Three pork cuts compared at a Seocho Korean BBQ: Gamdol Yeontan Jip

While hunting for a good restaurant near Yangjae Citizen's Forest, I really wanted proper pork belly, so I went to Gamdol Yeontan Jip! I tried the briquette coarse-salt pork belly, the teokmokssal (premium pork), and the kkodeulsal one by one — and ended up adding two more servings of pork belly at the end lol. Spoiler: my pick of the day was definitely the pork belly. But the doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) loaded with blue crab and clams had way more presence than I expected too.

What we ordered at Gamdol Yeontan Jip Yangjae Citizen's Forest Branch

At Gamdol Yeontan Jip Yangjae Citizen's Forest Branch, we ordered three cuts — briquette coarse-salt pork belly, skewered teokmokssal, and seolhwa kkodeulsal — plus the doenjang stew. A restaurant near Yangjae Citizen's Forest with a very clear concept... Instead of sticking to just one cut, I wanted to try a bit of everything I was curious about, so I ordered all three, and of course added the doenjang stew too.

Even the menu descriptions felt serious lol. The briquette coarse-salt pork belly is described as using top-grade selected Korean pork (hanwoo pork is beef, so this is hanpork — premium domestic pork), the teokmokssal is also selected hanpork, and the seolhwa kkodeulsal is sold in daily-limited quantities only! That's all from the restaurant's own description — now here's what I actually thought after eating.

Gamdol Yeontan Jip Yangjae Citizen's Forest Branch is, true to its name, a place where you grill meat over briquette charcoal!

Side dishes at Gamdol Yeontan Jip: kimchi and sweet potato mousse

The kimchi that came as a basic side dish was as good as at a dedicated kimchi-pork-belly restaurant. There's also a little sweet potato mousse on the side — sweet and totally addictive~

Briquette coarse-salt pork belly: thick, with a real chew

I tried all three cuts, but Gamdol Yeontan Jip's briquette coarse-salt pork belly was my favorite. I expected a normal pork belly thickness, but when it arrived it turned out to be surprisingly thick? Grilled golden-brown over the charcoal, the thickness gave it a really satisfying chew, and the classic pork belly combo of fat and lean meat was totally my type!!

What is seolhwa kkodeulsal like to eat?

Seolhwa kkodeulsal is only sold in a daily-limited quantity, apparently. Price is ₩17,900. This cut has a completely different texture from pork belly or pork shoulder. Chewing it feels crunchy, crisp, almost crackly. But it also has a fatty richness alongside that, so it has a distinct appeal compared to a plain lean cut! Rather than expecting something soft and fatty like pork belly, it's more of a menu you enjoy for its unique chew.

Skewered teokmokssal was a little dry that day

The teokmokssal is described as using selected cuts from top-grade hanpork! The piece I got that day happened to be from a section with almost no fat, so compared to the pork belly it felt a little dry. If you prefer lean, less fatty pork shoulder, your taste might differ, but I like meat with some fat mixed in, so the pork belly was way tastier for me that day! Trying all three together made the difference even clearer.

So after finishing the teokmokssal and the kkodeulsal, my conclusion was: let's eat more pork belly!!! In the end I ordered two more servings of the briquette coarse-salt pork belly lol. Even after trying multiple cuts, this is the one I kept going back to, so if you're looking for pork belly near Yangjae Citizen's Forest, this is personally the one I'd recommend first~

A BBQ-house doenjang stew as clean-tasting as crab stew

And then the Lady Im.So.young doenjang stew! The menu description said it's made with the 1968-born Lady Im So-young's recipe, with blue crab and clams inside, and when it actually arrived, the seafood was seriously generous haha. What I got was packed with blue crab and surf clams.

Which of the three pork cuts is worth ordering?

After trying all three, my personal preference is clear — if you're looking for a pork belly restaurant near Yangjae Citizen's Forest, I'd order the briquette coarse-salt pork belly again first.~ Eating all three side by side made the difference in taste really obvious.

• Briquette coarse-salt pork belly: thick with a satisfying chew, fat-to-lean ratio was totally my type, my pick of the day
• Skewered teokmokssal: the piece I got that day had little fat, so it felt a bit dry
• Seolhwa kkodeulsal (₩17,900): crunchy, crisp texture with fatty richness, daily-limited
• Lady Im So-young doenjang stew: packed with blue crab and surf clams, refreshing like a crab stew

Still, the tastiest of all was the thick pork belly. I think the most accurate review is simply that after trying every other cut, I ended up ordering two more servings of pork belly lol. Pairing it with the refreshing doenjang stew full of blue crab and clams was also a great way to finish off the meal. Next time I go back to Gamdol Yeontan Jip Yangjae Citizen's Forest Branch, I'm ordering the pork belly first without hesitation, along with the doenjang stew~~