Yangjae Korean BBQ: chewy kkodeulsal and ₩6,900 sundubu stew, Gamdol

How close is Gamdol Yeontan Jip to Yangjaesiminuisup Station?

Gamdol Yeontan Jip Yangjae Citizen's Forest Branch (감골연탄집 양재시민의숲점) is a brand-new Korean BBQ restaurant, about a 5-minute walk from Exit 3 of Yangjaesiminuisup Station. A new BBQ place opened at the station, and how could I not go to a new hot spot? I ran right over. Super easy to reach by subway too!

On weekdays (Mon–Fri) it's open 11:30–22:00 with a break from 13:30 to 17:00. On weekends (Sat–Sun) it's open 17:00–22:00 with no break. Last order is 21:30 every day. There's parking for 3 cars at the back door.

This photo is the back of the restaurant. The front faces the big main road, and if you come around the back like this, you can park just fine if you drive. We live nearby, though, so we walked, haha.

What's the atmosphere like?

The vibe at Gamdol Yeontan Jip is seriously retro, lol. It's been a while since I've been to a retro BBQ place, and it looks like a winner just from the look of it. Why, you ask?

Look at this barley tea (heotgaecha, hovenia tea) served in a Delmonte orange juice bottle, so real, lol. A bit of a shame it isn't a glass bottle. The real ones are glass, and this was a plastic bottle, haha.

Gamdol Yeontan Jip menu and prices

According to the menu: Seolhwa kkodeulsal (chewy pork cut) ₩17,900, special pork neck ₩15,900, gochujang briquette bulgogi ₩14,900, hangover sundubu stew (soft tofu stew) ₩6,900 and Jinro soju ₩5,000. Wait, all the prices end in 900, huh? The hangover sundubu stew is insanely good... order it, no question.

• Seolhwa kkodeulsal ₩17,900
• Special pork neck ₩15,900
• Gochujang briquette bulgogi ₩14,900
• Hangover sundubu stew ₩6,900
• Jinro soju ₩5,000

They say it's run by a mother born in 1968 together with a Le Cordon Bleu chef. Oh~? So it's famous, is it?

What does the basic table setting look like?

Everything is set exactly as written on the table mat. For each person they prepare homemade ssamjang (seasoned dipping paste), basil ssamjang, sesame oil dip, sweet potato salad, pickled chili peppers and a small plate. Lettuce and seasoned scallion salad come out too, along with cabbage kimchi and green onion kimchi for grilling. Ta-da!

Kkodeulsal, pork neck and gochujang bulgogi: one serving each

I wanted to try lots of kinds, so I ordered one serving each of Gamdol's three meats.

Gochujang briquette bulgogi. This is Gamdol's signature menu item, apparently. That's why everyone seems to order it as a basic, right?

Kkodeulsal. This is a special cut that yields only about 600g per pig, I think? I was curious, so I ordered it.

Jul-jul-i special pork neck. They said you can experience a pork neck you've never had anywhere else, so I ordered this too!

I tossed the lettuce and scallion salad together. First up is the kkodeulsal. One serving came out as about 5 big pieces, haha.

I put all the kimchi they gave us on the grill too. Oh, and Gamdol's kimchi gets refilled, so you can eat as much as you like. Generous, to say the least.

Ta-da-da! Soju can't be left out with meat, haha. Even when I eat BBQ at lunch, there has to be soju. Of course, this time it was dinner.

Hangover sundubu stew for ₩6,900: how big is the portion?

The hangover sundubu stew is ₩6,900 and the portion was way bigger than I expected! You can't really tell the size of that pot in the photo, but it's not a small earthenware pot (ttukbaegi), it's a big one, so the value is truly generous..

Why doesn't it taste like this when I make it at home? Sundubu stew is the one dish I've failed at home. Gamdol's sundubu stew is the best, so please try it T_T It's packed with seafood like blue crab and clams, and a whole pack of soft tofu goes in.

What's the texture of the kkodeulsal like?

The texture of Gamdol's kkodeulsal is crazy. You totally get why it's called kkodeulsal, because the chew is so kkodeul-kkodeul (springy and chewy). I'd never felt meat that was chewy like this!

Honestly it's cheating without soju.. This is a taste that makes even people who can't drink call for soju.

How is jul-jul-i pork neck different from regular pork neck?

Second is Gamdol's jul-jul-i special pork neck. I guess it's called jul-jul-i because the pork neck is cut into long strips. I've never seen pork neck cut long like this, so I'm excited.

The pork neck was chewy with that distinct meaty aroma. It felt a bit springier than usual pork neck, with a slight touch of fat. Delicious, pass!!

Signature gochujang briquette bulgogi: why we grilled it last

Last is Gamdol's signature gochujang briquette bulgogi. It's marinated, so we deliberately grilled it last.

The marinade burned faster than expected, so the grill plate was swapped once midway. They even swapped it first without us asking, haha. So sweet..

Marinated meat is the truth. I totally see why it's the signature. Next time I'll probably order 3 servings of just the gochujang bulgogi? It's really good, so definitely order at least one serving!

Finishing with a plum slushie

We were the last customers, so I snapped the inside of Gamdol. The concept goes beyond retro, it seems like a grandma's house concept.

The finish is perfect too. A plum (maesil) slushie. Wow, it's been so long since I had a slushie. As a kid I bought one every day after school, and they filled it up greedily, lol.

Once you've read up on the benefits of plum, that's really the end. Yangsisup (Yangjae Citizen's Forest), another tasty BBQ place has popped up, lol. Thanks for the meal again today.