Chinese restaurant in Gimhae with a lunch course: Dongbaek

Dongbaek (동백) parking and exterior in Gimhae

Parking information

The parking lot is on the right after you come down the slope from the first floor. There are signs out front, so it was easy to find.

The parking lot was clean and spacious. No need to worry about parking, which is so convenient! Take the stairs up on the left and you will find the first-floor entrance right away~ Just be sure to check the time, because the parking lot may be locked at 9 p.m., haha.

Exterior

It has a distinctly upscale feel right from the exterior. It would be perfect for a family gathering or group dinner on a special day! And written prominently at the entrance was “Dongbaek Handmade Noodles.” I was really looking forward to it after hearing they knead the dough and make the noodles themselves!

They also offer full-venue rentals. If you are planning an important gathering such as a first-birthday party, a meeting between families before a wedding, a 60th birthday, or a 70th birthday, it seems worth considering~

Since the lunch course is so well known, it is advertised right from the entrance. There were also notices for break time and parking!

Dining hall, private rooms, and self-service bar

Spacious hall and private rooms

As soon as I entered, the atmosphere was even nicer than I expected. It was incredibly clean and upscale. It would be great for a date too, haha. Round tables are generously spaced throughout.

Private rooms stretch around the dining hall like this! They are screened off, so they felt completely private. Perfect for focusing entirely on conversation with your group. Next time, I should reserve a room and come with my family too~ The tables and chairs inside the rooms were very clean as well. It would be ideal for family celebrations of all kinds. The corridor to the right of the entrance was also entirely rooms, and being a little separated from the hall, that side seemed even quieter for dining! Everything there was clean too.

Using the self-service bar

There is also a self-service bar on one side of the hall. It has onions, danmuji (yellow pickled radish), and jjajang-style pickled mustard greens. The pickles do not come as a basic side dish, so take some according to your taste. Small plates, scissors, tongs, and more are available!

Dongbaek menu and Lunch Special A course

Lunch courses and a variety of Chinese dishes

If you visit at lunchtime, the lunch courses look like great value! Lunch B includes gochu japchae, a stir-fry of peppers and shredded meat. There were also nicely composed sets of tangsuyuk (sweet-and-sour fried pork), kkanpunggi (spicy fried chicken), yuringi (fried chicken with soy sauce), and chili shrimp, plus family meal sets by party size. They even have spicy jjamppong and spicy jajang, perfect for when you are craving heat, haha. There were lots of individual dishes too, along with baijiu that pairs well with Chinese food. It goes so well with rich, oily dishes!

Ordering Lunch Special A

• Lunch Special A course for 2
• Dongbaek cold appetizer – abalone porridge – yusanseul – fresh sirloin tangsuyuk – yuringi – meal (jajang or jjamppong) – dessert

We ordered their signature Lunch Special A. First up was the cold appetizer. It had bouncy shrimp, seafood, and jellyfish, with a tangy flavor!

The abalone porridge was right up my alley too—so nutty and rich~ It felt soothing on the stomach!

Next came yusanseul, a stir-fry of assorted seafood, meat, and vegetables. I loved its tender bite. It was not overpowering, and it was generous with ingredients. It was perfect wrapped with the meat and vegetables! Tangsuyuk, which would be sorely missed from a Chinese meal, appeared too! The batter was not thick and was nicely crisp. The sauce was just sweet and tangy enough—perfect for my taste! My husband said the tangsuyuk was the best too~ Next was yuringi. They squeezed lemon juice all over it as soon as it came out. It was not greasy at all and felt a bit like soy sauce chicken, so I kept reaching for it with my chopsticks, haha.

Handmade jjamppong with less broth

Between jajang and jjamppong, we ordered jjamppong. It was packed with seafood. The squid in particular was tender and delicious~ Unusually, it was a jjamppong with little broth! Perhaps because the noodles are handmade, they had a chewy, springy texture unlike factory-produced noodles!! The broth soaked into the noodles well, making them even more savory~ Afterward I took a nap at home (haha), and it was amazing that my stomach did not feel heavy!!

Dessert and coffee station

Next, we finished with dessert. Those fried snacks tasted like Popeye snacks. They went incredibly well with condensed milk!! The crisp texture was great too, and I want them again already, haha. The pineapple was sweet, so we finished it all!

There is a coffee station at the entrance too. So thoughtful that they even have takeout cups~ Dongbaek’s lunch course was a satisfying one that we polished off right through dessert. Every dish was well put together, and it felt like we had enjoyed a truly special meal! Next time, I want to come back and try other dishes too.