Ansan Korean BBQ family dinner with charcoal LA galbi: Yangsimso

I visited Yangsimso Ansan Gojan Branch, a charcoal-grilled beef specialist. The meat quality was great and the prices were reasonable, so our family of three left very satisfied.

Parking and child-friendly amenities

The building offers up to two hours of free parking, and high chairs are available too.

A Friday-night reservation and straight in

Since I visited on a Friday evening, I made a Naver reservation beforehand. Our window-side table was ready, and we walked straight in without waiting! We arrived just after 6 p.m., and it was already bustling with diners and filled with that savory grilled-meat aroma, haha. It seemed Yangsimso was already well known as a great meat spot in Gojan-dong.

LA galbi platter and what we ordered

• LA galbi platter, 500g (half marinated, half plain): ₩54,000
• Mul naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles in broth): ₩8,000
• Bibim naengmyeon (spicy mixed cold noodles): ₩8,000
• Steamed rice: ₩1,000

Before coming, my child said they wanted pork, so we had planned to get a platter of house-marinated pork ribs. But my husband suddenly wanted beef, so we ordered LA galbi instead. I wondered whether 500g would be enough for three, but since we were having noodles and rice too, we decided to give it a go.

And the 500g LA galbi platter came with 120g of yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) and doenjang jjigae (soybean-paste stew)! At ₩54,000, it felt incredibly reasonably priced.

An unusual fresh kimchi, almost like raw-fish salad

Once you order, they set out the side dishes: dipping sauces for the meat, seasoned scallion salad, seasoned bean sprouts, white cabbage kimchi, apple salad, and fresh geotjeori kimchi. The geotjeori was a little unusual.

It did not taste like typical kimchi—it had a slight marinated raw-crab flavor, which was intriguing. After eating a bit, I realized it contained chewy pieces of raw fish like the kind in hoe muchim (seasoned raw-fish salad). Bottom line: it was delicious, haha.

Half marinated and half plain ribs

Here is the LA galbi platter we ordered at Yangsimso Ansan Gojan Branch. The left side is marinated and the right side is plain ribs. I loved being able to order it half and half. The meat quality was excellent on both sides! It was actually my first time having LA galbi out at a restaurant, and the ribs were so thick that I was even more excited to grill them over charcoal, haha.

Onto the charcoal grill went the meat! I ordered the marinated ribs because I thought my child would prefer them, but unlike the marinades at other meat restaurants, the sweetness and saltiness were gentle, which made them even better. I do not like food that is overly salty or sweet, so they were right up my alley, haha.

The marinated LA galbi was tasty, but the plain ribs had serious appeal too. The meat was high quality with just the right amount of marbling, so it practically melted in my mouth, haha. I was so impressed while grilling that I had to snap a photo!

Yukhoe and meat-filled doenjang jjigae

These are the yukhoe and doenjang jjigae included with the 500g LA galbi platter at Yangsimso Ansan Gojan Branch. Yukhoe is one of my husband’s favorite dishes, while meat-restaurant doenjang jjigae is my soul food, haha. We happily shared them: the stew was packed with tender meat and tasted absolutely flawless, haha.

Dipping the yukhoe in the accompanying sesame oil and salt made me want a drink, haha.

Mul naengmyeon, bibim naengmyeon, and wrapping meat

An essential when eating meat: naengmyeon. My husband and I have very different tastes. He always chooses bibim naengmyeon, while I choose mul naengmyeon! Is there any better way to enjoy tender, delicious meat than wrapping it with cold noodles? Haha.

The broth was rich and the noodles nicely chewy, making for such a refreshing meal. Some meat restaurants fail at naengmyeon with broth that is too bland and noodles that have gone soft, but even the naengmyeon was delicious here... haha.

One bite of perfectly cooked meat topped with cold noodles and ssammu (pickled radish wrap)! As we ate away, the neighboring tables became nearly full. It was bustling with all kinds of diners, from groups of friends to families out for a meal. Yangsimso Ansan also has private rooms, and I could hear what sounded like a company dinner going on, haha.

Self-serve side dishes and thoughtful after-meal touches

Even with a great main dish, you cannot overlook the basic sides! When the staff look busy, I often feel bad asking for extra side dishes and simply go without. As a major introvert, I absolutely love being able to help myself like this, haha.

One more thing that touched me when paying for our satisfying meal! They had floss, single-use mouthwash, and little candies to freshen your mouth set out in one corner, haha. They had thoughtfully considered even the things you need after a meat meal! The atmosphere was lovely and the staff were kind, so it was a wonderful restaurant where we could eat feeling truly looked after.