Thick raw pork neck and egg custard at Anmin Yulha, Gimhae BBQ

Why does meat never get old, no matter how much you eat it? Especially on a day when you've been craving good meat all day long, there's just no walking past it.

That day I suddenly wanted thick pork so badly that I started searching for good meat spots in Jangyu. That's how I ended up at Anmin Yulha, a Jangyu favorite located near Yulha.

A raw pork charcoal-grill specialist where the staff grill it for you!

Anmin Yulha location and hours

• Address: 93-23 Yulha Cafe-gil, 1F, Gimhae-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea
• Hours: Weekdays 16:30–23:00 / Weekends 12:00–23:00
• Parking: On-site parking available

It's located on the Jangyu Yulha café street, so access was easy.

What's the atmosphere like?

The first thing I noticed walking in was how clean and pleasant the whole place felt. You usually picture a Korean BBQ place as loud and chaotic, but this one was more orderly and comfortable than I expected, which I really liked.

The tables were neatly set and the dining space was comfortable to sit in. It seemed like a good place for a family meal out, or for meeting friends for good meat, and it would suit a gathering, a work dinner, or a date just as well.

From cumin salt to pine flower salt: the side spread

Cumin salt (jjran), curry bean powder, pine flower salt, seasonal pickles, and various house-made sauces!

Basic side dishes that pair well with pork — a way to enjoy it even more!

Cabbage salad, chili peppers, garlic, and lettuce for wrapping!

And best of all — the staff grill the meat for you! Grilling is honestly the tiring part of Korean BBQ. Sometimes you came to enjoy the meal but end up staring at the grill the whole time, or the meat burns while you're chatting.

Here's the menu, for reference. We ordered the raw whole pork neck and the steamed egg custard.

Raw whole pork neck: one thick cut

After ordering and waiting, the raw whole pork neck finally arrived. True to its name, the meat was pretty thick — just looking at it felt like a proper meat feast. It has a different charm from thinly sliced pork neck.

Since the staff grilled it for us so well, we got to sit back and chat while waiting. Meat someone else grills really is the best, haha. As the thick cuts went on the grill and started sizzling... the sound of it grilling was almost too much to handle, mouth-watering.

Finally, the whole pork neck was cooked just right! For the first bite, I tried it without any sauce or seasoning to taste the meat itself. It was nuttier and cleaner-tasting than I expected.

It doesn't have the strong fattiness of belly pork, so it was easy and clean to eat, and the pork's characteristic nutty flavor kept coming through subtly as I chewed.

I also liked that there was a wide range of accompaniments to eat with the meat. I first tried it dipped lightly in salt, then paired it with various sauces and side dishes. Since the neck meat was fairly lean, it went well with all sorts of combinations.

The thick slices also gave a nice bite — tender to chew but with the firm texture particular to pork neck, which made eating it more fun.

Premium egg custard alongside the meat

And the premium steamed egg custard we also ordered! Ordering egg custard with meat is basically an unwritten rule, isn't it? The custard came out bubbling and soft, and one spoonful was fluffy and smooth, pairing well with the meat.

Honest verdict

If you're looking for a good meat spot in Jangyu or Yulha and you like pork that's clean-tasting and nutty rather than greasy, I'd recommend trying the whole pork neck at Anmin Yulha. It's the kind of place that comes to mind whenever you want to eat meat comfortably in a clean atmosphere. Next time, I'd like to try the other pork menu items one by one and enjoy some new combinations.