Thursday Korean BBQ with my brother in Yangjae: pork neck, Gamdol

On a weekday evening I went to Gamdol Yeontan Jip (감골연탄집) Yangjae Citizen's Forest Branch, a Korean BBQ spot near Yangjaesiminuisup Station, with my younger brother! I love briquette-grilled bulgogi, so I'd been searching around, and lots of reviews said the pork neck was great too, so my hopes were high ☺️ We tried everything from the bulgogi to the pork neck, and personally, the pork neck really won me over!

Location and exterior of Gamdol Yeontan Jip, Yangjae Citizen's Forest Branch

The restaurant is about a 5-minute walk from Exit 3 of Yangjaesiminuisup Station. It's not far from the station, so it looked fine for stopping by after work, and there were quite a lot of customers even when I looked from outside, which raised my expectations. The exterior has a retro look too!

Is Gamdol Yeontan Jip good for company dinners? The big hall and the inner room

The restaurant is quite spacious, split into a main hall and an inner area, so there were more tables than I expected. On Thursday evening it was packed and lively, and it felt better suited to a company dinner or get-together than a quiet meal ☺️

When I visited, a large group had just left, so a few tables were being cleared, which made me feel it's a place many people use for company dinners and gatherings! I think it would be an easy choice for anyone looking for a group dinner spot near Yangjaesiminuisup Station.

This is the space behind the partition wall. It's open like a doorway, so it isn't fully separated, but personally I felt the outer area was where the big groups sat, while the inner area was a bit cozier and looked good for small gatherings or a quiet meal haha.

Gamdol Yeontan Jip menu: pork belly, briquette bulgogi and pork neck

The meats on the menu were just pork belly, briquette bulgogi and pork neck. There were also drinking snacks like spicy grilled hagfish (kkomjangeo), chicken feet, pork skin and dried filefish, plus side dishes like bibim noodles, doenjang stew, fried rice, kimchi noodle soup, soft tofu stew and steamed egg 👀 Unusually, the drinks list even had highballs~

Table setting: hovenia tea, basil sauce and potato salad

When you sit down, they first bring hovenia tea (heotgae-cha)! Getting hovenia tea at a BBQ place felt extra refreshing and nice haha. Then they pour water on the grill and a staff member greases the grill with pork fat for you.

Each personal plate comes set with ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste), basil sauce and oil dipping sauce, and the basil sauce was a bit of a surprise. The side dishes were pretty varied too, and there was potato salad, which I love, so I was in a good mood from the start 🤣

The vegetables were all fresh, and the sides were mostly things that go well with meat, like kimchi, lettuce and shredded scallion salad.

I also ordered a cold draft beer, and the 350ml glass was way cuter than I expected 🤣 lol. It was the perfect size for a light drink.

Jul-jul-i pork neck for 2: how to grill it

The first thing we ordered at Gamdol Yeontan Jip was the unseasoned jul-jul-i pork neck (줄줄이특목살, ₩15,900). It's steak-style pork neck, and the staff recommended cooking it to only about 80%. Sure enough, the meat looked high-quality from the moment they brought it~ It was quite thick, and the shape was a bit different from the pork neck I usually see, which was neat.

We grilled kimchi and scallions alongside it, and I left the meat to my brother, who has worked part-time at a BBQ place lol.

Pork neck isn't a very fatty cut, but it was really tender. It felt kind of upscale...? It's mostly lean, so it was clean-tasting without any dryness at all, and it went so well with the grilled kimchi. Personally, this pork neck was my favorite dish of the day!

Flat bibim noodles are best wrapped in the meat

The flat bibim noodles (납작비빔면) are ₩6,900, and since my brother and I both love bibim noodles, we ordered them along with the pork neck. The sauce is sweet, tangy and a little spicy, like jjolmyeon (chewy wheat noodles), so it was easy to eat 🤤

The noodles were really unusual: wide, flat glass noodles that were super soft and slid down nicely. As the staff suggested, we wrapped them in the meat, and the mild flavor of the pork went so well with the bibim sauce that we kept eating them together 😊 haha.

Gochujang briquette bulgogi for 2: how was it?

We were already getting a little full, but I love briquette bulgogi, so we ended up ordering the gochujang briquette bulgogi (₩14,900) as well 🤣

You know you have to stir briquette bulgogi right as it goes on, right?! lol

The gochujang briquette bulgogi tasted like jeyuk-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork) with a faint briquette smoke. The seasoning isn't aggressively strong; it was clean and only slightly spicy. My personal tip: grill it a bit longer until the edges get slightly charred and crispy, and the briquette flavor comes out more and tastes even better 🫢

Gamdol Yeontan Jip, Yangjae Citizen's Forest Branch: summary

• The pork neck was the most satisfying dish
• The big space works for company dinners and group gatherings
• The briquette bulgogi has a subtle smoky flavor
• Worth a visit if you're looking for Korean BBQ near Yangjaesiminuisup Station

Personally, I was really happy with the quality of the pork neck, and the briquette bulgogi was easy to enjoy too. The side dishes came out in good variety, and the spacious restaurant looked fine for company dinners or get-togethers. If you're looking for good pork neck or briquette bulgogi near Yangjaesiminuisup Station, it's worth a visit 😊