Pork belly and makchang grill house in Sinam-dong, Daegu: Budeul

Today's post is about Budeul, a makchang place in Sinam-dong.

We hadn't grilled meat in quite a while, and when the weather turned cooler we suddenly craved meat for dinner. I searched for BBQ places nearby and found this makchang spot in Sinam-dong. Reviews said makchang is the star but the pork belly is good too, so I happily went thinking we could have both -

Budeul opening hours and parking

Budeul is open 17:00 to 23:00, with last order at 22:00. The address is 106, Building 1201, 340 Dongbuk-ro, Dong-gu, Daegu, and you can park in the apartment shopping arcade's parking lot.

What is Budeul in Sinam-dong like inside?

The big plus of this Sinam-dong makchang place is the arcade parking lot! It had only opened recently, so it was super clean. The sign has a red accent that really catches your eye. Even with a whole row of shops, it stood out at a glance and was easy to find.

The restaurant isn't big, but it has quite a few tables with decent spacing, so it was comfortable to eat in. The ceiling ventilation works well too, so the meat smell clears out, which I liked.

Crispy outside, tender inside: Budeul makchang is finished at the most perfect temperature.

This is where I understood the reason for the name Budeul (부들, from "budeulbudeul," soft and tender). I've heard "crispy outside, moist inside" plenty, but "crispy outside, tender inside" is a first, and it sounds delicious just hearing it.

Budeul menu, 3-serving minimum and tablet ordering

The main menu at this Sinam-dong makchang spot is makchang, Korean pork belly (handon samgyeop), and Korean pork cold-cut belly (handon naengsam), with curry, tray noodles, cold kimchi noodle soup (kimchi-malli guksu), and doenjang (soybean paste) stew as sides.

You order through the tablet on the table. The first order must be 3 servings or more, but you can mix menus to make up the 3 servings. Here is what we ordered.

• Makchang, 2 servings
• Korean pork belly, 2 servings
• Cold kimchi noodle soup
• Doenjang stew
• Bowl of rice
• Cola

For side dishes, you take what you want from the self-serve bar and set up your own table. We brought back pickled onions, perilla leaves, and makjang (seasoned soybean dipping paste).

How is the Handon pork belly at Budeul?

The pork belly and makchang each came out as 2 servings, and the makchang arrived already pre-grilled.

I grilled the pork belly first. The fat-to-lean ratio was just right and the slices were thick, which was exactly what I wanted. The sizzling sound is simply the best. Once it's nicely grilled, cut it into bite-size pieces.

Dochi, the grill king, grilled the meat deliciously for us.

Taking the first bite - the juices burst out, and meat is always the truth.

Dochi eats it with a piece of pork belly and a chili pepper on a perilla leaf, while my favorite was simply pork belly topped with pickled chili pepper.

Cold kimchi noodle soup to eat with the pork belly

We didn't want to eat only meat, so we ordered Budeul's cold kimchi noodle soup, and this was such a good call. The broth was so cool and tangy that eating it with the meat wipes away the greasy feeling.

The kimchi flavor wasn't overpowering, just savory enough, which I loved. Dochi tried it and said it was delicious too. And the amount of thin wheat noodles in it, wow,

Budeul's signature makchang: crispy outside, tender inside

Next up, the makchang. It came out moderately pre-grilled. Crispy outside, tender inside: Budeul's signature makchang!!

Cut it into bite-size pieces and grill until crispy -

While the makchang cooked, I ate the rice cakes first, and they were chewy and good.

The makchang was delicious with no gamey smell. It was literally crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. As a signature dish, the makchang was really good.

The makchang wasn't tough and had a nutty richness. Dochi, as always, wraps it in a leaf. The makjang was tasty too, so everything went down easily - and when the makchang was nearly gone, we ordered doenjang stew to finish -

Doenjang stew to finish, with your choice of spice level

When you order doenjang stew at Budeul, you can choose the spice level. We chose spicy, and the broth was definitely very hot and kicky.

It was packed with ingredients, and not salty but deeply savory, so my spoon kept going back. Even though I was full, I kept eating - magic - and Dochi finished it to the last spoonful -

Budeul: a new standard for makchang, a new world of crispy-outside, tender-inside. A true Sinam-dong makchang spot where I could enjoy tender makchang with no gamey smell, and I loved it.