Daeyeon-dong Busan Korean BBQ set at Gim Geumja Sutbul Galbi

Charcoal-grilled galbi in Daeyeon-dong with Mom

Over the weekend, I took my marinated-galbi-loving mom to Gim Geumja Sutbul Galbi Daeyeon Branch (김금자숯불갈비 대연점), a Daeyeon-dong meat restaurant, for a little mother-daughter date and a chance to be a good daughter for once. I’d heard it was great for pork galbi, and Mom had really wanted to try it.

It is open 16:00–01:00 on weekdays and 11:30–01:00 on weekends. You can reserve through Naver or Catchtable, and company dinners and group reservations are possible too. There is no parking support, so you need to use the nearby Nam-gu Office parking lot.

Luckily, we got there before four and did not have to wait. I bet the wait gets intense at mealtimes and during peak hours—just look at all those waiting chairs out front,, ㅠ There were already quite a few customers even though it was daytime. People who understand the beauty of daytime drinking~~~~

Ordering the marinated galbi and Cheongyang cream udon set

Since it was just Mom and me, we ordered the ₩38,900 set of 600g marinated galbi and Cheongyang cream udon, plus a 300cc chilled draft beer for ₩2,900. That beer price is sooo good ㅠ I had wanted to try the Cheongyang cream udon, and it happened to be sold as part of a set, so of course we got it.

They also had spicy marinated galbi, but Mom cannot eat spicy food at all, so we went with the regular marinated galbi ㅠ What a shame. Pork neck galbi was on the menu too but sold out that day; besides marinated galbi, they sell fresh galbi, whole skirt meat, and whole pork jowl. There was also a set combining all three, and the set prices are seriously affordable. Check the tablet photos for the full meat, meal, and alcohol menus.

The retro vibe is absolutely maxed out. It was not on the tablet, but they also sold spicy chicken feet recommended as a soju snack.

At first I laughed it off, but wow, the inside was so cool and the galbi was genuinely delicious,,,,

The self-service bar and icy draft beer

The basic spread included scallion salad, onions in soy sauce, kimchi, cabbage salad, wrap vegetables, chewy fried snacks, chilled acorn-jelly soup, pickled radish wraps, ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste), single-use wasabi, and galbi sauce. You can freely refill anything you need at the self-service bar at the back of the restaurant. These days, I actually prefer places with a self-service bar. You can take as much of whatever you want without feeling self-conscious!

Every kind of seasoning, sauce, and side dish was stocked generously!! The onions were finely sliced and well drained, and the garlic was neatly prepped too. Gim Geumja Sutbul Galbi’s self-service bar was kept super clean and tidy.

Ice-cold draft beer!!! I even loved the amount of foam, okay? Such amazing value at ₩2,900 ㅠㅠㅠㅠ It was refreshing all the way to my core.

Mom was flipping through the menu and ordered extra bone soup. Hahahahaha, I guess she could not resist seeing that the base price for one order was ₩1,000,,,

They brought out the charcoal, so we immediately started grilling the chewy snacks.

Charcoal marinated galbi that was savory, not sweet

Such good-looking pork galbi. Even including the bone weight, it was a huge portion, and it came with shishito peppers, king oyster mushrooms, and potatoes, so it felt plentiful. I came here to treat Mom, but she was the one grilling ㅠ It is the best going to a meat restaurant with someone who takes such pride in grilling, hehe.

Rich and spicy Cheongyang cream udon

Cheongyang cream pasta!!! Wow, the portion is reallllllly huge. Cream pasta filled to the brim in a vintage-style bowl. There was lots of sauce, chopped bacon on top, and even two little milk rolls! Such a thoughtful touch with the rolls.

The sauce was seriously rich and thick—approved,,, I do not usually like cream pasta, but this Cheongyang cream pasta was so different, and it suited even me, a spicy-food lover!

It was not overly rich; the spicy seasoning and Cheongyang peppers, even the spicy pepper paste, gave it a sharp, gentle heat. The sauce was thick rather than watery, so the flavor was amazing. Even Mom, who cannot eat spicy food, ate it well. Personally, I would have liked it hotter, though,,

Because it was charcoal, controlling the heat and grilling it was difficult, but Mom can do anything!!!

So delicious ㅠ The galbi here is delicious,, The marinade is everything with marinated galbi, and this one was not too sweet or medicinal-tasting. Grilling it over charcoal brought out a subtle smoky aroma, while the fat rendered away, leaving it wonderfully light and tender. Charcoal really is the way to go for marinated galbi.

It was delicious with scallion salad and onions, and my personal favorite was adding wasabi. So, so good.

Wow, the pairing with the Cheongyang cream pasta was unreal ㅠ Now I understand why they sell them as a set. Putting the sweet-savory marinated galbi on top of that rich, spicy cream pasta created insane synergy. If you come here, absolutely order the set,,,

Making a charcoal galbi burger with the milk roll. This is how you eat it, right? Hahaha. Bread + pasta + meat—how could that combination not taste good,,, It was like eating a bulgogi burger with pasta? Seriously delicious, just try it,, hahahㅠㅠㅠ

₩1,000 bone soup and whole pork jowl

Mom liked it so much that I felt happy,,♥ Truly being a good daughter ㅠ

The bone soup Mom ordered. This is ₩1,000? It had two huge bones in it, and it tasted a little like galbitang (beef short-rib soup), but deep and rich. The price is great and it tastes great too,, This is one of those dishes where you definitely win by ordering it.

Mom suddenly went into overdrive and said we should have whole pork jowl too, so we ordered it. Hahahahaha. ₩17,800 for 200g!! That works out to about ₩8,900 per 100g,,

Just as the name says, a whole chunk of pork jowl came out. The visual was absolutely outrageous hahaha. It was my first time having pork jowl served whole, so I was really excited,, They gave us fish sauce, coarse salt, and seasoned salt with it.

Wow, that visual is truly aggressive. It was so thick and looked ridiculously delicious ㅠ I could not hold back from soju any longer, so I immediately ordered a bottle ㅠ Mom grilled and I drank soju—am I really being a good daughter? Hahahahaha

Wow, even though it was this thick, there was not a trace of pork odor, and the meat quality was really good. Between the coarse salt and seasoned salt, I preferred the coarse salt because it had more savory depth.

And then there was the pork rind we received through a review event. It was too big to believe it was a review-event freebie. It came with three sauces: soybean powder, curry powder, and spicy sauce.

The pork rind had none of that medicinal smell; it was wonderfully thick, springy, and chewy. I do like pork rind, but I really hate pork hairs, and this one was so neatly cleaned that it did not put me off at all!!!

Mom’s top pick was soybean powder, but mine was the spicy-sauce-and-curry-powder combo. It tasted exactly like Sinjeon ㅠㅠ If you like Sinjeon Tteokbokki with a curry flavor, you will absolutely love this!!!

We even properly gnawed on the well-cooked galbi. I was so proud that Mom ate so well. I was somewhere between a devoted daughter and not quite one,,, haha. I was so satisfied too; the value is amazing here, but the meat quality is also fantastic!! Not just the meat—the self-service bar’s condition, the range of side dishes, and especially the ₩2,900 draft beer totally won me over,, Just because it is inexpensive does not mean the quality is cheap.