Euljiro Korean BBQ, aged pork neck & mushrooms: Jonggak-ap Nosang

What kind of BBQ restaurant is Gogikkun Kim Chunbae Jongno branch?

Jonggak-ap Nosang (고기꾼 김춘배 종로점) is a Korean BBQ restaurant near Jonggak Station where you can enjoy both hanwoo (Korean beef) and pork in one place, and the staff grill the meat over charcoal for you. You know those days after work when you suddenly want a hearty bite of meat and a drink? Today was exactly that day, so I looked up good BBQ places for a group dinner around Jongno, Jonggak and Euljiro, found this one, and went right away.

I heard the staff grill everything over the charcoal themselves, so I was looking forward to a relaxed meal.

I love meat, but getting the timing right when grilling it myself actually stresses me out a bit, so a place that grills for you was especially appealing.

And you can try hanwoo and Korean pork in one go!! It was perfect for someone like me who loves trying a bit of everything.

What did we order at Gogikkun Kim Chunbae Jongno branch?

We ordered the recommended set for two, which comes with 150g of hanwoo, 200g of pork neck and 150g of pork belly, and added half-and-half naengmyeon (cold noodles, water and spicy in one bowl) and kkakdugi fried rice for the meal. The biggest feature is that the staff grill everything on the charcoal brazier, so I got to eat each cut at its best without any effort.

The set was really generous and we stuffed ourselves. It's a course: start with meat, then cool noodles, then hearty fried rice to finish~!

• Set for two: hanwoo 150g, pork neck 200g, pork belly 150g
• Half-and-half naengmyeon: one bowl of water naengmyeon + spicy bibim naengmyeon
• Kkakdugi fried rice

Starting the set for two: today's hanwoo

The set starts with 150g of hanwoo. The cut seemed to change from day to day.

That day it was a cut with finely spread marbling, and it looked great even raw. The staff put one chunk at a time on the glowing red charcoal, just one grill's worth, so we could eat it right at the best moment.

Why is the pork neck so tender? It's aged

The 200g of pork neck grilled after the hanwoo was exceptionally tender because it's aged. Pork neck can be this soft?! It was so good and tender that I asked, and they said it's because the meat is aged.

It kept that signature chewy pork neck texture, but it wasn't dry at all and was full of juice.

Last up, pork belly for chewy-texture fans

The set finishes with 150g of ogyeopsal (five-layer pork belly). It's a cut with an extra layer of skin compared to regular samgyeopsal, so it's especially welcome if you like a chewy bite.

That's me~! Cut thick and grilled over charcoal, it was golden and crispy outside, with just enough fat rendered off that it wasn't greasy.

It was grilled to just the right doneness, so every last bite was so so good, haha

Three kinds of mushrooms, corn and ssam vegetables on the side

Along with the meat, we also grilled three kinds of mushrooms and corn over the charcoal. Oh, and there were assorted ssam (wrap) vegetables and sauces too, so mixing and matching made every bite varied and well balanced.

After the meat, a meal: half-and-half naengmyeon

The half-and-half naengmyeon here comes as one bowl, half water naengmyeon and half bibim naengmyeon. Nothing beats this as a meal after meat! I didn't have to agonize over which to pick, which was so convenient.

It spared me my indecisiveness, lol haha. The buckwheat noodles topped neatly with julienned cucumber, radish and a quail egg looked so so appetizing.

Cold broth and chewy noodles, plus tangy and spicy flavors in one bowl. I alternated between them, never got tired of it, and enjoyed it to the end.

Finishing with kkakdugi fried rice

The kkakdugi fried rice comes as red stir-fried rice topped with seaweed flakes and sliced scallions. I was already full, but I was curious, so I ordered it anyway.

I took a big spoonful, and since finely chopped kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) is stir-fried into the rice, the slightly crunchy texture and the spicy-tangy flavor kept it from being one-note. Add the savory seaweed flakes, haha. I scraped up every last grain of the fried rice and now I'm seriously about to burst....!!!!

Gogikkun Kim Chunbae Jongno branch: hours and location

The restaurant is open daily from 12:00 to 23:00, with last order at 22:00. They're open from midday!

It's near Jonggak Station on Line 1, on the 5th floor of the building at 17 Samil-daero 17-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul.