Spicy pork ribs and cream udon at a Busan Korean BBQ: Gim Geumja

Did you know there’s a place where you can have Cheongyang cream udon and spicy ribs together?!

It was my first time trying this combination at Gim Geumja Sutbul Galbi Daeyeon Branch (김금자숯불갈비 대연점)!

A great Daeyeon-dong spot for a spicy rib work dinner

Gim Geumja Sutbul Galbi Daeyeon Branch is a great place for a pork rib work dinner in Daeyeon-dong. You can make a Naver reservation, so keep that in mind!

Monday through Thursday, it is open from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., with last orders at midnight. Saturday through Sunday, it is open from 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., with last orders at midnight.

It is about a three-minute walk from Exit 2 of Motgol Station, and if you need parking, use the Nam-gu Office parking lot! The restroom is inside, too.

There is both a dining hall and private rooms! Even though it was a weekday, lots of people had come for pork rib work dinners in Daeyeon-dong. I took this right after people left, and the staff cleared tables so quickly and were so kind, which made it even better.

There is also a self-service bar, so you can pick up more of anything you need while eating.

Side dishes and our order

The basic spread includes cabbage salad, shredded scallion salad, pickled radish wraps, wrap vegetables, wasabi, ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste dip), pickled onions, kimchi, sauce, and muksabal (chilled acorn jelly soup).

• Table setting, 2 people: ₩1,500 × 2
• Geumja Set: 600 g spicy ribs + Cheongyang cream udon, ₩40,900
• Bone soup: ₩1,000
• Doenjang sulbap: ₩6,800
• Sprite Zero: ₩2,000

Starting with the corn snack I had not eaten in ages, the food we ordered came out quickly.

Spicy rib levels and the Cheongyang cream udon pairing

You can choose spicy marinated ribs from Level 1 to Level 3. Level 1 is Shin Ramyun spicy, Level 2 is Buldak 볶음면 spicy, and Level 3 was labeled, “Don’t order this lightly,” haha.

So I chose Level 1, but if you are very sensitive to spice, I recommend the sweet pork ribs instead! If you can handle a moderate amount of spice, Level 1 should be okay. Since the ribs are spicy, they pair so well with the Cheongyang cream udon—highly recommend the Level 1 plus cream udon set.

₩1,000 bone soup and doenjang sulbap

The bone soup has three pork backbone pieces in it, yet it is only ₩1,000. You lose out if you do not order this. It is honestly such a great drinking snack on its own. If you are looking for a pork rib work dinner in Daeyeon-dong, come to Gim Geumja Sutbul Galbi Daeyeon Branch and try the bone soup, too.

The meat came off the bone easily, and I loved how clean and light the broth was.

The doenjang sulbap has potatoes and meat in it and is so nutty and savory, so if you normally love the doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) plus rice combination, I recommend it as a drinking rice dish, too!

Those ribs are really substantial, right?? With a filling 600 g portion plus cream udon, ₩40,000 felt like great value. The marinated rib set is even cheaper at ₩38,900, so if you are craving sweet marinade, I recommend that set.

How to enjoy the ribs and udon even more

Once everything was on the grill, I found that placing garlic between the mushrooms keeps it from sliding off and cooks it just right. Also, potatoes do not cook well at the edge, so flip the meat twice, cut it, then tuck the potatoes between the pieces to grill them perfectly. The Cheongyang cream udon goes so well with the spicy marinated ribs!

Even with Cheongyang peppers, it is not very spicy, and you can choose a milder version, too. If you are looking for a pork rib work dinner in Daeyeon-dong, I highly, highly recommend Gim Geumja Sutbul Galbi Daeyeon Branch, where the spicy marinated ribs and Cheongyang cream udon go wonderfully together. It is so nice that there are menu items you can only have here! Beyond ribs, there are pork jowl, skirt meat, and fresh ribs, so there is even more variety to enjoy.

The spicy marinated ribs taste even better placed over the cream udon.

Making a morning roll rib burger

It is even more delicious made into a burger. Slice the morning roll served with the meal in half, spread strawberry jam on the bottom, and—important! 🌟🌟—put perilla leaf in first 🌟🌟. Add pickled radish wrap, pickled onions, grilled potato, grilled mushroom, ribs, and cabbage salad on top, and it is honestly perfect. Please try it just once.

Pickled radish wrap + spicy marinated ribs + cabbage salad on a perilla leaf: an ultimate combination. Grilled potatoes and spicy marinated ribs are great together, too. I am avoiding alcohol for a while, so I had Sprite Zero, you know? But their ice-cold draft beer is ₩2,900, so ribs with beer would be so good here, too.

How to eat the pork skin from the review event

For the review event, choose either a drink or pork skin. Press and grill the pork skin on both sides, then dip it generously in soybean powder, spicy seasoning, and curry powder.

So nutty and delicious! Give the review event a try, too.