Group dinner beef grill in Buk-gu, Daegu on a rainy day: Gogi 9dan

Where is Gogi 9dan Chimsan Direct Branch, and is parking easy?

Gogi 9dan Chimsan Direct Branch (고기9단 침산직영점) is a beef grill restaurant in Chimsan-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu, on the main road between Chimsan Kolon Haneulchae Complex 2 and Docheong Bridge. It is also easy to get to from Sincheon-daero, so access is pretty good.

Last week I visited Gogi 9dan, known as a well-loved spot in Chimsan-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu. It already has a reputation as a go-to for company dinners, and I've been coming for a few years, so this time I dropped by for lunch.

• Daily 11:00–21:50
• Break time 15:00–17:00
• Last order 21:00

It was pouring rain that day, but there's a big private parking lot on the building's 1st floor, so I parked easily and went straight up to the 2nd floor.

What's at the self-serve dessert and drink corner at Gogi 9dan?

Near the entrance there's a drink corner with plum tea, iced coffee and more, for a cool cup after your meal. It's right where you walk in, so it was easy to find.

There's also a coffee machine that uses Starbucks beans, so you can skip going to a café after eating and finish right here.

Real summer heat has started, and the freezer was generously stocked with ice cups for cold drinks. Nice touch!

Is Gogi 9dan Chimsan Direct Branch good for company dinners and groups?

With plenty of tables and a separate group seating area, Gogi 9dan Chimsan Direct Branch is a perfect company dinner spot. The interior has big windows with a view outside, which felt open and airy, and there were enough seats that a lot of people arriving at once wouldn't be a problem.

There are no private rooms, but every seat is partitioned, so meals felt fairly private. With group tables prepared separately like this, it's ideal for a meat-restaurant company dinner.

It's also well known for its play room. The glass walls are transparent, so you can watch how the kids are playing.

What's on the menu at Gogi 9dan?

Gogi 9dan sells a variety of beef cuts, including fresh galbi (raw short rib), skirt steak, seokcheong galbi (honey-marinated short rib) and "emperor" cut. I hear it's run by an owner with 30 years in the restaurant business.

The lunch specials include hanwoo (Korean beef) minari shabu kalguksu (noodle soup) and several set meals.

Fresh pork belly, fresh pork neck, and the ultimate value pick, the 9dan Set, are must-order sides.

Side dishes made in-house are sold separately too, which would be perfect for people who find cooking at home a hassle.

The drinks were varied too, with highballs and whisky, so you can pick to your taste.

What banchan (side dishes) come with the meal at Gogi 9dan?

The basic banchan were cabbage water kimchi, onion soy sauce, japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), seasoned raw crab (yangnyeom gejang), seaweed salad in vinegar dressing and gungchae pickles, and the table was set in no time. First came the tangy cabbage water kimchi to wake up the appetite.

A generous bowl of onion soy sauce, perfect with grilled meat, also came out.

Japchae, the classic that's always part of a Korean full-course spread, was piping hot, probably freshly made, and tasty.

The spicy-sweet seasoned raw crab, with a sauce that makes you want to mix it into rice, was there too, and I was happy.

Besides those, the seaweed salad and gungchae pickles, salty and mouthwatering, rounded out a neatly set table.

What comes in the 9dan Set at Gogi 9dan?

The 9dan Set has 4 items, and that day I tried spicy jjolmyeon (chewy wheat noodles), hanwoo yukhoe (seasoned raw beef) with sushi, and pork kimchi stew. First up, the spicy jjolmyeon had chewy noodles as good as a specialty shop's.

The hanwoo yukhoe was my personal favorite: fresh with no gamey smell at all, exactly my style.

Fresh wasabi and sushi rice come with it, so I made yukhoe sushi myself, and it was heavenly.

The pork kimchi stew was packed with ingredients and a nice spicy finish.

How do you grill the 500g flower rib plate at Gogi 9dan?

Gogi 9dan's flower rib meat comes in thick chunks, so it works best to sear the outside first, then cut it into bite-size pieces and cook a little more. We ordered the 500g flower rib meat plate, as we always do.

The marbling spread evenly and prettily like blooming flowers, and the balance of lean meat and fat gave it a lovely color.

Once the grill over the charcoal was nicely heated, the big chunks went on side by side. Since they come thick and large, I grilled the surface for a while before cutting.

When it started to turn light brown, I cut it into bite-size pieces and cooked it a bit more, and that was it.

The longer you grill, the more juices escape and the firmer the texture gets, so I just gave it a light char.

Dipped in salt, it had the rich juiciness and nuttiness that's special to rib meat. I'm usually sensitive to gamey smell, but there was none, which is just what you'd expect from a top Chimsan-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu spot, and I ate happily.

Gorgonzola pizza and red bean bingsu for dessert at Gogi 9dan

The gorgonzola pizza is a thin crust piled with cheese that you dip in honey. We both love it, so it's a must-order every time we come. We didn't skip it that day either.

The aroma of stretchy cheese on thin dough won me over before the first bite, and dipped deep in honey, the sweet and nutty flavor was so appealing that it vanished in a flash.

For a last dessert, they brought red bean bingsu (shaved ice), a cool finish, and I left with another happy memory from Gogi 9dan. With its roomy, comfortable feel and clean food, it's a company-dinner meat restaurant I keep going back to in Chimsan-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu.