Charcoal-grilled pork neck and gochujang bulgogi in Gayang: Gamgol

Gamgol Yeontanjip Gayang Station Branch is a spot where even the side dishes hit the spot, let alone every single bite of meat.

Today I went for thick pork neck, gochujang charcoal bulgogi, and fried rice in a retro atmosphere near Gayang Station. Let me tell you about Gamgol Yeontanjip's signature basil ssamjang (dipping sauce) and their properly aged kimchi — it was genuinely delicious!

Where is Gamgol Yeontanjip in Gayang?

Gamgol Yeontanjip Gayang Station Branch is right in front of you as you come out of Exit 9 of Gayang Station on Line 9 — the Sambu Renaissance building. It's on the 1st floor, at the far right end of the building.

Exterior

The sign alone has a strong retro presence.

There's a standing menu board out front featuring the restaurant's signature dishes — looks like they have seasoned hagfish too, not just pork!

Gamgol Yeontanjip's mascot is this very charcoal briquette. They use patented clean charcoal that's supposedly free of harmful hydrogen sulfide, so you can safely enjoy that smoky charcoal flavor!

Interior mood and the self-serve corner

The chairs inside are wrapped in colorful floral fabric, which adds to the retro feel and gives it a cozy warmth. (I feel like I've seen that exact print on an apron at home... 😳)

In the center of the restaurant there's a self-serve corner where you can help yourself to more vegetables, napa cabbage kimchi, green onion kimchi, and pickled gochujang peppers.

On the walls there are various write-ups introducing Gamgol Yeontanjip and its popular menu items — the font and the blue tape used are all consistently retro, and it was so charming 💗 The fact that I find this kind of mood nostalgic tells you something about my age...

There's also a notice about the patented clean charcoal I mentioned earlier, so you can grill and eat with peace of mind 🤤

Menu board and grilling tips

Here's Gamgol Yeontanjip's menu — you've got to have the charcoal direct-fire grilling here. Apparently their gochujang charcoal bulgogi, grilled over charcoal, is the best seller! We ordered two servings of teukmoksal (premium pork neck) and one serving of gochujang charcoal bulgogi, plus we tried the Changdong-ine shrimp egg custard too!

You order what you want through the kiosk. I liked that it also showed instructions for grilling the meat perfectly.

Tips for grilling teukmoksal well

• Grill quickly over high heat — that's the real flavor!
• Oil the grill plate 'right before' grilling the meat (otherwise the plate burns!)
• Cook the meat to about 80% doneness and dip it in sauce 🐷

Tips for grilling gochujang charcoal bulgogi well

• Mix the seasoning well.
• Pour the meat onto the grill all at once.
• Flip it all at once with the tongs, quickly.
• When the seasoning turns dark and slightly charred, that's the tastiest moment 🐷

The table setting — basil ssamjang and aged kimchi

Gamgol Yeontanjip Gayang Station Branch serves water in retro style too. It's not the nostalgic glass water bottle, but a plastic jug with that same feel, filled generously with chilled hutgae tea — and it tastes great too 🚰

Each person gets their own small plate with sauces and side dishes, served individually, which made it convenient to eat comfortably. That kind of thoughtfulness was really touching 💗

There was even a write-up introducing the sauces and side dishes. What stood out was the 'world's only basil ssamjang' and the 'three-generation sesame oil sauce' from a family-run sesame mill — I couldn't even imagine how nutty it would be.

The green onion salad came with sauce drizzled over fresh shredded green onions, and the napa cabbage kimchi and green onion kimchi both looked perfectly aged at a glance, right? Truly truly truly the best aged kimchi I've ever had 🩵 Eating it with the meat makes everything twice — no, three times — tastier!

And finally, the lettuce wraps arrived!

Teukmoksal — the juice of thick pork neck

Soon our two servings of teukmoksal and one serving of charcoal bulgogi arrived. Time to grill! I was so hungry!

Let's start with the unseasoned strings of teukmoksal. True to its name, the pork neck comes in long, thin strips. Once the grill plate heated up, we oiled it with a small block of fat and lined the teukmoksal up neatly in rows to grill.

The meat looked really thick, like it would be holding all that juice inside.

I took a nice photo of the whole spread while grilling the teukmoksal 🤗

Before long the teukmoksal turned golden brown, so I cut it into bite-sized pieces. Grill it too long and it gets tough, so around 80% doneness is just right! This level of golden brown should be perfect. Let's try it.

This is thick teukmoksal grilled over charcoal, carrying that smoky flavor. Just the right thickness, and the color of the meat looks so delicious 💗

Dipped in basil ssamjang?

First, let's try the basil ssamjang I was most curious about. I put a well-cooked piece of meat on my plate and dabbed on just the right amount of ssamjang.

The distinctive fresh, fragrant aroma of basil filled my mouth, and the sauce had a rich, savory umami like olive oil. The teukmoksal was so thick that it held onto its juices, so every bite gave off a savory meaty aroma while staying moist. I'd rank this number one among the pork I've had recently 👍

Three-generation sesame mill sesame oil sauce

Next, I tried dipping it in the three-generation sesame mill oil sauce, and the sesame oil aroma was on another level. Maybe it's because it's from three generations...? The deep nuttiness of the sesame seeds seeped into the meat, making it even more savory — it's a flavor that made me happy with every bite.

Next, I topped it with the green onion salad, and the combination of the crisp, refreshing, slightly salty green onions was great.

Lastly, I topped it with the well-aged green onion kimchi and napa cabbage kimchi and ate it with the meat, and oh..... amazing 🤩🤩🤩🤩 I already knew pork tastes best with kimchi, but I never expected to find kimchi that pairs this perfectly with pork..! Between the basil ssamjang, the sesame oil sauce, and the well-aged kimchi, the combination was so good that I finished the juicy teukmoksal in no time.

Gochujang charcoal bulgogi

Next, let's try the gochujang charcoal bulgogi. Mix the meat in the earthenware bowl well with the seasoning, then pour it onto the grill. Just like they taught us, pour it all on at once!

Flip the meat all over with the tongs, and you can watch the seasoning soak in while the meat turns a nice golden brown!

Has the seasoning turned dark and slightly charred? Then it's about time to eat. I took the first bite, and because it was grilled over charcoal, the smoky flavor really came through, giving the seasoning a deep richness.

You get spicy, salty, umami, and sweet all at once, and the tender meat slides down smoothly — it's seriously addictive!

Meat like this absolutely has to be wrapped in a lettuce leaf right away to taste even better. Put the meat on perilla leaf and lettuce, add a bit of garlic and ssamjang, and take one big wrap — the crunch of the vegetables and the softness of the meat filling your mouth is pure bliss.

Add kimchi and basil ssamjang to your taste and enjoy the fun of wrapping it yourself — you'll understand exactly why this comes so highly recommended.

Changdong-ine shrimp egg custard

This is the Changdong-ine shrimp egg custard we also ordered. It looked totally different from the egg custard you usually see at BBQ restaurants.

It's Gamgol Yeontanjip's own take on egg custard — packed with tiny shrimp and a generous helping of nutty sesame seeds. Plus they add the three-generation sesame oil, taking the nuttiness to the max!

The egg custard had a nice amount of broth so it stayed moist, and with all that shrimp packed in, the broth had an explosive umami flavor!

Finishing with charcoal-shaped fried rice

We'd finished the meat, but my husband still wasn't full, so we ordered the charcoal fried rice — and it comes shaped like an actual charcoal briquette!!!

The charcoal fried rice comes with bracken fern, flying fish roe, cheese, and a fried egg, and you mix it all with the rice on the hot grill plate.

The charcoal fried rice wasn't salty but had rich umami, and with the flying fish roe, fried egg, and bracken fern it had a nice chewy texture too — you get several different flavors in one spoonful, and it was really delicious. I think there's sesame oil in this too, because it's so nutty! Topping it with pickled gochujang peppers makes it even better, highly recommend 👍

Final thoughts — who should visit

Gamgol Yeontanjip Gayang Station Branch is right in front of Gayang Station, a stop on both the express and local Line 9 trains, so it's very easy to reach. With its retro atmosphere and nostalgic charcoal-fire cooking, it's without a doubt one of the best Korean BBQ restaurants near Gayang Station, serving up meat with all kinds of flavors. Highly recommend!!

• Anyone looking for a great BBQ restaurant around Gayang Station
• Anyone who wants to taste well-aged napa cabbage kimchi and green onion kimchi
• Anyone who wants a drink in a retro atmosphere
• Anyone who wants fresh meat paired with a variety of drinking snacks