Return visit for kimchi fried rice finale: Ijjok, Hapjeong Korean BBQ

There are plenty of places that were delicious on a first visit, but honestly not that many that keep coming back to mind afterward, making me return haha. But this place really stuck with me! It's Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal.

When I first visited, the pork belly was great, but what really got me was the kimchi grilled together with the meat — it was so good that I had to come back.

This time I ordered the 2–3 person set and made sure to finish it off properly with fried rice :)

Back again at Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal because it was just that good

When you arrive at the entrance, you'll see a sign that reads "Ijjok's First Story."

There are chairs set up near the entrance so you can sit and wait if there's a line. Since I'd already been here once, the moment I saw the familiar entrance I thought, "Time to grill that kimchi properly again today" haha.

The walls inside are covered with celebrity autographs

Once you step inside, one whole wall is covered with signatures. It seems like quite a few well-known people have stopped by.

The overall vibe is a comfortable BBQ restaurant, so it's great for dinner with friends or for meat with a drink.

What's in the ₩55,000 2–3 person set at Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal

This time instead of ordering separate dishes, I got the 2–3 person set for ₩55,000. Here's what came with it.

• ⭐️ 2 servings of fresh pork belly
• ⭐️ 1 serving of whole pork jowl
• ⭐️ Fluffy steamed egg
• ⭐️ Doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew)

The regular price is ₩58,000, but ordering the set brings it down to ₩55,000.

It also said the fresh pork belly could be swapped for fresh pork neck. Since the set bundles in the steamed egg and doenjang jjigae along with the meat, not just meat alone, it was a good spread for 2–3 people to share a variety of things.

The basic side dishes come out before the meat

Once you order meat, lettuce comes out along with shredded scallion, bean sprouts, and more.

Fresh wasabi and roasted salt are also provided, so you can dip your meat however you like.

According to the restaurant's posted "How to enjoy Ijjok's meat," you should scoop the wasabi or salt onto your own plate, grill the kimchi without burning it, and pair the meat with bean sprouts for extra flavor.

But honestly, the thing I want to recommend most here is... the kimchi.

Why this kimchi samgyeopsal keeps coming back to mind

Finally, the pork belly and whole pork jowl went onto the grill.

Onion and mushrooms get grilled alongside, and a generous pile of kimchi goes on one side. As the meat cooks and the fat starts rendering, the kimchi grills in that fat — and it is genuinely so good.

It's completely different from eating kimchi on its own — once the pork belly fat soaks in, the kimchi turns savory and rich with umami. It was this exact kimchi that stuck in my memory from last time, and eating it again, I thought, ah, this is why I came back.

Thick fresh pork belly

The pork belly was cut nice and thick, so you really got that meaty bite. A golden-brown piece of pork belly topped with a bit of grilled kimchi... it's a combination that's hard to mess up haha.

A little wasabi on top works well too, and adding bean sprouts brings in a crunchy texture. Personally, pork belly plus grilled kimchi was still my favorite combination.

Even better with the whole pork jowl added in

The 2–3 person set includes not just pork belly but also a serving of whole pork jowl. If pork belly is soft and rich, pork jowl has that appealingly chewier, springier texture.

Switching between the two cuts meant I got tired of it less than if I'd just eaten one kind, and I got to enjoy two different textures.

The fluffy steamed egg included in the set

And then there's the fluffy steamed egg that comes with the set!

As you can see in the photo, it puffed up really high over the top of the stone pot. It's soft and pillowy, perfect for taking a spoonful in between bites of meat.

After eating grilled kimchi and meat for a while, you start craving something a bit softer, and that's exactly when a spoonful of steamed egg hits the spot. The portion was also quite generous, so it felt like a satisfying side included in the set.

Hot doenjang jjigae is a must too

The set also comes with doenjang jjigae. It arrives bubbling in a stone pot, with tofu and vegetables inside, making it great for sipping broth between bites of meat.

Having doenjang jjigae with meat always makes the meal feel complete haha. With pork belly, pork jowl, steamed egg, and doenjang jjigae, the table was seriously packed.

The grilled kimchi is truly the secret weapon

Once the meat is mostly cooked, the kimchi starts to properly cook through too. Kimchi grilled in the meat's fat is so much more savory than regular grilled kimchi, and those slightly charred bits are unbelievably good 😂

Grab a piece of pork belly, top it with kimchi, and eat them together — the kimchi cuts through the richness of the fatty meat and you just keep going. Eating it, you immediately understand why the restaurant is called Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal.

And of course, fried rice to finish

I was pretty full already, but there's no way I could come this far and skip the fried rice. So I added on kimchi fried rice at the end.

With rice and gim (seaweed flakes) added to the leftover meat and kimchi flavors on the grill, it turned into the perfect after-BBQ fried rice. Since it has kimchi in it, it's not greasy at all — a little spicy and savory — so even saying I was full, I just kept eating it haha.

If you like fried rice after your meat, I definitely recommend sticking around here until the very end.

Still delicious on a return visit

For me, if a restaurant I loved isn't as satisfying the second time around, I tend not to go back after that. But Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal was just as good on this repeat visit.

In particular, the kimchi grilled in pork belly fat — the whole reason I came back — was just as delicious this time too.

The 2–3 person set for ₩55,000 I ordered this time came with 2 servings of fresh pork belly, 1 serving of whole pork jowl, steamed egg, and doenjang jjigae, so it was great for trying a bit of everything at once.

Finishing off with the fried rice really made it feel like a complete meal haha. If you like the combination of pork belly and grilled kimchi, I'd say Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal is worth a visit. I'll probably end up going a third time once I start craving it again.