We started grilling the brisket but did a pretty bad job at it, because we were noobs and didn't spread out the brisket properly. The staff came by to rescue it and managed to get the job done though some parts were burnt beyond recognition. Hahaa! From then onwards, the staff decided to help us with the grilling. The worker is from Vietnam and speaks fluent Korean, and some English.
beef brisket
mushroom banchan
yukhoe
The yukhoe was nice but could do with more slices of pear.
The set also came with a small serving of galbi soup.
galbi-tang
It was nice to have the staff to help grill the meats.
next cut
cooked
cutting it up
The meat cuts were decent and the flavour was nothing out of the ordinary. And the finale for the BBQ was the bulgogi.
finale - bulgogi
It looked nondescript but once you've tasted it, that's when realization hits! It was good! And after that, we enquired what's the shop name and it is Haeundae Eonyang Bulgogi. Ahhhh, now it makes sense. Recommend the bulgogi, it was legit.
yummy bulgogi
Thank you to the staff who attended to us that night. We spent ₩192,000 for the meal, which was about SGD49 per pax.
해운대언양불고기
Address: 23-1 Gunam-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea
Heard about this place from Hence and Tracy initially. Then, Ivan had supper with them there at one point in time and I've heard good things, so been wanting to try as well. The rest of the foodie gang was activated for a meet-up and thanks to Ivan for helping to make a reservation by phone.
exterior of the restaurant
interior
our private corner
The restaurant has been around for some time and the condition of the hardcopy menu seemed to have seen better days. That aside, the staff are friendly and helpful.
menu
BBQ section
As usual, the group ordered up a feast! BBQs of both beef and pork sets, and staff kindly offered to do the cooking at another table, as ours were too full with other things.
cold water
banchans (one set per table, refillable)
My favourite side dishes (반찬) are the kimchi and seaweed. The special one here would be the candied sliced sweet potato.
Candied sweet potato slice (고구마 맛탕)
kimchi (김치)
Kimchi was bright and not too fermented. Tangy and appetising. I liked the seaweed because it is nutritious and tasty. Texture was lovely too.
miyeok julgi (미역줄기)
fishcake (어묵볶음)
And, then there's macaroni salad which was loaded with good 'ol mayonnaise. What's the deal with mayo that seemed to make food tastier?
macaroni salad
Hite Beer @$13
Let's have a look at the BBQ sets ordered.
Beef Set A has prime ribs, prime short-ribs, marinated prime short-ribs and briskets. The Black Pig Set D has belly, jowl and collar.
Beef Set A @97
Black Pig Set D @$75
briskets
beef briskets
My favourite cuts of the meats would be prime short-ribs anything for the beef (means, I didn't like the brisket as much as the rest), and for the black pig, loved the pork collar the most!
Marinated versus unmarinated? Still preferred the marinated!
beef short-ribs
pork jowl
pork collar
rice 밥 @$2
For something soupy, there's the odeng tang (fish cake soup). I'll only have this when eating in a group but it is not something that I'd order on my own.
odeng tang 오뎅탕 @$30
Have you tried Ganjang Gejang or marinated soy crabs in Singapore? Guiga has it and we ordered one to try. Unfortunately, the version here was a tad tiny, and not as flavourful. Perhaps, it is the crabs used, hence the texture/flavour here was not comparable to the ones I had engraved in my memory. Read more about it here.
Ganjang Gejang 간장게장 @$45
Nevertheless, I would recommend the seafood pancake here. Delicious and the batter was soft and fluffy on its inside. Plus, loaded adequately with seafood such as prawns and squids. It was almost like eating a seafood omelette. Yums!
Seafood Pancake 해물파전 @$24
Ah, and there's yukhoe. While many will not think twice about having sashimi (raw fish), probably most will shy away from consuming raw meat. Yukhoe is made of raw sliced beef, and commonly served with sliced pear and topped with a raw egg yolk. Here's a link to Wiki on yukhoe.
Have tried yukhoe in Busan and Singapore, and I think it was the novelty of eating such food that was the main motivating factor. The meat itself would be void of any beefy taste, texture was interesting as it had a good chew to it and some sweetness from the pear slices.
Yukhoe 육회 @$36
The makchang order arrived last. Only people who likes internal organs would probably order. Hmm, the intestine itself was only slightly crisp on the outer side (because Tracy put in a request for extra crispiness) and texture was kind of chewy. Not the hard chewy but it'll still give the jaw some work-out. The accompanying julienned leek and onions provided all the flavours.
Makchang 막창 @$30
All in all, it was a flurry of dishes, a continuous stream of hands and camera taking photos, of us scooping up copious amounts of food and some attempts at conversation with the person next to you.
We spent about $62 per pax and all the foods fed the 8 of us. For me, the aftermath was the same effect as after a buffet.
My top picks here would be the Beef BBQ of all the boneless prime beef short-ribs and the seafood pancake.
It was good to gather with Elle, Kris, Alvin, Hence, Tracy, Ivan and Tiara.