Busan Galmaegi – 부산갈매기

elizbeartravel

Jan 6

Since I had time to hang out with my Korean colleagues on my last trip, I told them to take me to restaurants I would never have visited as a tourist. Indeed, they brought me on a confusing talking route which took me so much time to trace the address and name of the shop to write this blog and provide the exact address

Located along a street known as Galmaegi Street, roughly translated as Seagull Street, the street is full of barbeque restaurants that locals frequent daily. Out of the usual tourist spots, it is hidden between alleys which is really not easy to find for someone who has not been here before and cannot read Korean

The restaurant atmosphere is exactly like the ones shown in Korean dramas where colleagues hang out after work or friends gather for drinks and barbeque. There is nothing fancy about the place itself except that it is extremely local

The side dishes served were simple; cabbage kimchi, vegetable soybean soup and spicy shredded leek which is perfect to eat with barbeque meats. The usual raw vegetables are also provided to make your own wraps

Galmaegi Street specialises in pork barbeque and the one we went to has great skirt meat which is a cut of meat from the diaphragm muscle of a pig. This cut is known for its rich flavour and tender texture. We ordered a huge plate of skirt meat as well as another plate of pork skin

It is purely self-service here and cooking skirt meat requires you to flip them quite often as they burn quite easily. Halfway through the cooking, the staff will add egg to the small trench surrounding the grill which will cook together while you grill the meat. The experience of grilling the pork skin was interesting as it pops a lot due to the oil and it can get too tough from the grilling

Overall, the texture of the skirt meat was good as it was tender and easy to bite. While it is not the top cut of meat, it is also very affordable for after-work gatherings while drinking. You get to eat a lot of meat without burning a hole in your pocket and you also get to experience a totally Korean way of barbecue. If I stayed in Korea long term, I would probably visit them often but as a tourist alone, I would not travel all the way here which is out of the way from most tourist spots

Address: 48-3 Dohwa-gil, Dohwa-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Operating hours: 12 pm to 10.50 pm

Exact Google Link