Jamsugyojip Bogwang-dong: Premium Frozen Pork Belly
I was getting a bit tired of the usual barbecue and raw fish, so I was looking for something different when frozen pork belly (naengsam) came to mind. You might say, "Isn't that just meat too?" but since the barbecue I usually eat is fresh meat, it's in a completely different category for me. Anyway, I was hoping for that cheap, college-days vibe of throwing back soju, but while the atmosphere might be similar, I heard the prices are the same as fresh meat. Wondering just how good this frozen pork belly could be to justify that, I hurried over to Jamsugyojip.
Frozen pork belly became a huge trend a year or two ago, but I didn't eat it back then. I was busy, and even though people said it was trendy, I didn't see the need to go out of my way for frozen pork belly. They say trends are cyclical, but I never thought frozen pork belly would make a comeback. Yet, here we are.
I heard Jamsugyojip is one of the restaurants that led this trend. It was run by a celebrity and has already opened several branches. It has everything you'd consider "trendy."
Because of my personality, I prefer visiting the original location whenever possible, so I headed to the main branch in Bogwang-dong (near Itaewon). Even though I arrived at 5 PM, I barely managed to snag the last open table. By the time I sat down and had a glass of water, a long line had already formed outside. Maybe it's because there are only six or seven tables inside, but it's incredibly popular.
Along with the main dish of frozen pork belly, I ordered some raw oysters since it was a cold day. The staff busily moved around and then brought out a tray of pre-prepared side dishes. They recommended eating them exactly as arranged without moving the plates. I didn't know the reason, but I wanted the best experience, so I just sat still when the food came out.
The oysters came out first, and they were excellent. They were good enough that I would have been happy just eating oysters and leaving. Shortly after, the meat arrived, served with a butcher shop price sticker attached. They call it frozen pork belly, but it really feels like they just took high-quality meat and flash-froze it before serving. It doesn't have that slightly off, old meat smell from the past at all.
The staff are bound to be busy because they grill all the meat for you. They set up the most delicious formation on the grill, explain exactly when and how to eat it, and then disappear. They even stop customers if they try to grill it themselves. If nothing else, I really want to applaud them for this.
Once everything was ready, I ate it exactly as instructed on the wall, and I immediately understood why people flock here. It feels like they took that old-school vibe and removed all the bad parts. It still has that nostalgic taste that makes the soju go down incredibly smooth. They also provide several different sauces so everyone can find the one that best suits their taste.
I devoured the frozen pork belly and soju, and even ordered another round. Then, leaving a few pieces of meat aside, we moved on to the closer: fried rice (bokkeumbap). Eating fried rice right when I was craving carbs meant I couldn't stop snacking on it, even though I was already full.
The price is definitely not the cheap frozen pork belly price of the past. It's a format that takes the good vibes from those days when we ate it because we were broke, while removing the bad parts (though unfortunately, the good part—the cheap price—was removed too). If you just come thinking of it as a regular barbecue meal in Seoul, the price won't be an issue. However, it's so popular that it's packed. The restaurant is small and there are a lot of people, so the line is long. Normally, you could just go grab a drink somewhere else while waiting, but with the early closing times due to COVID, this is a bit of a problem right now.