Date night BBQ in Sajik-dong, Busan with parking: Bulmak Yeolsam Sajik

I went to Bulmak Yeolsam, a Sajik-dong go-to spot, and had pork belly and makchang.

My boyfriend loves meat so much that dating him basically means eating out at a meat restaurant every two weeks. The problem is that he loves pork belly the most, while I love pork makchang (grilled pork intestines) the most?! There aren't many places that serve both, so every time we pick a restaurant it turns into a little standoff haha.

But I heard that a meat restaurant called 'Bulmak Yeolsam' lets you eat both together, so I headed straight there. The name Bulmak Yeolsam itself turned out to be short for 'burning makchang, heated-up pork belly'! To think a place serving all our favorite dishes was this close by... I'll definitely be visiting Bulmak Yeolsam Sajik often from now on. Let me review how the meat quality was and what the interior was like at this Sajik-dong favorite.

Where is Bulmak Yeolsam Sajik, and what are its hours?

• Location: 3-1 Seoksabuk-ro, 1st floor, Dongnae-gu, Busan, South Korea — Bulmak Yeolsam Sajik
• Hours: Daily 4:00 PM – 2:00 AM
• Amenities & services: Takeout/reservations available, group-friendly, high chairs provided
• Parking: Available

Parking: 1 hour covered at Myeongseong Parking Lot

So many restaurants these days don't offer parking, so I was relieved that Bulmak Yeolsam Sajik does! Just head into the alley across from the right side of the restaurant, toward the market entrance, and you'll find Myeongseong Parking Lot. They support 1 hour, and the extra fee isn't too pricey either, so I didn't feel rushed during the meal.

Inside Bulmak Yeolsam Sajik: table and floor seating

Bulmak Yeolsam has both standing-style round tables and floor-seating square tables. The spaces are somewhat separated, and since they're open until 2am, it seems like a great spot for group dinners or gatherings. The tables and interior overall looked clean and tidy, which I liked.

The menu: why we chose the pork set

One great thing about Bulmak Yeolsam is that they use delicious domestic fresh pork belly!! The pork and beef makchang aren't domestic, but they're fresh rather than frozen, so I was already looking forward to it before eating.

There's a wide variety of meat menu items like daechang (large intestine), gopchang (small intestine), kkodeulsal (chewy pork cheek meat), pork skin, and beef brisket, along with various hot pots and rice dishes. Bulmak Yeolsam's set combos looked especially good value, so we ordered the pork set.

The side dishes, from dubu kimchi to doenjang stew

As soon as we ordered, the table filled up with the basic spread. I was surprised that dubu kimchi (tofu with stir-fried kimchi) came as a basic side dish here! At Bulmak Yeolsam Sajik, not only the kimchi in the dubu kimchi but also the kimchi grilled alongside the meat is all domestic. One bite in, and both the seasoning and texture were delicious haha. Don't leave any kimchi behind, eat it all.

Besides soy-pickled onions and salt, three special sauces come out too — doenjang and gochujang barbecue sauce. With a nutty one, a sweet one, and a spicy one, there are plenty of sauce options to enjoy the meat in different ways.

Fresh pork belly cut 1.4 cm thick

- Fresh pork belly - This was the 2-serving portion of fresh pork belly included in the pork set! The pink color of the meat looked fresh and delicious right off the bat — a true Sajik-dong pork belly worth visiting for.

We grilled up the mushrooms and kimchi that came alongside it too, and we made quick work of them! Looking at the photos again makes my mouth water... domestic kimchi paired with domestic fresh pork belly... foods you can trust and enjoy. The kimchi was perfectly ripened, tangy and sweet, and grilling it brought out even more umami — so good.

The meat's thickness, at 1.4 cm, was neither too thick nor too thin — easy to eat and just right for locking in the juiciness. Eating it with Bulmak Yeolsam's tangy-sweet lettuce salad,

Ten pieces of cheese you grill at the table

- Grillable cheese - I thought the set would come with maybe 3-4 pieces of grillable cheese, but it came with a whopping 10... We placed one alongside the meat each time we grilled, and it was nutty and delicious haha. Dipping it in the condensed milk that came with it made it sweet and salty at the same time, which paired well with the meat too — I kept reaching for more.

Fresh makchang: chewy, with no gamy smell

- Fresh makchang - Bulmak Yeolsam's rule (?) is: no gamy smell, not tough, and you have to keep thinking about it after eating. This Sajik-dong favorite is known for aging the makchang with 16 secret ingredients, which is why there's no gamy smell. It wasn't boiled first but pre-grilled once, which made it feel even chewier and nuttier.

Wrapping it in the lettuce salad, or pairing it with naengmyeon (cold noodles) or ttangcho ramyeon (spicy chili noodles), is pretty great too. As for sauce, you can dip it in the gochujang sauce or doenjang sauce, and I like the doenjang combo best haha.

Finishing with doenjang stew and black rice

- Doenjang stew - To finish, of course, warm rice with savory doenjang stew (soybean paste stew)! Since the stew is included in the set, we just added extra rice separately. I liked that instead of plain white rice, we got black rice for a healthier option.

Is Bulmak Yeolsam Sajik worth a visit?

• Open until 2am, making it a great spot to swing by for late-night meat cravings in Sajik-dong
• Bulmak Yeolsam lets you taste fresh pork belly and fresh makchang together
• A Sajik-dong meat restaurant well suited for family gatherings or group dinners
• Beyond the meat, there are plenty of good drinking-snack side dishes and menu items like dubu kimchi and grillable cheese