Hapjeong Korean BBQ with bibim naengmyeon and Seoul Pay: Ijjok

Do you guys like kimchi samgyeopsal (grilled kimchi pork belly)? I love it soooo much that I already had it near Hapjeong Station last time! But I found an even better kimchi samgyeopsal spot in Hapjeong, so I have to tell you about it right away! It's Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal in Hapjeong!

📍Location: 20 Dokmak-ro 3-gil, B1, Mapo-gu, Seoul (Hapjeong Station Exit 3) ⏰Hours: 11:30 - 23:00, last order 22:00 / break time 15:00 - 17:00 ✅Simple payment accepted (I paid via Seoul Pay!)

Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal in Hapjeong: menu and what we ordered

They have set menus like the 2-3 person set and 3-4 person set, so it seems like a good option for company dinners or gatherings. The set comes with meat, steamed egg, and doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) — a classic combo!

☑️Can swap for raw pork belly or raw pork neck

We were originally going to order a set menu right away, but that day I was really craving bibim naengmyeon, so we ordered raw pork belly 180g x 2, whole gullet meat 150g x 1, and bibim naengmyeon x 1 instead!

➕Later we also added cheese to the finishing fried rice. (Highly recommend the cheese add-on..🧀)

For drinks, we ordered a bottle of Chamisul Fresh soju and a Zero Coke!

Side dishes at Ijjok: the pickled bean sprouts stand out

Here's a look at the side dishes at Ijjok Kimchi Samgyeopsal! Usually at pork belly restaurants you get pickled onions, but here they serve pickled bean sprouts as a side dish, which is unusual!

The sauce is similar to the pickled onion one, so the flavor is similar, but the texture is different, making it feel like a whole new side dish. If you put this pickled bean sprout on top of kimchi and pork belly together, it's really harmonious and delicious!

➕Bonus: it doesn't get messy on your mouth and fits in one bite, which is even better!!

Ssamjang (dipping sauce) comes out with the side dishes, and salt and wasabi are set at each table so you can help yourself to as much as you want, which is nice.

The owner grills the pork for you — how did it taste?

Getting ready to properly dig in~

All you have to do is wait for the meat to be grilled. This is a place where they grill it for you, so the owner, who's really skilled at grilling, does it all herself..

And honestly, the owner grills the meat really, really well..👍

I didn't realize it when I was younger, but lately I've really felt that a restaurant that grills the meat for you is the best.

First off, the meat just looks different(?). It's chewy but you can really feel the juices bursting inside, so after one bite I nodded to myself, like ah, this place... it's good, I'm glad I came..

Plus the heat on the grill was really good, so the kimchi cooked up super deliciously, and the potatoes and mushrooms were really tasty too.

Thick whole pork jowl with bibim naengmyeon at Ijjok

The whole gullet meat is just as delicious as the pork belly, if not more. True to its name of "whole" gullet meat, it's not thinly sliced but comes out nice and thick, and it's really tasty..

Right around when we were eating the whole gullet meat, the bibim naengmyeon arrived, so we tried them together, and I recommend this combo. Bibim naengmyeon + meat.. it's a combination that can't fail.

Finishing with fried rice and extra cheese

After finishing all that, we thoroughly enjoyed the finishing fried rice with cheese added too. Fried rice is basically the golden rule, right? Their fried rice is really good too.. I was clearly super full, but I ate half of it myself.. I highly recommend the finishing fried rice too. It's even better with cheese added~