Pork belly restaurant in Bucheon: Mungteong Bucheon Sinjung-dong

I made a reservation and visited Mungteong Bucheon Sinjung-dong Branch (뭉텅 부천신중동점). I had two portions of samgyeopsal (pork belly) with kimchi jjigae, and it was fun alternating the thick pork with the different sauces. The barley ssamjang was the one I reached for most.

How do you get there from Sinjung-dong Station?

It is about a 10-minute walk from Exit 4 of Sinjung-dong Station. When I visited, there was a Catchtable kiosk and outdoor seating outside the restaurant. Because it was hot, I went straight indoors.

The hours listed in the original post are 16:00–23:00 on weekdays and 12:00–23:00 on weekends. I used Naver Reservation. When I visited, there were first-come, first-served event coupons by the door, with a notice saying one coupon per party could be used until 6 p.m. on weekdays.

Are there seats for groups?

The dining room was not especially large, but it had tables for small parties as well as larger groups. There was also space for several people to eat together.

Because I had reserved, a welcome sign had been prepared for my visit. It was a small touch, but it felt like a warm greeting.

There were notices about the meat posted around the restaurant. An information booklet was also available at the table, so I read it while waiting for the food.

What did I order, and what side dishes came with it?

I ordered two portions of samgyeopsal and kimchi jjigae. The menu also had sets for two and for three to four people, but they looked like more food than I wanted this time, so I chose individual items.

The banchan (side dishes) arrived quickly. There was napa cabbage kimchi and green onion kimchi, along with shiitake-wasabi sauce, barley ssamjang, and shrimp salt. I was glad that green onion kimchi was included at a pork barbecue restaurant.

Meljeot (fermented anchovy sauce) was included too. At first, the sauce was served on its own, but a staff member told me it would taste good if I added garlic and chili peppers to my liking and let it simmer. I followed the suggestion.

Who grills the pork belly, and what was the texture like?

The samgyeopsal arrived as thick-cut fresh pork. The small message stuck into the meat also caught my eye.

A staff member cooked the meat at the beginning. Once it had cooked to a certain point, I finished grilling it at the table.

The golden-brown grilled pork belly had a ratio of lean meat to fat that suited my taste. It was not dry and felt moist.

Which sauce went best with the pork belly?

I tried each sauce. The shrimp salt contained breadcrumbs, so it tasted more nutty than salty to me and complemented the flavor of the pork well.

The barley ssamjang was my favorite. It did not have the strong aroma typical of ssamjang and tasted mild. I do not usually eat much ssamjang with meat, but I kept reaching for it here.

The shiitake-wasabi sauce did not taste overly salty either. The wasabi cut through the richness of the meat, making it easy to eat with the pork.

The meljeot began to simmer while I ate the pork. After a while, the meal could feel a little rich, but the spicy meljeot with garlic and chili peppers helped balance the greasy feeling.

How were the kimchi jjigae and dessert?

I chose kimchi jjigae as a side dish, and I was looking forward to it because I could smell it coming from the kitchen before it arrived.

It had generous amounts of meat and kimchi, along with plenty of tofu. The abundant ingredients made it quite filling, and the broth was spicy and refreshing enough that I kept spooning it up.

Slushies were available for dessert. After the pork and stew, I finished the meal by refreshing my palate with a cold slushy.