Gimhae Korean BBQ with 336-hour aged pork grilled for you: Godansu

Aged pork grilled for you in Jangyu Yulha, Gimhae

I'd heard that a new BBQ restaurant called Godansu (고단수) had opened in Jangyu Yulha. Apparently it's the kind of place popping up a lot near Busan for good meat, so I was curious — and when I actually went, the vibe was pretty different from what I imagined a typical Korean BBQ restaurant to be.

For one, the interior is full of hip touches, and best of all, staff grill the meat for you, which made things so much easier. Whenever we go to a BBQ place my husband ends up so busy grilling he barely gets to eat lol. Here you just sit and chat while you eat, so my husband was like "this is so nice," haha. We came for meat but somehow ended up feeling pampered too.

Where is Godansu Gimhae Yulha, and where do you park?

Godansu sits on the food street side of the Jangyu café district. This neighborhood is easy to park in, so I come here fairly often.

Staff told us we could also use the lot across from Godansu, and if that's full, people in this neighborhood tend to just park along the roadside without much fuss, lol.

Inside Godansu: hip and cozy, not your usual BBQ room

The moment I walked in I thought, "wait, is this really a BBQ restaurant?" lol. It had exactly the hip-but-emotional atmosphere I love, so I was sold immediately.

The inside is split into roughly three sections, and the tables are spaced pretty generously.

Each section has big windows and nice lighting, so none of that cramped, chaotic feeling you often get at BBQ restaurants.

The section we sat in had one 6-seat table and about two 4-seat tables, which probably explains why it felt especially quiet and cozy!

When a BBQ place is too loud, you can't even tell if the food is going in your mouth or your nose, lol. Here we could talk and eat at a relaxed pace, which I appreciated.

We'd reserved ahead, and the table was neatly set when we arrived, which put me in a good mood.

Since this is an aged-meat restaurant, there's even an aging fridge on one side. Get delicious, get delicious!

What 336-hour wet-aged pork belly and pork neck taste like

There were four types of aged meat plus side dishes I hadn't seen much elsewhere — lots of appetite-boosting options.

Started with pork belly x2 servings + pork neck x1 serving

Hearing the meat was wet-aged for a whopping 336 hours had my expectations up from the moment we ordered, and when it arrived looking thick and fresh, that anticipation only grew.

From here on, you just sit back and relax, lol. Staff laid the meat neatly on the oiled grill,

and grilled it carefully from start to finish.

We were about to head to Macau soon, so my husband and I were chatting away about travel plans, and before we knew it the meat was perfectly grilled, lol. The staff member's grilling skill was genuinely masterful — I guess meat really is better left to the experts.

Such beautifully grilled meat....

Once fully grilled, they set the pieces neatly off to the side!

The sauces at Godansu: galchi-sokjeot, spinach pesto and more

There were plenty of condiments to mix and match — galchi-sokjeot (fermented hairtail sauce), spinach pesto, sriracha, fermented squid, and kelp salt — so it was fun to eat according to your own taste.

They said the sauces are made in-house or given extra tweaks, and they definitely tasted better than the store-bought kind. The meat was crisp outside and juicy, chewy inside — a different feel from your usual pork belly. Even my elementary-schooler son said "this is so good" and agreed that experts really are different, lol.

Baek-kimchi jjim (braised white kimchi) and the side dishes

Baek-kimchi jjim (white kimchi stew)

The baek-kimchi jjim we had with rice was also a standout. At first I thought, "it's white — will this even taste good?" but one spoonful had a rich, salty depth like a hearty kimchi stew.

There were thick chunks of meat in it too, and even my kid ate it right up — the kind of dish that just hits the spot.

Banchan (side dishes)

The banchan spread was varied too, and among them the pudding-soft steamed egg was completely my type! I almost wanted to ask how they make it, lol.

There was also salad and konjac salad, both great pairings with the meat.

Next time at Godansu: hangjeongsal and gabrisal

We'd had a late lunch that day, so we kept it simple with just pork belly and pork neck, but my husband and I promised to come back next time for hangjeongsal (pork jowl) and gabrisal (pork skirt) too, lol. The meat itself was delicious, but having it grilled for us made everything so easy, and above all, I loved that a BBQ restaurant could feel this hip yet cozy. It's the kind of place that comes to mind for anniversaries or when you want to treat someone.

If you want to enjoy good meat without any of the hassle, Godansu in Yulha is worth a visit :)