishes), pickles, and white kimchi cleanly balanced the fatty flavor of the pork belly and helped us keep eating meat endlessly.

Charcoal-grilled king oyster mushrooms and doenjang jjigae

The king oyster mushrooms served with the meal were also delicious grilled over charcoal. Their insides filled with moist juices, making them very tender. A subtle charcoal aroma settled into the surface, while a deep, rich umami flavor came alive almost like meat. The outside cooked up chewy while the inside stayed soft and juicy, creating a distinctive texture that paired beautifully with the meat.

They were delicious wrapped in lettuce, and I also liked them with wasabi.

Since the doenjang at Yeoyejeong, a meat restaurant in Yangyang, is so good, what more is there to say about the doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew)? It was truly delicious. If you visit Yangyang in Gangwon, I strongly recommend Yeoyejeong for its doenjang and pork belly!