Dongtan beef BBQ on kindergarten break: skirt steak, Jipbul Taebaek

Kindergarten break: from math academy to Jipbul Taebaek Dongtan Flagship Branch

Jipbul Taebaek Dongtan Flagship Branch is a straw-fire-seared BBQ restaurant in the 11-ja Sanga strip in Dongtan, and since it was close to my kid's math academy, we came for a family dinner after class. A one-week kindergarten break... when does it end... the days are SO long. Stuck at home eating three meals a day haha. It's been ages since a day felt this long...^^ The long break is finally ending.. but once she starts elementary school the break is at least a month, what do I do... (I become an elementary school mom next year...) haha. Today again, this mom with zero energy to cook is eating out.

What do Jipbul Taebaek Dongtan's exterior and interior look like?

The exterior and interior have an antique, 90s vibe. The moment we arrived, my daughter fell into the fountain... haha. The slightly antique exterior felt like a new BBQ place that just opened near a country grandma's house, with a 90s feel that I found charming (I'm a 90s kid...) haha.

Doesn't the inside look antique too? haha It feels less like a BBQ place and more like an old-fashioned fancy restaurant haha. Anyone from the 90s will know the feeling, right? haha (do other 90s kids relate?) The music is 90s songs too, so it's a good mood for a company dinner, right? haha Anyway, I found it charming haha.

How does Jipbul Taebaek cook its meat over straw fire?

As the name (Jipbul means straw fire) says, the restaurant is known for searing meat over burning rice straw, and it seems quite famous within Dongtan. Apparently the straw gives an instant heat of 1,000 degrees that locks in the meat's juices! They also say they pre-sear the flower rib meat from the 6th–8th ribs, rumored to be the tastiest part of beef ribs, over straw and charcoal to bring out the best flavor.

They have beef, but pork too. The pork is also pre-seared over straw! It must be pretty hard to find a restaurant that serves straw-seared pork, and there's one in Dongtan.... haha

Reservations and waiting at Jipbul Taebaek Dongtan Flagship Branch

If you reserve, the side dishes are already set out for you. If you're planning ahead, make a reservation before you go! Especially for company dinners... it's spacious, so it's perfect for those. A group was already having one when I visited haha. Everyone clearly has a sharp eye haha.

Maybe because it's popular for company dinners and family meals, there seems to be a wait. There's a Catch Table tablet in front of the restaurant. If a place has Catch Table, it's a famous one!

Signature fresh udaegalbi for 2 and steamed egg

Hungry, we first ordered 2 servings of the signature raw udaegalbi (bone-in beef rib) and a steamed egg. I ate a lot of udaegalbi at Montan, and now there's an udaegalbi place in Dongtan too... haha. I'll have to come often when I crave it. My daughter doesn't like the chewy texture of rib meat, so the udaegalbi was for my husband and me.... haha The signature at Jipbul Taebaek is the raw udaegalbi. Then we have to eat the signature, of course!

They really do pre-sear it over straw fire. Udaegalbi with the grease drained and golden brown!

Side dishes: bracken and Taebaek highland kimchi

The basic sides were bracken (gosari, fernbrake) and kimchi. I wondered whether they'd go with udaegalbi, but they go so well! I'm someone who thought kimchi and bracken suit pork... haha The kimchi is properly fermented and goes great! They say they only use highland kimchi from Taebaek, so eat plenty! haha

Staff grilling service and the straw-fire aroma

Jipbul Taebaek Dongtan Flagship Branch has a grilling service, so eating is really easy. The staff who grill are apparently all systematically trained professionals. Amazing! No wonder the meat was grilled just right. One bite melted in my mouth while staying chewy! And the distinctive straw-fire aroma was infused in it, tasting like meat you grill while traveling!

What can kids eat? Cheese steamed egg and skirt steak

For my daughter, who doesn't eat the rib meat, we ordered steamed egg with cheese. While we ate meat, my daughter polished off a whole bowl of rice with the cheese steamed egg... haha

But feeling bad that only we were eating the good stuff.. we ordered skirt steak (anchangsal) for my daughter, and rib finger meat (galbitsal) for us, since we wanted more^^ hahaha

Oh, looking next to it, there was also marbled chuck flap (salchisal) T_T... I'm only noticing now while writing this blog post. Next time I'll order the salchisal.

The rib finger meat and skirt steak are also pre-seared over straw fire. Again, the grilling service made it easy to eat. Putting the cooked meat on top of the udaegalbi bone keeps it from burning, which is nice haha.

Finishing with cold noodles and the meat off the udaegalbi bone

After eating, we finished with mul naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles in broth) for dessert. It came piled with toppings! At the end, they trim the udaegalbi meat left on the bone, and the chewy texture goes perfectly with the cold noodles! If you crave udaegalbi, I think it's worth a visit!