Suyu samgyeopsal spot, beef tartare and cold noodles: Suyu Daewang

These days prices have gone up so much that finding a place where the taste, price, and meat quality all satisfy you at once is harder than it sounds, right? A few days ago I started craving thick whole pork belly dripping with fat, grilled golden on a big cauldron lid, wrapped up in a huge lettuce leaf with kimchi and garlic cooked in all that meat fat!

So I searched hard for good restaurants and pubs near Suyu Station, and found a pork belly place that's already famous by word of mouth for its value and flavor. It's 'Suyu Daewang Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal,' a Suyu spot known for meat that's tender and juicy thanks to a careful 168-hour low-temperature aging process!

It was even better value and more satisfying than I expected, so I wanted to share every detail with you in this review!

Inside Suyu Daewang Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal and what 600g of pork belly costs

Suyu Daewang Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal has a really spacious, clean interior. The tables have plenty of room between them, so it's comfortable for a meal and would also work well for a gathering with friends or a work dinner.

One of the biggest draws here is the price and quality. They serve premium grade 1 (US) pork that's been low-temperature aged for 168 hours, and one order (600g) is a very budget-friendly ₩29,000.

What's in the self-serve corner

On one side of the restaurant there's a really neat, well-organized self-serve corner. Seasoned bean sprouts, kimchi, shredded scallions, pickled onion, mushrooms, and assorted sauces are all laid out tidily, so it was really convenient to top up any side dish without hesitation during the meal.

Two rounds of whole pork belly filling the cauldron lid

That day, we ordered two full portions of whole pork belly at Suyu Daewang and ate heartily. On the well-heated, large cauldron lid, they piled on the thick aged whole pork belly, and generously surrounded it with water dropwort, bean sprouts, kimchi, king oyster mushrooms, and enoki mushrooms.

Just looking at the grill piled high made my mouth water instantly. Maybe because of the 168-hour low-temperature aging, the meat was so tender, and with every bite the savory juices burst in my mouth.

Especially good was wrapping the meat with kimchi and bean sprouts grilled golden in the pork fat, along with fragrant water dropwort — a combination that never got old. Dipping it into the bubbling sauce also gave it amazing depth of flavor. You all know bean sprouts grilled crispy are just so good, right!? ㅠ

Finishing with beef tartare, brisket doenjang jjigae and sesame-loaded cold noodles

After happily finishing off two orders of whole pork belly, we rounded out the meal with a variety of side dishes: beef tartare, brisket doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), and cold noodles.

Savory beef tartare: fresh, bright red beef tartare topped with a fresh egg yolk — mixing it all together gave a rich, savory flavor.

Brisket doenjang jjigae: served bubbling in a stone pot, this stew was loaded with beef brisket, tofu, and mushrooms, with a rich, spicy broth. It cut right through any greasiness left over from the meat, and I couldn't stop eating it with rice.

Sesame-loaded cold noodles (mul naengmyeon): cold noodles served in a refreshing broth with floating slush ice and topped with plenty of sesame — the nuttiness and coolness were excellent. With chewy noodles, it was a clean, satisfying way to finish the meal.

Who should eat at Suyu Daewang Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal

This is a place where you can enjoy high-quality 168-hour low-temperature aged whole pork belly at an affordable price without holding back. You can load the cauldron lid with all kinds of vegetables and kimchi for a hearty meal, and every single side dish was delicious too, making it a truly satisfying meal. If you're looking for a great pork belly restaurant in Suyu, be sure to visit 'Suyu Daewang Sotttukkeong Samgyeopsal' 😊