Muan Korean BBQ with half-portion pork ribs: Ubokgeum Saenggalbi

I stopped by because I was craving meat on the way home after visiting my family home on the weekend of September 6! This time, I visited Ubokgeum Saenggalbi in Namak. I eat meat pretty often anyway (I had galbi for my mom's birthday the day before, hahaha), but after a long drive (????), I was really in the mood for fresh ribs :)

Ubokgeum Saenggalbi, a Namak Korean BBQ restaurant

Ubokgeum Saenggalbi Mokpo Namak Branch is located on Daejukseo-ro in Samhyang-eup, Muan-gun, Gwangju.

Even the exterior had that proper Korean BBQ restaurant feel. Once we went in, the interior was more spacious than I expected, and the tables were nicely spaced apart too.

With its wood-toned interior, it looked like a nice spot for a simple drink with a meal too. We sat down, looked over the menu, and ordered the fresh beef ribs first.

The side dishes come out one by one

One of the basic side dishes really surprised me: the scallion salad! My husband and I don't usually like leafy things such as scallions (???), so we don't normally eat scallion salad either, but...

Here, it was tossed in a tangy chojang (vinegared red chili sauce) dressing, and it was seasoned so well. Putting it on a piece of grilled meat kept things from feeling greasy and refreshed my palate with its tanginess, so I kept reaching for it haha. They also brought the usual accompaniments—lettuce, garlic, dipping sauces, and more—so everything was ready for wrapping the meat.

It was hot that day, so I asked for some ice to make a cool somaek (soju-and-beer mix), and they brought us a whole bowlful of it.

I had no idea how much somaek we'd have to drink, hehe..

Fresh beef ribs grilled over charcoal

The meat finally arrived!

You can tell even from the photos, but the fresh beef ribs definitely passed the visual test. Such beautifully colored, super-fresh ribs, right~?

As soon as the meat went onto the charcoal grill, that delicious smell came rushing up~ The staff member grilled every piece for us and was so good at it. The rich, nutty flavor of the meat itself came through really well.

Maybe because it was charcoal-grilled, the outside was lightly browned while the inside stayed moist!

Oh! They also removed the meat from the bones for us, which was so convenient. I really love that chewy meat clinging to the bone. It was delicious dipped in sauce, and also nice with just a little salt.

The scallion sauce was so good that I bet the bibim naengmyeon (spicy mixed cold noodles) would be delicious too hahaha. I'll try it next time!!!

Adding a half portion of pork ribs!

While eating the fresh beef ribs, I got curious about the pork ribs too, so we added a half portion.

Maybe because they were marinated, a sweet smell drifted up as soon as they hit the charcoal grill~ Once browned and grilled, they had that distinct pork-rib flavor: sweet and savory with a nice salty edge.

They had a different appeal from the fresh beef ribs, so I was glad we ordered both types. But honestly, the added half portion of pork ribs was not particularly generous, so it was a little disappointing for us (a big-eater couple.......). My husband said that truly good pork ribs are usually considered reasonably priced at this level, though.

The meat itself tasted good, but the two of us finished it faster than expected haha. Still, because it was tasty, we ended up clearing every bit of it (pork power rising!).

Finishing the meat meal with doenjang rice

As Koreans, of course we couldn't finish with meat alone haha. We wrapped things up with doenjang rice.

We added rice to the bubbling doenjang stew, and maybe because we'd just had meat, it went down so easily. Rice mixed right into the doenjang-jjigae broth—sulbap (rice in soup for drinking)!!! A hearty meal, complete to the very end!

Jjuuk's overall review

Overall, I was happy with both the fresh beef ribs and pork ribs we tried that day. Since you grill the meat directly over charcoal, I think meat lovers would enjoy visiting at least once. Personally, beyond the meat itself, the tangy scallion salad was much tastier than expected and really stayed with me; I also remember how generously they brought us ice when I asked for a bowlful. That said, depending on the menu, the portion size may feel a little lacking, so if you're visiting as a group, it would be best to think about how much you'll eat and order accordingly from the start. Still, I was happy to end the day with delicious meat and my husband on the way back from my family home that weekend! If you're looking for a charcoal-grilled meat restaurant in Namak, keep Ubokgeum Saenggalbi in mind :)