Namdong, Incheon ssam bap restaurant for spicy pork: Chagane Ssam Bap

One day, I was so sad that summer vacation was over, and I was trying to soothe that sadness at least a little with a half-day off during the week. My first weekday half-day off after summer vacation! It happened to overlap with my boyfriend’s day off, so we decided to have lunch together. We wondered what to eat, and then my boyfriend—who loved wrapping spicy pork in leafy greens when we first started dating—suddenly said he wanted spicy pork. Maybe his tastes had changed over time, since he had not been eating it lately. So we decided on Chagane Ssam Bap (차가네쌈밥), a great ssam bap spot near Gachon University Gil Medical Center in Incheon.

Chagane Ssam Bap hours and parking

Hours: 10:00–21:30 (closed every Sunday) Parking: Available in the lot beside the restaurant

Chagane Ssam Bap says its goal is to offer the best flavor with fresh ingredients, always putting customers first and working until the food suits their tastes.

Chagane Ssam Bap says that, with health in mind, the natural seasonings used in its spicy pork, webfoot octopus spicy pork, squid spicy pork, beef bulgogi, and ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste dip) are medicinal herbs. They include shaggy button mushroom vine, Cudrania, kalopanax, Siberian ginseng, and mulberry (including mulberries).

Spacious seating, solo seats, and a window-side garden

The space is roomy and there is plenty of space between tables, so it feels easy and comfortable to visit in a group for a family meal or a work lunch or dinner.

There are solo seats too, so diners visiting alone can still enjoy a delicious ssam bap meal.

By one window is the Chagane garden. There is also a note introducing the garden, and the part saying they hoped people coming for a meal could let their eyes enjoy themselves for a moment made my heart feel warm without me even realizing it. Ssam bap fills your stomach, and reading something like this while looking at plants fills your heart—two benefits at once.

Review event

They say that if you add hashtags and post on social media, you receive one soft drink or one bottle of soju. If you write a blog review, they will confirm it on your next visit and give ₩10,000–₩20,000 off per table.

A self-service corner where you choose only the wraps you want

The wraps and water are self-service from the start. At ssam bap restaurants that bring out a selection of wraps right away, I end up leaving the ones I do not eat. I really like that I can bring only the wraps I eat from the beginning and waste as little as possible.

The self-service corner has assorted leafy wraps, coffee, sungnyung (scorched-rice tea), and herbal tea.

The assorted wraps include lettuce, baby napa cabbage, perilla leaves, kale, and angelica leaves, so you can choose according to your taste and make your own wraps. Angelica leaves in particular are a vegetable my boyfriend and I rarely leave out when making wraps. Their aroma with meat makes for a truly delicious wrap.

Garlic and Cheongyang chili peppers are available too, so you can take some if you need them. I always love adding garlic to my wraps. They had even trimmed the ends of the garlic beforehand, and I could feel the restaurant’s attention to detail.

Coffee and yagwanmun tea are available, perfect when you want coffee or tea to refresh your palate after eating. Or it would be nice to drink the yagwanmun tea instead of water. There was sungnyung beside it too, and since I really love nurungji (scorched rice), I brought some over.

As expected, the sungnyung was so nutty and delicious. Be careful with your hands, since it may be hot!

And I picked out only the wraps I like, one by one. Angelica leaves and baby napa cabbage are essential!

Chagane Ssam Bap menu

Chagane Ssam Bap serves its spicy pork ssam bap, webfoot octopus and small octopus spicy pork ssam bap, squid spicy pork ssam bap, and beef bulgogi ssam bap sets on a hot plate. There are also pork belly sets, meat-free ssam bap, and whelk ssam bap.

They say they will give you more ssamjang if you run out. The rice portion is also generous, so if you share rice, you get ₩1,000 off.

A full table where even the basic side dishes were delicious

The basic side dishes include seasoned bean sprouts, seasoned perilla leaves, japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), eggplant, and kimchi pancakes. Honestly, with just these, I could easily finish a whole bowl of rice.

They cut the kimchi pancake for us themselves, and… it was seriously delicious. I think its kimchi pancake is better than many pancake specialty restaurants. It was crispy, with such a delicious tang from the kimchi, that I almost ordered makgeolli… (Next time, definitely…).

The seaweed soup was clean and mild, a flavor that went well with the spicy pork ssam bap.

The rice was black rice too, so it felt a little healthier.

Spicy pork ssam bap set, ₩14,000

Price: ₩14,000

Of course, we ordered the spicy pork ssam bap set that my boyfriend had been craving. The stir-fried spicy pork came on a hot plate, which made it feel even more delicious. They cooked it for us too, so all we had to do was eat once it was done—so convenient and nice.

This whelk ssamjang that came with it was the key. Maybe because it was not salty, I could add plenty without it becoming too salty, and it was delicious.

Now, shall we properly start making wraps?? Lettuce + angelica leaves + garlic + whelk ssamjang + stir-fried spicy pork = you know that is such a delicious combination, right?? It had that irresistible flavor that keeps you eating.

And even a baby napa cabbage wrap, my absolute favorite!! I ate very well. Having ssam bap for lunch definitely makes your stomach feel satisfyingly full. Next time, I want to try the pork belly set too.

Recommended for

• Anyone who wants to enjoy a healthy Korean meal with fresh leafy wraps
• Anyone who likes eating meat such as spicy pork or beef bulgogi with leafy wraps
• Anyone who wants a varied, generous meal including side dishes
• Anyone who likes whelk ssamjang and ssam bap