Spicy frozen pork belly after a Changwon NC Park game: Smile Hall

I've been so swamped with wedding prep and errands that I haven't gotten to watch much baseball live this year, but I had plans with friends anyway, so we caught a game and hit up a good restaurant nearby.

Near NC Park, Changwon — third visit

The place I went is Smile Hall, a frozen pork belly spot in Sanho-dong, Masan, famous as a go-to restaurant near Changwon's NC Park. This was my third visit, so I basically know the menu inside out by now >_<

I walked in feeling triumphant and happy. My friends and I each had a late lunch separately, met up at the stadium, only drank there, and then, once the game ended, went straight to this restaurant absolutely starving.

I'd been craving frozen pork belly for a while, and the second I walked in, the delicious smell hit me and made me even hungrier!

A restaurant full of baseball uniforms

I'll admit it's clearly a baseball-crowd restaurant — almost every table had people in team uniforms, haha. Technically the winning team's fans are supposed to strut around proudly in their jerseys, but I was worried about splattering my white uniform while eating meat, so I quietly stuffed mine into my bag. Meanwhile, the guy in the photo who just kept his white uniform on the whole meal? Absolute legend, haha :)

The menu and set options

They have all the basic drinks, plus a set menu where you can try a bit of everything. I don't think I saw a set menu on my first visit — did they add it recently, or did I just miss it?

The menu board at Smile Hall. Why is this photo so out of focus... haha, I only noticed when I pulled it up to write this post. Total facepalm.

Since my photo came out blurry, I grabbed one from online instead^^. Anyway, we started off with 6 servings of frozen pork belly (for 3 people).

There's also a "how to enjoy Smile Hall twice as much" tip, so make sure to check that out too >_<

6 servings of frozen pork belly, grilled ourselves

I was starving so I was extra happy to see the meat arrive. It seems like they'll grill it for you when it's quieter, but tonight was clearly way too busy for that, haha. So my friend and I swapped seats to sit somewhere better for grilling. Guess it's on me — I've got camping experience, so I'll do the grilling.

Everyone was so hungry that we all had our phones out taking photos at once, total satisfaction all around.

No time to waste, just grill that pork belly already! Honestly it was chaos, haha. We were so hungry we forgot the golden rule of pepper with frozen pork belly and just grilled it all plain. But you know what, it was still amazing without the pepper too.

I remembered the "right way to eat it" a bit too late, so we threw the asparagus, garlic, and kimchi on the grill right as we were finishing the pork belly :) haha. I was supposed to drain the meat fat into my belly but ended up dumping it all into a paper cup instead~

Staff grill the spicy marinated pork belly for you

Then, wanting to try the spicy marinated frozen pork belly, we ordered 2 extra servings. First time trying it for me >_< so I had high expectations. Since the sauce splatters a lot, a staff member grilled it for us.

Just as it was turning golden brown, I thought, finally, we get to eat it —

— and then they topped it with shredded scallions too?! What a pro move... Adding the scallions on top made it look even more ridiculously good.

Even though we were already pretty full, the spicy marinated pork belly was so good. The sauce was a bit on the intense side, which made it perfect with beer. I can't believe this was my first time trying it. Definitely ordering it again next time!!

Finishing with two fried rice

You can't skip fried rice, right? The minimum order is 2, so we got 2, and the portions were huge. Actually, thinking back, my friends and I always eat a ton anyway! And yeah, we finished it all, haha. We were so stuffed that we couldn't even fit in dessert with my friends and just headed straight home.

If you go to Smile Hall, the spicy marinated frozen pork belly should be a must-order, not an optional add-on!