#PocheonSsambap #SsamThieves

#GwangneungArboretumSsambap

Visited this place for lunch before starting a workshop at Pocheon Provence Village.

It’s known for its delicious ssambap, a combination of soy sauce marinated crab and stir-fried pork, gaining popularity by word of mouth.

Text and photos by Mingk

The building has a unique appearance, not typical of a restaurant.

Even though I found this place through Naver search, the building exterior didn’t look like the usual Pocheon ssambap style, and I almost passed it by.

There is a separate parking lot, but it can get crowded during lunch hours, leading to a waiting period.

However, they don’t give out separate numbered tickets, so there may be situations where people enter in the order they wait.

I visited this place with the intention of finding a tasty restaurant before starting the Pocheon Provence Village workshop.

I wonder if everyone was satisfied~~^^

✅ Business hours: 10:30 am to 8:00 pm

(Regular closing on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month)

✅ Phone: 031-542-7787

✅ Address: 706 Gwangneung Arboretum Road, Soheul-eup, Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do

The price information on Naver is incorrect.

The actual prices are as follows:

Menu:
Soy Sauce Marinated Crab SsamThieves Set – KRW 19,000
Seasoned Marinated Crab SsamThieves Set – KRW 19,000

Both prices are per person, and the sets are provided for orders of two or more people.

Basic ssam (unlimited refill) + grilled mackerel + stir-fried pork + soybean paste stew are included.

Last Order: The last order time is 7:30 pm. It’s advisable to arrive by 7:20 pm at the latest to fully enjoy the meal.

It seems to have a relatively short evening business hours, perhaps because it’s somewhat away from the city.

You can self-serve the ssam before placing an order.

Since the food took a bit longer to arrive, I filled my hungry stomach with some ssam beforehand.ㅎㅎ

Stir-fried pork, Grilled Mackerel

The initially set stir-fried pork and grilled mackerel.

The stir-fried pork had shredded green onions to reduce the greasiness of the pork, and the grilled mackerel, being crispy, had almost no fishy smell.

It was good enough to give a high score.​

Soy Sauce Marinated Crab Gathering

The three main dishes came together.

The set consists of stir-fried pork, grilled mackerel, and soy sauce marinated crab.

Considering the price of KRW 19,000 per person, it didn’t feel expensive.

Moreover, with the addition of 3-4 types of unlimited refill ssam vegetables, waiting for a table didn’t seem unusual.

Grilled mackerel and Stir-fried pork are the main dishes, not too fishy or salty, and there’s no need for a rice thief.

The soy sauce marinated crab came with three small crabs on the table.

The meat was reasonably well-prepared, and the size was perfect for mixing with rice in the shell.

Rich Soybean Paste Stew (Is it Cheonggukjang?ㅋㅋ)

It might be a bit vague in memory… Anyway, the stew was appropriately served in a place where the broth should not be missing.

When I went to a ssambap restaurant in Hanam last time, I was very disappointed that there was no stew as the main dish. But now, meeting the stews from Pocheon ssambap, I felt so happy…ㅎㅎ

Cod Roe Sikhye (Sweet rice drink)

It had a sense of commercial product, but after a long time, side dishes that can often be tasted at local restaurants on the East Coast of Gangwon Province were served.

Garlic Slightly Spicy Pickles (It was not spicy, so it was good.)

Sweet side dishes with salad​

Jellyfish Cold Salad

Oh… I felt that the side dishes were taken care of a bit.

Or maybe it’s because the side dishes I like came out.ㅋㅋ

Garlic Chives Pickles (Not spicy, so it was good.)

Salad came with it, so the side dishes were sweet​

Jellyfish Cold Salad

Oh… I felt that the side dishes were taken care of a bit.

Or maybe it’s because the side dishes I like came out.ㅋㅋ

Endless refill of ssam vegetables enjoyed with no main dish

I don’t know if they grow it themselves, but the size of the ssam was incredibly large.

So, to fully enjoy the taste of Pocheon Gwangneung Arboretum ssambap, I tasted the place with just ssam vegetables, adding ssamjang and doenjang without the main menu.

Although the main menu is SsamThieves Set, they also sell grilled fish and stir-fried pork separately.

In addition, you can add crab marinated in soy sauce, stone pot rice, and cheonggukjang stew.

Fold/Unfold
Located on the way to Pocheon Gwangneung Arboretum, SsamThieves offered a variety of ssam vegetables as an unlimited refill, which was a good point.

[My Honest Review]

✔ Pocheon Ssambap SsamThieves satisfied everyone who went together.

✔ The introduction of a customer number system during waiting times seems necessary.

✔ It’s a bit disappointing that ssam vegetable refills are not fast enough when it’s busy.

(Even though it’s self-service, the ssam is not quickly replenished on the self-serve bar.)

✔ The price of less than KRW 20,000 per person for tasting three main menu items and ssam vegetables together is not bad.

(However, it’s a bit disappointing that the price has increased by KRW 2,000 compared to the information on Naver.)