Hongdae Korean BBQ, naengmyeon and kkakdugi fried rice: Gogikkun

Where is Gogikkun Gim Chunbae Hongdae Main Branch, and what is it like inside?

Gogikkun Gim Chunbae Hongdae Main Branch (고기꾼김춘배 홍대본점) is a BBQ restaurant about a 10-minute walk from Exit 9 of Hongik Univ. Station. It's a similar distance from Hapjeong Station, and it's tucked a little way into an alley!

My dining buddy (my "kkanbu") had been going on about meat for days, so this was a protein-refill mission! We headed to Gogikkun Gim Chunbae, a place in Hongdae where you can eat good meat in comfort.

Inside, it's a BBQ place but surprisingly spacious and fresh, so you can eat without worrying about meat smell or smoke. The ventilation seemed really good!

What did we order at Gogikkun Gim Chunbae?

We ordered the hanwoo/han돈 set for two (pork belly 150g, fresh galbi-sal 250g, today's hanwoo 200g). When you can't decide between beef and pork, the right answer is to have both!

What is the table like when you book ahead?

I'd made a reservation at Gogikkun Gim Chunbae Hongdae Main Branch, and our table was already set when we got there :) It was neatly prepared in advance, so I felt a bit like a VIP, haha!

Little details like this were cute too, haha. And my kkanbu was paying for the meat ^_^

Do the staff grill the meat for you at Gogikkun Gim Chunbae?

Yes. The big plus at Gogikkun Gim Chunbae is the grilling service, where the staff grill everything for you. I fell for the neat, pretty presentation of the meat first, then fell for the grilling service second, haha.

Since the staff grill all the meat, all we had to do was chat comfortably and pick up perfectly cooked pieces.

Today's hanwoo: marbling approved by my meat-connoisseur buddy

First on the grill was the hanwoo, with its gorgeous marbling.

My buddy, who'd been singing about meat, gave me the "furrowed brow of truth" the moment they took a bite, haha. They're a meat connoisseur, so if they say it's good hanwoo, you can trust it!

Plenty of ssam (wrap) vegetables and myeongi namul (pickled wild garlic greens) too! Haha.

Fresh galbi-sal: perfect with just a dab of salt

Next the staff grilled the fresh galbi-sal (rib meat), which gives you everything from chewy bits near the bone to plump pieces. The more you chew, the more savory, clean-tasting juice comes out, and a little dab of salt was all it needed.

Pork belly (ogyeopsal): chewier than regular samgyeopsal

Beef warm-up done, now it's pork's turn to grease things up! I took a bite of the thick, golden-brown ogyeopsal (five-layer pork belly), and the chewy texture and savory, bursting juices of the lean layers won me over in a different way from regular samgyeopsal.

How were the naengmyeon and fried rice at Gogikkun Gim Chunbae?

We finished with naengmyeon and kkakdugi fried rice. The day we went, the last of the summer heat was really raging! My buddy polished off the naengmyeon in no time, first in a while.

My buddy took the naengmyeon and I took the fried rice, haha. The kkakdugi was chopped really small and there was meat in it too, so the fried rice was a joy to chew!

Gogikkun Gim Chunbae Hongdae Main Branch in a nutshell

• Spacious, fresh interior! A comfortable date-friendly spot where the pros grill everything from start to finish
• Marbling like art! Tender, flavorful meat that my meat-master buddy approved the second it hit their mouth
• The perfect combo of ogyeopsal chewier than samgyeopsal and juices that burst out

I used my buddy's protein refill as an excuse, and I'm the one who ate even better at Gogikkun Gim Chunbae! Haha.