After-work pork BBQ in Bongdam: salted hairtail dip & stew, Hanmaeum

Looking for Bongdam District 2's famous pork belly after work

Hanmaeum Jeonguk Sikdang Bongdam (한마음정육식당 봉담점) is a BBQ restaurant in Bongdam District 2, Hwaseong, that's known for great pork belly. I got off work early today, the weather was gorgeous, I was in a great mood, so dinner had to be meat! I'd heard the value is excellent too, so I headed to Hanmaeum Jeonguk Sikdang Bongdam with high hopes~!

This is the entrance! There were lots of banners, and the smell of grilling meat right at the door... wow. It had me drooling.

There was a banner like this out front, and isn't this an amazing deal?! If I'd known about this event, I would have come on a Monday for sure. Such a shame.

Right by the entrance there was also a sign like this. The weekend waits must be terrible for them to need a sign... it's clearly a real hit place!!! There's always a reason when a place is packed, haha.

Is Hanmaeum Jeonguk Sikdang Bongdam good for company dinners and kids?

Hanmaeum Jeonguk Sikdang Bongdam has lots of tables, 3 private rooms and even a kids play room, so it suits company dinners and family get-togethers with children. When we walked in, some groups were already having a company dinner, and plenty of people had brought kids.

There are three rooms, and they were already full. They all seemed to be company dinners.

And look, there's a play room in one corner of the restaurant!!! No wonder so many tables had kids. Parents can eat in peace and the kids have fun in the play room, a win-win, haha.

Side dishes and unlimited doenjang stew

At Hanmaeum Jeonguk Sikdang Bongdam, every table has a burner for doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) right next to the grill, and the stew is unlimited. We had booked, so the side dishes were already set out, and there were so many tasty ones. We ate the most of the pickled cabbage, ssambu (pickled radish wraps), corn salad and shredded scallion salad. They were delicious and suited our taste, haha.

The grill has a burner for the stew right beside it, and the reason is that the doenjang jjigae is unlimited!!! That's why each table has its own stew burner, haha.

Free pork belly for a review event

The review event was great too! Where else gives you a serving of pork belly just for joining a review event.... Does the owner even make a profit?! Please write a review and get your freebie, everyone!

Menu and what's in the half pig set

The menu at Hanmaeum Jeonguk Sikdang Bongdam had beef, pork and lamb plus sides. There were lots of beef cuts and pork cuts, but the lamb was all sold out. The sides looked so good too!!! Even Jjapaguri (instant noodle mix)... mouth watering... Since we'd decided on pork today, we ordered the half pig!

Look at the color of that meat! The half pig we ordered is 500g, a mixed set that includes pork belly, five-layer belly, neck, gabrisal (a cut from the front of the loin) and hangjeongsal (pork jowl)!

Self-bar and stew refills

The self-bar at Hanmaeum Jeonguk Sikdang Bongdam had the side dishes, lettuce and refill stew. While the meat cooked, I looked around the self-bar, and the doenjang jjigae was so good that I went back twice more...

The stew was bubbling so nicely that I took a photo. It was packed with zucchini, potato and onion, and it was so delicious, T_T. We weren't going to order rice, but the stew was so good that we ordered rice too, haha.

How did the pork belly, five-layer belly and neck taste?

The pork at Hanmaeum Jeonguk Sikdang Bongdam was rich, chewy and had no gamey smell at all. We grilled the pork belly and five-layer belly first, and the grill drains fat well, so they cooked up golden brown and delicious.

We grilled kimchi and bean sprouts around the edge of the grill too. The smell was so good it was hard to wait until it was done, haha.

I wrapped a lettuce ssam and took a bite! So good T_T. The meat was rich and chewy with no gamey smell at all. And I love dipping pork in galchi-sokjeot (salted fish guts), and Hanmaeum Jeonguk Sikdang Bongdam happened to have it, which was totally my thing, haha.

Next we grilled the pork neck. It was great too. It's lean, but rich and full of juice. Some BBQ places serve really dry pork neck, but Hanmaeum Jeonguk Sikdang Bongdam was different!!

The open butchering kitchen and dessert ice cream

At Hanmaeum Jeonguk Sikdang Bongdam you can see the kitchen hanging meat and trimming it by hand. When I went to pay and looked toward the kitchen, the meat looked fantastic, and with the butchering done in plain sight, there's clearly a reason it tastes good, haha.

They also sell ice cream at the counter, so if you want something to freshen your mouth after the meal, keep that in mind, haha.

Would I go back to Hanmaeum Jeonguk Sikdang Bongdam?

I visited because it's a famously good-value BBQ place in Bongdam District 2, and the meat quality was great and the staff were so friendly that we had a lovely meal. I was very happy with the pork today, and next time I plan to try the beef, haha. 100 percent I'll be back!!!