Pork barbecue in Suyeong, Busan: aged set at Donbegi Gwang-an

Is it well located for dinner after a Gwangalli date?

After my wife and I browsed the small shops in Gwangalli and got hungry, we went to Donbegi Gwang-an Branch. I remembered it as a place known for its 480-hour-aged pork.

The address is the first and second floors, 34 Millakbon-dong-ro 11beon-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan, South Korea. The hours listed in the original post are noon to 11 PM every day.

It is near Gwangalli Beach in Minrak-dong, so it was easy to walk over after looking around the small shops.

It is also within walking distance of Gwangan Station. Parking is listed as free for two hours at the Seohui Starhills Centum Primo underground parking lot.

What was it like dining as a couple in a private room?

The restaurant was divided into a regular hall on the first floor and rooms on the second. We were shown to a second-floor room, where my wife and I could sit privately. The staff guided us kindly, and I thought it would suit not only a meal for two but also a family gathering.

It is also introduced as a pet-friendly restaurant. This visit, however, was just a meal for my wife and me.

What came in the assorted set?

We ordered the 600 assorted set. It included 400 g of shoulder rack and 200 g of ogyeopsal (five-layer pork belly), and we also had myeongranbap (rice with pollock roe) and medium-spicy stone-pot kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup).

Which side dishes went well with the pork?

Once we sat down, the basic table setting was laid out.

There were pickled shredded chili peppers, pickled gungchae (stem lettuce), fresh kimchi, shiitake mushroom wasabi, and pollock roe.

The pickled shredded chili peppers were pungent and clean-tasting, helping cut the richness as we ate the meat. I also kept reaching for the pollock roe, which added savoriness when placed a little at a time on the pork.

How did the aged shoulder rack taste, and how did we eat it?

Our 600 assorted set arrived.

With both shoulder rack and ogyeopsal, the set let us compare the textures of the two cuts.

Not long after we ordered, the meat arrived par-grilled, and a staff member trimmed it at the table.

We finished cooking the trimmed meat over the residual heat. Since we did not have to keep watching the grill, it was easy to talk with my wife while we ate. I thought the available grilling service would also be helpful when dining with children.

The shoulder rack, a pork shoulder cut, was chewy yet tender. The restaurant highlights its 480-hour aging; when I ate it, there was no unpleasant odor and the meat aroma lingered.

The outside was crisp and the inside moist, which even gave it a steak-like feel.

We tried it the way the staff recommended and changed up the accompaniments as we ate.

For my taste, the best combination was pork with pollock roe and grilled white kimchi.

How were myeongranbap and ogyeopsal together?

The salty flavor of the pollock roe blended well with the rice in the myeongranbap.

It was topped generously with pollock roe. Alternating spoonfuls with the meat kept the meal from becoming tiring through the end.

The ogyeopsal was cooked golden brown, and its rich fat flavor stood out when I chewed it.

Was the medium-spicy stone-pot kalguksu very hot?

After eating some of the meat, we ordered the medium-spicy stone-pot kalguksu.

For my taste, it was not very spicy, just pleasantly peppery. The noodles were springy, while the refreshing, spicy broth reduced the greasy feeling left in my mouth after the meat.

What I remember most from this meal was the shoulder rack's chewy yet tender texture and the combination of pollock roe with grilled white kimchi. Being able to talk with my wife in the second-floor room made it a satisfying dinner after a Gwangalli date.