Seongnam Korean restaurant for generous spicy pork ribs: Gimcheongja

Spicy braised ribs close to Seohyeon Station

First off, it’s a one-minute walk from Seohyeon Station. It’s one block behind the bustling dining alley! We were out near Seohyeon Station that day and stopped in too.

The galbijjim restaurant is on the second floor, so head up one level~ You can probably tell from the chairs outside, but it can get busy on Friday nights or at weekend peak times, so you may have to wait! I recommend coming quickly to snag a table.

Group-dining section and tables for two or four

Inside, there’s a separate section that’s convenient for group dinners, along with tables where two or four people can sit comfortably. There are quite a lot of seats, so I think it would be great for nearby office workers having a team dinner.

Ordering mild spicy pork galbijjim for two

You can also order fried items, glass noodles, and rice cakes as sides! We got the spicy pork galbijjim for two, but we’re weak with spice, so we ordered the mild version! It’s ₩16,000 per person, and we added steamed egg (₩5,000), which is a must with spicy food, plus one bowl of rice. You can add fried rice later, too!

Every menu item has a two-person minimum, so bring someone along. There was plenty of meat for two people, so a solo diner ordering two portions would probably find it a lot! If you can’t picture what levels 1–3 mean, the spice descriptions for each flavor are posted on the wall, so have a look~

How to enjoy it with bean sprouts and seaweed

The banchan (Korean side dishes) come with kimchi and things to eat alongside the meal. The bean sprouts among them aren’t seasoned. I usually toss them in when the galbijjim is nearly done simmering, or wrap them up with the meat in gim (roasted seaweed), haha. They add such a nice texture with the meat that you keep eating them in no time.. haha.

Just-right heat with rice cakes and glass noodles

After a short wait, they brought out the galbijjim in a large metal bowl. It comes with rice cakes and glass noodles as standard. It looked very red, but it wasn’t overwhelmingly hot or scream-worthy—it was just the right amount of spice. Think Shin Ramyun for level 1. From medium onward it levels up to the heat of Yeopgi Tteokbokki, so I gave up.

Tender meat to pick up after 3–4 minutes of simmering

They told us to simmer it for about 3–4 minutes before eating, so get it bubbling hard at the beginning! Haha. The meat arrives partly cooked already, so once the noodles are cooked, you can dig right in. Pick up a piece while it’s boiling away ★

There are hardly any bones, and it’s mostly meaty pieces, so you really don’t need to worry about picking meat off bones. My husband and I usually eat three portions at a barbecue restaurant, but here we were completely stuffed when there were still one or two pieces left. I couldn’t possibly take every piece out to show you,, but anyway, the meat just kept coming.

Fluffy steamed egg that cools down the spice

And then there’s the steamed egg you start craving as you eat! It comes out so fluffy. With spicy galbijjim, it’s basically an essential item, like a set menu, right? ^=^ Have a bite of rib followed by a bite of steamed egg, and the heat goes right down.

Galbijjim and rice wrapped in seaweed

Seriously, you can scoop out galbijjim over and over and it just keeps coming,, Spicy food feels hotter when it’s hot, so I kept serving myself little by little as I ate! Order a bowl of rice and wrap it up with the meat in seaweed, and you won’t need any other side dishes ㅠㅠ

Rice isn’t included, so make sure to order it separately~ We’re total rice lovers, so we ordered one bowl to share because we wanted rice with the meat.

Could we make room for fried rice?

After eating all of that, we debated whether to get fried rice too,, but there was absolutely no room left in our stomachs. If you visit, please conquer the fried rice for us..☆ If you’re on a date near Seohyeon Station or craving a drink with galbijjim, I recommend Gimcheongja Maeun Galbijjim!