Yangyang grilled-meat lunch with roasted galbi: Yeoyejeong

After swimming at Gongsujeon Valley, I stopped by Yeoyejeong (여여정) in Yangyang for lunch. Although it is a grilled-meat restaurant, its lunch specials include sotbap (rice cooked in an individual pot), meat, jjigae, and soup. The meat arrived already grilled, which made for an easy meal after swimming.

How close is it to Gongsujeon Valley, and is parking easy?

Yeoyejeong is at 49 Ssangsolbaegi-gil, Seo-myeon, Yangyang-gun. It is about a 10-minute drive from Gongsujeon Valley, so it was convenient for a meal after swimming. The building in this quiet area felt like a cozy cabin, and there was plenty of free dedicated parking in front.

What is the space like for family gatherings or group meals?

The interior was spacious and pleasant. Even though it is a grilled-meat restaurant, I did not notice any smoke during my visit, and the large windows made it feel open. There is also a separate room for up to 24 people, which looked suitable for a quiet family gathering or group dinner.

There were also Post-it notes left by visitors. At the time of my visit, the restaurant was running an event where customers who wrote a Naver receipt review could receive a prize according to their result on a drawing board.

What did we order from the lunch special, and how much was it?

We ordered grilled-meat sotbap for two, sotbap kimchi jjigae, and sotbap galbitang. The restaurant stated that it uses only meat aged with salt for no more than three days.

The original post lists the sotbap kimchi jjigae at ₩13,000 and the sotbap galbitang at ₩15,000. It also lists grilled-meat sotbap at ₩13,000 for one serving and ₩30,000 for two servings, while the total payment of ₩54,000 does not match the itemized total, so this needs confirmation.

The side dishes were neatly served, and I especially liked the kimchi. I was told that ingredients such as peppers and vegetables are either grown directly in Yangyang or sourced from local farms.

Do you need to grill the meat sotbap yourself?

The grilled-meat sotbap came with freshly cooked sotbap, side dishes, and grilled meat. The restaurant grilled the marinated thin-cut galbi and served it on a plate, so there was no need to cook it yourself at the table. It was convenient to eat right away without worrying as much about the smell lingering on my clothes.

The meat was tender and had a subtle charcoal aroma. The marinade was sweet but not overly so. It paired best, for me, with a little of the seasoned chive salad served alongside it.

I ate the meat with plain rice, then later with the nurungji (crispy scorched rice) from the pot. Eating everything from the rice to the nurungji left me feeling full.

How spicy was the sotbap kimchi jjigae?

The kimchi jjigae had generous amounts of pork, tofu, and kimchi. The broth was hearty and spicy, and it was hotter than I expected.

I am not very good with spicy food, so I had to pause for breath now and then. Still, it was not just hot, so I kept reaching for it. I liked mixing the broth and kimchi into the warm sotbap.

What are the broth and meat like in the sotbap galbitang?

The galbitang had a clear, clean broth. There was no unpleasant meat smell, and its deep flavor went well with the rice.

The ribs had plenty of meat on them. They were cooked until so tender that the meat separated easily from the bone, and the portion was satisfying enough to fill me up.

I also dipped the galbi in the sauce provided. After eating the sotbap, broth, and meat in turn, the lunch special alone was more than filling enough.

What dessert is available after the meal?

Sweet coffee and candies were available for dessert. There were also disposable dental floss picks to use after eating meat. These small touches felt thoughtful.

What times should you check before a lunch visit?

The original post lists the hours as 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM, with regular closure every Tuesday. It says lunch meat orders close at 1:30 PM and lunch-special orders close at 2:00 PM. A break time beginning at 3:00 PM is also listed, but the end time contains a typo and needs confirmation.