Kid-friendly Korean BBQ lunch special in Siheung: Hamdon Jeongwang

Today's second post is my review of Hamdon Main Branch, a pork belly spot in Jeongwang-dong, Siheung. My husband first went there for a work dinner 2-3 years ago and raved about it, so he took me and our kid along. The memory of how good it was stuck with me, so I finally revisited after all this time haha.

Where is Hamdon Jeongwang Main Branch, and is there parking and space for kids?

• Location: 31-1 Jungsimsangga 3-gil, Units 101–102, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do
• Parking at the Parc parking lot next to Siheung Bus Terminal (2 hours free with a meal over ₩30,000)
• High chair available

Before you even step inside, a dol hareubang (stone grandfather statue) greets you, and there's artificial grass laid out, which instantly gave off a refreshing Jeju vibe. I looked it up on Naver and apparently the owner was so moved the first time he ate pork belly in Hamdeok, Jeju, that he named the restaurant after it — 'Hamdon' being a shortened combo of Hamdeok and don (pork).

Since Hamdon is about 30 minutes from my house, I called ahead to reserve a table. Maybe because I mentioned we had a kid, they gave us an inner window seat — I really appreciated that.

What comes with the lunch pork set, and does it run on weekends?

Here's the thing — Hamdon in Jeongwang-dong, Siheung runs its lunch special even on weekends (until 3pm, weekdays and weekends alike)! I'd already planned out the menu carefully before we went, so ordering was quick and easy. My husband skipped breakfast and came in starving, so it might've looked like we over-ordered, but he's secretly a big eater, so this amount was actually just right lol. The lunch pork set comes with a bowl of rice, but you've got to finish with cold noodles to complete the meal!

Side dishes and minari wraps at Hamdon: which one to watch with a child

Once we ordered, they brought out a spread of banchan (side dishes) plus minari (water dropwort) and gochujang (red chili paste). At first I didn't read the label and assumed the minari itself was grilled, but it turns out you wrap the well-cooked meat in the minari leaves haha. All the side dishes were nicely salty and paired well with the meat. There was a white dish that looked like muchae (julienned radish salad), and I was about to give it to my kid, but a staff member kindly told me it had mustard in it and might be too spicy for a child (so thoughtful!). When I tried it myself, the mustard gave it a jellyfish-salad kind of flavor, though the texture was closer to muchae! It went really well with the meat haha.

Hamdon's ogyeopsal: cut and pre-grilled by the staff

Next came Hamdon's ogyeopsal (five-layer pork belly)! They placed one of the side dishes, myeoljeot (fermented anchovy sauce), on the grill and let it sizzle gently. What I loved was that staff grilled the meat to a pre-cooked state for us! Going out for meat with a kid usually means juggling grilling duty and feeding duty at once, but having the meat already cut into bite-size pieces and pre-grilled made things so much easier, seriously.

After the pre-grill, they arrange the pork belly neatly on the grill so you can finish cooking it a bit more and eat it at its best! And honestly, the sizzling sound of fatty pork on the grill is unbeatable. If you move the well-cooked pieces up to the side of the grill, they stay warm without cooling down haha.

Soybean paste stew packed with pork, mild enough for a child

This doenjang jeongol (soybean paste stew) came included in the pork set at Hamdon, the restaurant in Siheung with the lunch special. I was surprised by how generous the portion was — the tofu was huge and there was so much meat inside. The doenjang-based broth was packed with tender, well-cooked meat, basically a rice thief in stew form. My husband, who usually isn't into stews, kept eating and said this one was genuinely delicious. It wasn't spicy at all either, so I tried giving some to my kid, and sure enough, he ate it right up haha.

Water-based cold noodles vs spicy mixed cold noodles

You can't skip cold noodles when eating barbecue! As always, my husband got bibim naengmyeon (spicy mixed cold noodles) and I got mul naengmyeon (cold noodles in broth). They came topped simply with yeolmu (young radish greens), pickled radish, and egg — I liked that the toppings weren't overdone since we already had meat. Also, the portion is way bigger than it looks in photos lol. The broth wasn't overloaded with seasoning, so it had a clean, light flavor that paired nicely with the meat and other side dishes. I even wrapped some of the meat from the doenjang stew into my noodles, and that combo worked really well too haha.

Was the Hamdon lunch set enough food for a family of three?

Don't skimp on wrapping meat in the minari that came with the meal — it's fresh enough to make you feel healthier just eating it haha. I was a little worried the lunch special portion of meat wouldn't be enough, but with all the meat packed into the accompanying doenjang stew too, we got plenty of protein to fill us up lol. It was a bit of a drive from home, so we made it a little outing to Hamdon, the restaurant in Jeongwang-dong, Siheung — and as a family of three, it was a satisfying, filling meal we really enjoyed!