Camping chairs by the creek at a Namyangju valley BBQ: 2002 Witch's

I went to Namyangju for some meat and ran into a menu name that grabbed my attention right away!! Tomato-jang pork belly — tomato and pork belly, how do those even go together...? 🍅

Where is 2002 Witch's Arpeggio, and is there parking?

2002 Witch's Arpeggio is a BBQ restaurant at 142 Suryero661beon-gil, Wabu-eup, Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do. Hours are Mon–Sun 11:00–21:00, with a break time from 15:00–17:00, and parking is available.

The parking lot is huge so we didn't have to worry about parking at all haha, we came in with no stress 🍁❤️❤️

Tables right in front of the valley creek, at their best in fall

2002 Witch's Arpeggio is a restaurant right in front of a valley. Honestly it's even better right now than in the middle of summer ㅠㅠ

Looking at the green scenery, it felt like a totally different vibe from eating BBQ in the city... truly healing, pure and simple ㅠㅠ I want to bring my sibling here before it gets any colder.

What we ordered at 2002 Witch's Arpeggio

This time we went to 2002 Witch's Arpeggio. We picked one jar-aged tomato-jang pork belly and one cheese tomato-jang pork belly, plus a potato pancake and pollock roe nurungji (scorched rice) fried rice. The menu names are long and we ordered a lot too... haha

There's also a cute cat here..?

Two pork bellies, two different spice levels

I ordered two kinds of pork belly. Witch's Jar-Aged Tomato-Jang Pork Belly at ₩20,000 per serving, and Witch's Jar-Cheese Tomato-Jang Pork Belly at ₩25,000 per serving!

We also picked different spice levels for each. The basic one was 'Just a Bad Guy,' Shin Ramyun spicy, and the cheese version was 'Truly a Bad Guy,' Buldak Bokkeummyeon (fire noodle) spicy. Why are these names so serious about spice level? Hahaha

Side dishes: tomato kimchi and japchae

Tomato kimchi 🍅 — I'd never had it before, and I was so surprised at how good it was, way beyond what I imagined, haha

There was also delicious japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) ~_~

Potato pancake: crisp outside, chewy inside, and it tames the heat

Potato pancake, the inseparable partner of BBQ!! The outside was very crispy and the inside was chewy, grilled so you could really taste the potato — a real treat.

It paired perfectly with the spiciness of the tomato-jang pork belly, the savory pancake neutralizing the heat beautifully. It wasn't overpowering — even kids would like it — while still having a deep flavor, which was very satisfying.

How the 48-hour jar-aged tomato-jang pork belly tastes

Maybe because the tomato-jang was carefully aged in a jar for 48 hours, the flavor was clean with no gamy smell at all — a real standout!! Unlike regular seasonings, it had a subtle umami combined with a pleasant spiciness that made it easy to keep eating without getting tired of it.

My husband liked it so much that after a few bites he kept saying, let's come here again!! Over and over haha

The staff grilled the meat for us so we could enjoy it very comfortably, and with bean sprouts and various wrap vegetables the crunchy texture added even more fun to every bite. As befits a well-known BBQ restaurant in Namyangju, we got to experience something on a totally different level from the ordinary pork belly we usually eat, for a happy lunch.❤️❤️

And to finish, cauldron fried rice too ❤️

Camping chairs out by the creek after lunch

It felt like too much of a shame to just leave, so we pulled out the camping chairs we always carry with us and enjoyed the creekside vibe.

It was a really enjoyable time, healing in nature while tasting a different kind of pork belly. Whenever I think of the deep flavor of the 48-hour aged meat and the crispy potato pancake, this is a place I want to come back to anytime, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a great BBQ restaurant in Namyangju.