Doksan-dong restaurant, cuttlefish and salted squid bar: Gim Myeongtae

A Doksan-dong regular's spot and a protein haven: Gim Myeongtae Spicy Braised Short Ribs (김명태 매운 갈비찜)

Home-style Korean food at Gim Myeongtae Spicy Braised Short Ribs

Gim Myeongtae Spicy Braised Short Ribs Gasan Branch (김명태 매운갈비찜 가산점) is where the writer went craving home-style Korean food. Three meals a day... well, maybe two? I eat out all the time, so I was really craving a home-cooked-style Korean meal. On the way along Line 1 I was hungry and run-down, my stomach was burning, and I thought, this place will do. So I stopped at Gim Myeongtae Spicy Braised Short Ribs.

How is the Gim Myeongtae menu divided?

The menu splits mainly into braised pollock (kodari-jjim) and braised short ribs, and the oyster rice soup and dried pollock hangover soup are perfect for curing a hangover. At the next table, a man who seemed like a regular of this Doksan-dong spot ordered kodari naengmyeon (cold noodles with pollock), steamed egg and one more thing, and wow, now I want to try the kodari naengmyeon too. He looked like someone who had eaten here many times.

Atmosphere, and room for group dinners and gatherings

The inside of Gim Myeongtae Gasan Branch is quite spacious and clean. It looks good for company dinners and get-togethers. Since the menu has both meat and fish, it could cover even the pickiest guests.

Side dishes, the self-bar, and bean sprout soup even in summer

The basic side dishes include fish cake, pickled onion, corn and more, and if they run out you can grab more at the self-bar. The seaweed and bean sprouts are there to go with dishes like braised pollock or cuttlefish.

Even in summer, in the middle of summer, they serve warm bean sprout soup, which is proof of a restaurant that really puts in the effort. My stomach burn was fixed right away.

There was a wait before the main dishes, so I had a tiny drop of soju with the side dishes. Impressive, right? Hahaha

Gim Myeongtae pot rice, better than instant rice

Gim Myeongtae serves pot rice (solbap), and wow, this rice is really good. How can they cook rice this well? I'm not a big rice person, and the best rice I've ever had is instant rice (Hetbahn)... but this was slightly better than Hetbahn.

How was the braised cuttlefish?

The braised cuttlefish came out first. Ready to load up on protein!! I'd only ever had squid stir-fried, so having it braised with plenty of sauce on top felt fresh. Cuttlefish is softer than regular squid, so it seems to suit braising well.

It was just one dish, yet it was this generous. It seemed like it would satisfy anyone as a full meal.

Dried pollock hangover soup, bubbling hot to the end

The dried pollock hangover soup (hwangtae-haejangguk) came out bubbling and stayed warm until I finished. Soup is best hot, and since it arrives at a full boil, it stayed warm the whole way through.

No wonder there are so many regulars. Glancing around the tables, they all looked like longtime regulars who had been here several times.

This is a properly made hwangtae soup. Deep flavor and a clean, refreshing taste: it nails both.

See how milky the broth is? When you stir-fry dried pollock in sesame oil for a long time, the broth turns this white, and it really felt like a bowl made with care.

The dried pollock was generous too. And the bean sprouts were a nice in-between thickness, neither thick nor thin.

Is the braised cuttlefish sauce very spicy?

The sauce on the braised cuttlefish is bright red but not that spicy, a moderate heat that won me over. Shall we start the protein boost? It's not a flashy, standout sauce, but the subtle sweetness, the spice and a hint of fire-grilled flavor come through, so I wouldn't get tired of it even coming often.

How to wrap braised cuttlefish in seaweed

Put cuttlefish, bean sprouts and a little rice on the seaweed, add a piece of pickled onion, and wrap it up. Even though it isn't roasted seaweed, it has a really chewy, satisfying taste.

Eventually I fell for the pleasantly mild sauce and mixed my rice into it. I piled a big heap of cuttlefish, bean sprouts and sauce-mixed rice on the seaweed and wrapped it up neatly.

Eating it like this is totally delicious! What would I have done without the seaweed? Just perfect.

Pollock, ribs, cuttlefish, oysters and dried pollock are all great for protein, so I bet plenty of people who work out come here too!

Pot rice nurungji and self-bar salted squid

The nurungji (scorched rice) from the pot rice was so nutty, too. With aluminum bowls like this, some nurungji smells like rust, but this place must take good care of them, because it was just nutty and good.

I went to the self-bar to get more seaweed and bean sprouts, and what did I find but salted squid (ojingeo-jeotgal), which I love? Ah, I should have gone earlier haha. At the end I brought some back and enjoyed it so much.

Next time: kodari naengmyeon and steamed egg

It felt like my first proper meal in a long time at this Doksan-dong spot, Gim Myeongtae Spicy Braised Short Ribs. This restaurant is really good. Next time I'll try kodari naengmyeon and steamed egg like the man at the next table. The steamed egg also came out in a huge earthenware pot, full to the brim. Ah, I just want steamed egg for dinner. Thank you, it was delicious!