Daeyeon-dong Busan BBQ: ₩33,400 galbi set & chicken feet, Gim Geumja

What is Gim Geumja Sutbul Galbi Daeyeon Branch like?

Gim Geumja Sutbul Galbi Daeyeon Branch (김금자숯불갈비 대연점) is a charcoal-grilled pork galbi (marinated pork ribs) restaurant at 185-5 Suyeong-ro, Nam-gu, Busan, 1st floor. It opens at 16:00 on weekdays and 11:30 on weekends, and stays open until 01:00 the next day. Daeyeon-dong has plenty of good spots for group dinners and family meals, and this one is a pork galbi place with great value for money.

I came on a weekday evening because I'd heard it's good value. It's a pork galbi place that's always buzzing with families and company dinners. I came for a family meal.

What's at the self-bar?

There's a self-bar where you can refill the basic side dishes as much as you like, which I loved. It had spring onion salad, lettuce, perilla leaves, chili peppers, garlic, kimchi and more.

What are the menu and prices at Gim Geumja Daeyeon Branch?

Marinated galbi is ₩3,800 per 100g, spicy galbi is ₩4,800 per 100g, and grilled pig's feet is ₩4,800 per 100g, with an extra ₩1,500 per person for charcoal and service. You order right at the table.

From meat to set menus, it's popular for group dinners and family meals, and the pork galbi is especially good here. I ordered the Gim Geumja Set, which comes with 400g of marinated galbi and 400g of spicy galbi. At ₩33,400, it was great value.

Once I ordered the meat, the basic side dishes came out. The acorn jelly (dotorimuk) with ice floating in it was cool and clean-tasting, and I sipped away at it while waiting for the galbi.

How does the 400g marinated galbi taste grilled over charcoal?

I grilled the 400g of marinated galbi from the set over charcoal, and the seasoning had soaked in well, so it was tender.

Grilled nicely over the charcoal, one bite and the sweet-salty juices spread through my mouth. Such a savory pork galbi!

Since the pork galbi is grilled over charcoal, I got to enjoy rich, smoky, delicious ribs. It's good on its own, and even better wrapped in lettuce (ssam). The potatoes and mushrooms served alongside were also full of the meat and charcoal aroma, and tasted great.

How spicy is the 400g spicy galbi?

The 400g of spicy galbi in the set is pork galbi in a peppery marinade. The charcoal smoke and the savory kick of the spicy seasoning went so well together that my chopsticks kept going back for more.

The pork galbi at Gim Geumja Daeyeon Branch is tender and tasty, and the value is great too, so I'd recommend this Daeyeon-dong spot for group dinners or family meals.

Is the ₩5,800 yangpun bibimbap a good alternative to doenjang jjigae?

I also ordered the yangpun bibimbap (mixed rice served in a big metal bowl, ₩5,800) at Gim Geumja Daeyeon Branch. I was torn between that and doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), and went with this. It was loaded with vegetables and had two fried eggs on top, full of protein, so both the taste and the portion were great.

After the good-value pork galbi, doenjang jjigae is a fine choice for a meal, but the yangpun bibimbap was delicious too.

Is the ₩12,800 Gim Geumja fire chicken feet worth adding?

The Gim Geumja fire chicken feet (buldak-style spicy chicken feet) cost ₩12,800, and I ordered them as an extra. They looked a bit plain, but they turned out sneakily spicy and addictive.

The pork galbi I came for because of the value was delicious, but I also loved the fire chicken feet and the yangpun bibimbap. If I go again, I'll order the pork galbi, fire chicken feet and yangpun bibimbap again. Gim Geumja Daeyeon Branch is such good value that I want to go back!