Gwangalli barbecue restaurant with private rooms: Donbegi Gwang-an

While looking for a barbecue restaurant for dinner in Gwangalli, we visited Donbegi Gwang-an Branch (돈베기 광안점). The two of us ordered the Couple Assorted Set in a window-side room and had shoulder rack and five-layer pork belly.

Was there a wait on a weekday evening?

The hanok-style exterior and softly glowing sign first caught my eye. When we visited in the evening, the exterior and lighting suited each other well.

Even though it was a weekday evening, there were many guests, so we could not go straight in. We registered on a tablet and waited about 30 minutes before entering.

Are there private rooms for dates or work dinners?

The wood tones and warm lighting gave the interior the feel of an old hanok home. The restaurant was divided between the first and second floors; the first floor had regular tables and an area for groups.

The meat is said to go through a three-stage aging process. There was also a wine refrigerator, so I thought it could be nice to have wine with the meat.

Upstairs, rooms continued along the corridor. Each room had curtains, and there were also large rooms that looked suitable for group gatherings or work dinners.

We were shown to a room with a window. It was a space where the two of us could dine separately, which was nice for a date, and I also liked the atmosphere of eating by the window.

What is available among the side dishes and at the self-service bar?

There was a self-service bar on each of the first and second floors. We could take as many side dishes and ssam vegetables as we needed.

Before the charcoal arrived, they set out white kimchi, shredded radish salad, myeongran (seasoned pollock roe), gat kimchi (mustard-leaf kimchi), and pickled chili peppers. Each person received pink salt, wasabi, and seasoned shiitake mushrooms.

Seasoned shredded green onions came with the meal as well. We ordered meat and rice, and they brought doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew) first. It had a savory, home-cooked flavor.

What comes in the Couple Assorted Set, and how do you grill it?

The Couple Assorted Set we ordered was for two to three people. It included 400 g of shoulder rack with either 200 g of five-layer pork belly or pork neck; we chose shoulder rack and five-layer pork belly. It was a good way for two people to try several cuts.

The meat came pre-grilled, and we waited about 15 minutes after ordering. A staff member cut it into easy-to-eat pieces and placed it on the grill, then we finished cooking it ourselves.

It was convenient that we could keep the cooked meat in front of each of us as we ate.

How did the shoulder rack and five-layer pork belly taste?

Shoulder rack is said to be a cut prepared by joining rib and pork neck meat. It was my first time trying it, and it was tender and juicy enough to taste good without anything else.

After the shoulder rack, we grilled the five-layer pork belly. The staff member cut it into pieces that were easy to grill, so we could cook it comfortably.

We also grilled shishito peppers, green onions, and mushrooms with the meat. They helped cut the richness that can come from eating meat alone.

I liked dipping the meat in pink salt or adding a little wasabi. We also ate it as ssam (lettuce wraps), with meat and side dishes wrapped in lettuce.

The five-layer pork belly was golden on the outside and moist inside, with a good texture. It paired especially well with softly grilled mushrooms and wasabi.

Although we had to wait about 30 minutes even on a weekday evening, we were satisfied with the meat and the meal in the window-side room. For the two of us, it was nice to have a separate space to dine in, and the large rooms also looked suited to family meals or group gatherings.