Samgyeopsal is thick-cut pork belly grilled at the table over charcoal or gas, wrapped in perilla leaf with garlic, ssamjang and doenjang paste.
Where to eat it: 1 restaurant across 1 city.
Samgyeopsal (literally three-layer flesh) refers to the three layers of fat and meat visible in a thick-cut pork belly slice. It became a staple of Korean restaurant culture in the 1980s when refrigeration made fresh pork belly widely available outside rural areas. The dish is inseparable from the social ritual of the Korean grill table: small gas burners or charcoal grills built into every table, shared with a group, the meat cut with scissors when cooked. Jeju Island's heuk dwaeji (black pork) produces a particularly celebrated samgyeopsal: the Jeju black pig, a heritage breed, has higher fat marbling and a distinctive flavour compared to mainland pork.
Common allergens: Sesame in dipping sauce, Soy in ssamjang
Tip from the editors. Do not press the pork down while cooking; let the fat render naturally. The fat cap should be cooked until it crisps before you eat the first piece.
Ungteori is Hongdae's busiest fresh-cut all-you-can-eat samgyeopsal house, with never-frozen pork belly and neck delivered daily and a flat-price spread.
Signature: Fresh-cut pork belly samgyeopsal, Pork neck moksal
Order: All-you-can-eat fresh samgyeopsal and moksal grilled at the table with kimchi and lettuce wraps included.
Tip: The fixed-price AYCE works out cheaper than ordering by the cut once two people split sides; come before 18:30 to skip the queue.
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