Gimhae Chinese restaurant yusanseul and yurinji course: Dongbaek

I was craving a neat, upscale Chinese course meal, so I went to Dongbaek, a Chinese restaurant in Dongsang-dong that's great for taking your parents or holding a gathering.

• 📍 514 Gaya-ro, Gimhae, Gyeongnam, South Korea
• 🅿️ Private underground parking for the restaurant
• 🕗 Daily 11:00–21:00 (last order 20:20)
• Break time: 15:30–16:30 weekdays / 15:30–17:00 weekends

How long is the weekend lunch wait at Dongbaek?

I got to Dongbaek around weekend lunchtime and it was completely full! Put my name on the waitlist and waited.

There was a shade canopy so it was cool while waiting. Tables turned over quickly, so we got seated before too long.

Inside Dongbaek: the hall and the private rooms

Walking into Dongbaek, you find a spacious, tidy hall along with private rooms in various sizes—4-person, 6-person, and more. If you want a family gathering, a work dinner, or a more formal meal, I'd recommend calling ahead to book a room!

The restroom is tucked away toward the back.

They were also running a review event. Prizes go from 1st to 5th place, so definitely join in and try to win something good.

Lunch special A for two, 40,000 won, plus the self-bar

[ Order ] Lunch special A for two (jjajang/jjamppong) 20,000 × 2 = ₩40,000 total

You can help yourself to more basic side dishes and tea at the self-bar. The pickled radish (jjasai) was so good we refilled it twice. After they poured us warm jasmine tea, the course dishes came out one by one in order. The pacing between dishes was just right.

1. Starters: Dongbaek shrimp cold salad and abalone porridge

The meal opened with starters — a refreshing shrimp cold salad and warm abalone porridge.

The shrimp cold salad had just the right tanginess to wake up your appetite, plus good savoriness, and the abalone porridge had a nutty sesame oil finish that made it even tastier and easy on the stomach.

2. Yusanseul (stir-fried seafood, pork and vegetables in sauce)

Best yusanseul I've ever had. The texture of the seafood and mushrooms really came through, and the crispy noodles you crush and mix into the sauce were a unique touch that really boosted the texture — so good (˶ˆᗜˆ˵)

3. Fresh sirloin tangsuyuk (sweet and sour beef)

This tangsuyuk has a distinctively pinkish sauce. True to a Chinese restaurant that makes its own noodles, every dish had a well-balanced sauce. Not too sour, sweet and tangy, with a thin batter that stayed soft and crispy. No risk of scraping the roof of your mouth❌ The sirloin was tender too, with an appealingly fresh meaty flavor.

4. Yurinji (crispy fried chicken in soy dressing)

Crispy chicken paired with a salty soy sauce dressing — clean yet savory. Is it even allowed for everything to be this good?

5. The main noodles: jjajangmyeon or jjamppong

You're already full just from the course dishes, but you can't skip the noodle course! You could choose between jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles) and jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup).

Since they make their own noodles, the bounce in the noodles was noticeably different. It had been a while since I had noodles this springy — genuinely moving (•͈ᴗ•͈)◞ The nutty, rich jjajang sauce soaked into the noodles beautifully, a strong finish to the meal.

The jjamppong broth wasn't heavy, with a strong seafood flavor — I liked it. There wasn't separate seafood mixed in, which was a bit of a letdown, but the portion was just right haha. There was also a good smoky char flavor coming through.

6. Dessert: pineapple and condensed milk fritters

The dessert they bring out at the end of the meal stuck with me too. Crispy, nutty fried wrappers — dumpling skin, maybe? — drizzled generously with sweet condensed milk, a striking combo of sweet and crispy. Finishing it off with sweet-tart pineapple washed away that typical greasy feeling of Chinese food, leaving a clean, perfect finish ( ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)˚๐*˟ ♡

Verdict: who should book Dongbaek's 20,000-won lunch course?

Dongbaek's lunch A course in Gimhae packed in so much, from starters through the main dishes to noodles, that the ₩20,000 per person price is hard to believe! The seasoning throughout was light and clean, making it enjoyable for people of all ages. If you're in Gimhae looking for a Chinese course restaurant for a work dinner, gathering, group meal, or a 70th/80th birthday celebration, I'd strongly recommend sharing a happy meal with your loved ones over Dongbaek's course.