Siheung Korean BBQ with a refillable wrap greens bar: Bulhyangjip

Right before the holidays, I went to visit grandma at my parents' house and we were trying to figure out where to eat something good together. This is a place I'd always wanted to try near Mulwang Reservoir, so this time I finally went with the whole family.

Bulhyangjip Mulwang Lake Main Branch: interior and parking

Bulhyangjip Mulwang Lake Main Branch is a charcoal bulgogi restaurant near Mulwang Reservoir. I went in around 6pm, and by the time we finished eating and stepped out, the sun had already set, so the exterior photos came out pretty dark 😢😢 But even close to 8pm, customers kept coming in. The place itself is quite large and clean, with an overall vibe like a country house, so it seemed like a good spot for a family meal or a gathering.

There's a section with big windows, and seating ranges from floor tables to regular tables. We sat at an inner table with no window, but it ended up being closer to the self-serve bar, which was actually convenient for me. And the parking lot is really spacious, so you don't have to worry much about parking even if you drive.

House-made side dishes and the wrap-vegetable self-serve bar

At Bulhyangjip Mulwang Lake Main Branch, once you sit down, you get homemade namul (seasoned vegetable) side dishes like bracken and bean sprouts, plus kimchi and wraps as basics. And there's a separate self-serve bar with an even wider variety of wrap vegetables.

For someone like me who loves wrapping meat in greens, this part was really satisfying. You can grab as much as you want of not just lettuce but all kinds of wrap vegetables, so it's fun piling different ones on top of the meat.

The upkeep of the self-serve bar was also impressive. I refilled my wraps quite a few times that day, and every single time, I never saw the vegetables running low. I'd just grabbed a big pile and by the time I went back, it was already restocked again. Some places don't refill quickly even when the self-serve bar runs out, but here it felt like they were constantly checking and managing it, which made it a pleasant experience.

What five people ordered at Bulhyangjip

We visited as a group of 5 and used 2 grills. We ordered scallion charcoal bulgogi (3 servings), gochujang charcoal bulgogi (3 servings), rice, steamed egg, doenjang jjigae, and Bulhyangjip's bibim noodles. Partway through, we added 1 more serving of gochujang charcoal bulgogi.

We originally planned to eat the scallion charcoal bulgogi and also order pork belly, but unfortunately the charcoal pre-grilled pork belly was sold out, so we missed out 😢 Ordering is easy through the kiosk on the table.

Charcoal scallion-pancake bulgogi, full of smoky flavor

Bulhyangjip's scallion charcoal bulgogi is visually impressive right away, with a really generous pile of shredded scallions. The meat comes already grilled, and at the table you cook it a bit more on the grill together with the scallions. So instead of scrambling to grill the meat from scratch, it was convenient to just warm it up and eat right away.

True to the name Bulhyangjip (meaning "house of fire flavor"), you get a clear, subtle smoky charcoal aroma from the meat, and eating it together with the shredded scallions is a combination that's hard to mess up. In particular, the special sauce wasn't as salty as I expected, so even dipping the meat generously into it wasn't overwhelming. Cooking the scallions a bit more on the grill until golden brown gave them a whole different flavor, which I loved.

Charcoal gochujang bulgogi: sweet, spicy and worth it

The gochujang charcoal bulgogi is the same style of bulgogi but definitely had a different feel. The smoky charcoal flavor is still there, but with the added spicy, savory kick of gochujang (red chili paste) seasoning, it went really well with rice too.

If the scallion charcoal bulgogi is about enjoying a clean combination of smoky flavor and scallions, the gochujang charcoal bulgogi adds a spicy kick from the seasoning! In the end, after finishing everything, we added one more serving of the gochujang charcoal bulgogi 😂😂

Mom's Hand steamed egg, light and fluffy

The steamed egg was fluffy and soft, not overly seasoned, and just reliably good. Grandma in particular does well with soft foods, so for us as a family it was nice to have this kind of side dish available. It was a comforting steamed egg that paired well with the meat.

Order this too: Country Grandma doenjang jjigae

Among everything I had that day, my personal favorite side was the doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew). Even the color looks like it's packed with doenjang, but when you actually taste it, it's not as salty as you'd think, with a rich, savory depth. It had plenty of tofu too, which paired well with rice.

It's surprisingly hard to get this kind of deep flavor when making doenjang jjigae at home, so getting to enjoy a stew like this alongside grilled meat felt like a great combination. Personally, if you're looking for a good meat restaurant near Mulwang Reservoir, I'd recommend ordering the doenjang jjigae as well.

Bulhyangjip bibim noodles, served with broth

Bulhyangjip's bibim noodles are a bit different from the typical bibim noodles you'd imagine. The noodles are tossed in sauce but also sit in a light broth, mixed together with onion, kimchi, cucumber, and other ingredients.

You could taste the nutty flavor of sesame oil along with a soy sauce note, making it a different style from the usual tangy-spicy bibim noodles. The portion was pretty generous too, so eating it in between bites of meat felt refreshing and cleansing.

Is Bulhyangjip good for a family dinner by Mulwang Reservoir?

Bulhyangjip Mulwang Lake Main Branch has a spacious, clean interior, plenty of parking, and a variety of seating options, so it seemed like a good place for a family meal or a gathering. Most of all, I loved being able to freely grab as many wrap vegetables as I wanted, and I was satisfied to really taste that charcoal smokiness in the bulgogi.

If you're looking for a meat restaurant near Mulwang Reservoir where you can enjoy smoky charcoal bulgogi along with a wide variety of wrap vegetables, it's worth stopping by :) I'd definitely go again!

I feel like everyone's catching colds these days ㅜㅜ After spending hours coughing and running a fever all night, I really felt how precious good health is 😢 Everyone please be careful of colds, and next week is finally the holidays!!!!!!!