Wife's first frozen pork belly: three textures compared at Minari

My wife had never eaten naengsam (frozen sliced pork belly) before, so this time I figured we'd try it somewhere close to home.

There are naengsam places everywhere these days, but I thought it'd be nicer to find one where you could grill minari (water celery) along with the pork instead of just plain frozen pork belly. While searching near Munjeong Station, I found that Minari Naengsam served a minari flower naengsam, so we went to check it out.

To cut to the conclusion, my wife ended up liking naengsam quite a lot. She especially liked that the meat is thin, cooks fast, and can be eaten right away as it's grilled. I also liked the combination with minari, and by the time we finished with fried rice, it felt like a proper full meal.

Location and atmosphere at Minari Naengsam

• Name: Minari Naengsam
• Address: 114 Beopwon-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 16:00–24:00

Walking in, the space stretches back further than it looks from outside.

It's not a huge restaurant, but tables are packed in fairly tightly on both sides, so it can seat more customers at once than you'd expect.

Every table has a portable gas burner and a grill plate, plus a tablet for ordering.

When we visited in the evening, nearly every table was full, with a mix of office workers on a dinner outing and couples like us.

Menu and prices at Minari Naengsam

• Minari flower naengsam, 160g – ₩14,900
• Minari fresh pork belly, 160g – ₩15,900
• Minari naengsam, 160g – ₩13,900
• Minari Korean beef (++) brisket, 120g – ₩18,900
• Minari pork cheek jowl, 160g – ₩13,900

That day we ordered minari flower naengsam, minari naengsam, and pork jowl, along with doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) and fried rice.

Side dishes and the minari spread

First, the basic side dishes came out along with minari and kimchi.

True to a naengsam restaurant, the banchan (side dish) spread wasn't especially elaborate. Instead it felt like just the right amount of things meant to go with the meat.

The first thing that catches your eye is the minari. There was plenty of it, ready to go straight onto one side of the grill, and kimchi also goes on the grill to cook alongside it.

The basic side dishes included scallion salad, mustard leaf kimchi, garlic, and lettuce wraps. For sauces there were the usual ssamjang (dipping paste), salt, and sesame oil, plus a separate sauce loaded with perilla seeds.

First time trying naengsam: thin meat that cooks fast

The meat arrived.

The thinly sliced frozen pork belly came out rolled up, with the fat and lean meat forming a noticeably prettier pattern than typical naengsam. I get why it's called 'flower naengsam' now.

This was my wife's first time eating naengsam, and at first she seemed to wonder why anyone would bother eating frozen pork belly at all.

But once it hit the grill and cooked in no time, her mind changed a little.

Unlike fresh pork belly, which takes a while, this cooks fast on both sides and you can eat it right away, so the meal never stalls. Waiting around for meat to cook when you're hungry can drag on, but with naengsam there's none of that.

My wife said she liked how quickly it cooked, and that it tasted better than she expected. Pretty successful first naengsam experience.

Comparing textures: flower naengsam, naengsam, and pork jowl

The flower naengsam in particular was surprisingly tender. With the thin layers of fat and lean meat overlapping, it went down smoothly, more like eating beef brisket than typical naengsam.

By comparison, the regular naengsam and pork jowl had a noticeably firmer bite. You could feel the grain of the meat with each chew — if flower naengsam is on the soft side, naengsam and pork jowl lean toward the chewier side.

Personally, I found it fun eating all three side by side — the differences were quite clear. If you like tender meat, go for the flower naengsam; if you prefer something with more chew, naengsam or pork jowl suit better.

Minari soaked in pork fat

And at this restaurant, minari matters just as much as the naengsam.

Once the pork belly started rendering fat, we piled minari on beside it and grilled it together. Minari soaked in pork fat went surprisingly well with the meat.

Black pepper was also set out on the table.

Seeing pepper at a naengsam place gives it an old-school feel. Since the meat is thin, a light sprinkle of pepper brings out its aroma right away and pairs well.

Doenjang stew and hairtail-jeotgal fried rice

It felt a bit lacking to eat only meat, so we ordered doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) too.

It had a good amount of tofu and a rich broth, good for a spoonful in between bites of naengsam. Since naengsam is a fairly greasy dish, having a hot soup alongside really works.

Last up was the fried rice.

We were already pretty full from the meat and stew, but it's hard to leave without fried rice.

We ordered the domestic hairtail-jeotgal (salted fish innards) fried rice, and the seasoning was evenly worked through the rice. Fried on the grill plate with bits of ingredients mixed in, it made a solid finishing dish.

I expected the jeotgal to bring a strong fishy taste, but it wasn't like that at all. It leaned more salty and savory, and the crispy bits that stuck to the grill were so good I kept scraping them up.

Taking one big spoonful, it felt like the meal only truly ends once carbs come in.

Overall thoughts on Minari Naengsam

This was the day I got my wife to try naengsam for the first time, and overall it went well.

What she liked most was that the thin meat cooked fast and could be eaten right away, and she said the taste was better than expected.

I also enjoyed naengsam itself, but what was more interesting was how clearly different each cut was. Flower naengsam went down smoothly like brisket, while naengsam and pork jowl had a firmer bite. Pairing all of it with minari cooked in pork fat cut through the greasiness and added aroma, so I kept reaching for more.

The doenjang stew was a comforting broth that went well with the meat, and finishing with the hairtail-jeotgal fried rice left us properly full.

I don't think naengsam as a dish is meant for slowly savoring premium pork belly's texture. Instead, its strength is cooking fast and being easy to wrap up with various banchan and vegetables while having a drink.

In that sense, the minari naengsam here fit that role quite well.

If you're looking for a Korean BBQ spot in Munjeong-dong, or want naengsam with minari near Munjeong Station, it's worth a visit.

My wife, trying naengsam for the first time, was satisfied, so next time it might be fun to order fresh pork belly alongside naengsam to compare.