Sunny-day revisit to a Hongdae Korean BBQ after the rain: Gogikkun

Now that the weather is getting cooler, I'd much rather eat meat with fresh air around me than sit stuck indoors. So I went back to a Hongdae BBQ place I enjoyed last time: Gogikkun Gimchunbae Hongdae Supgil Branch (고기꾼김춘배 홍대숲길점). This time it wasn't really curiosity about the menu, it's just that yajang (outdoor-style eating) season is back. The long wooden facade sits right beside Gyeongui Line Forest Park, and with the windows open you see green scenery right away, which is perfect for weather like this.

Gogikkun Gimchunbae Hongdae Supgil Branch: location, hours and parking

Gogikkun Gimchunbae Hongdae Supgil Branch is at 31-2 Seogang-ro 13-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, about a 6-minute walk from Hongik Univ. Station Exit 6 and about 7 minutes from Sinchon Station Exit 7. It's open daily 12:00–23:00, with last order at 22:00.

• Parking: no dedicated lot, nearby public car parks available
• Staff grill the meat for you
• Hanwoo and hanDon set menus
• Right next to Gyeongui Line Forest Park
• Corkage free, except for alcohol they sell

How did the Gyeongui Line Forest Park yajang vibe differ between a rainy day and a clear day?

Going on a clear day felt completely different from the rainy day. Last time, the rain made the wooden exterior feel extra atmospheric. This time sunlight hit the wood, and the green of Gyeongui Line Forest Park stretched out alongside it. It was definitely prettier in good-weather season.

Corkage free

Gogikkun Gimchunbae Hongdae Supgil Branch is corkage free, except for alcohol they sell themselves. You can bring your own wine or whiskey to enjoy with the meat, which is a pretty good point for people who love a drink.

The interior is great even in daytime: which seat is best?

The inside still had its round tables, metal tableware and retro mood. The window side looks straight out at the forest path, so I'd pick those seats if possible. With one side fully open it feels less stuffy, and on a nice day you get the best of indoors and outdoors. Personally, the meat was good, but this atmosphere is what stuck with me more on this visit.

At the seats with the windows thrown wide open, the view outside is right there, so even sitting indoors it felt almost like yajang. It's not a table set out on the street, more a style where you enjoy the forest path breeze and mood from an open window seat. With the cool wind coming in and the smell of grilling meat on top, I really thought, "Ah, it's yajang season now."

What comes as the basic table setting?

The setup is good too!! The basic side dishes at Gogikkun Gimchunbae Hongdae Supgil Branch are seasoned bean sprouts, pickled onion and kimchi, with salt and ssamjang-style sauces alongside. It's a clean lineup that goes well with meat, not excessive, just the sides you need. Later they grill the kimchi in the meat fat, and it was insanely good!

What's in the hanwoo/hanDon 2-person set (600g) I ordered again?

I ordered the hanwoo/hanDon 2-person set (600g) again. It comes with pork neck, ribs and today's hanwoo, so you get beef and pork in one go.

Since I'd tried it last time and was happy with it, I ordered the same thing this time without any hesitation. Alternating between hanwoo and hanDon means you get less bored than with a single meat, and each cut has a different texture and flavor, which makes it fun to eat.

Hanwoo first

At Gogikkun Gimchunbae, they grilled the well-marbled hanwoo first. They sear the outside quickly and hand it over at a good doneness right away, so it was tender and juicy.

Staff grilling is just so convenient

Having the staff grill the meat at Gogikkun Gimchunbae Hongdae Supgil Branch is definitely convenient. As I felt last time, from hanwoo to hanDon they grill each cut properly and cut it into bite-size pieces, so you don't have to think about grilling. For gatherings or dates especially, it's much better than places where one person is busy grilling the whole time, because you can chat while you eat. This time too I got to gossip and eat leisurely while looking at the forest path, and I was happy with it.

Picking up a piece of hanwoo, the rich savory flavor rushes up and the texture is soft, so it's a good first meat.

Just a light dip in salt was enough, and eating it with grilled king oyster mushrooms or enoki cleaned up the rich flavor of the meat nicely.

Plenty of mushrooms and vegetables to grill too

The hanwoo/hanDon 2-person set also came with king oyster, enoki and button mushrooms, radish, crown daisy and other vegetables. Eating only meat can get a bit greasy midway, but with grilled mushrooms and vegetables I could enjoy it to the end. The king oyster mushrooms came in big pieces and went well with the meat, and once they soaked up a little meat juice they gained a nutty richness. Grilling the kimchi alongside brought out its savoriness and matched the meat well.

HanDon: pork neck and ribs

The hanDon in the Gogikkun Gimchunbae set was pork neck and ribs. The pork neck came quite thick with a definite chew, golden outside and juicy inside. It wasn't overly fatty, just rich and clean enough to eat comfortably.

The ribs had a deep flavor from the meat around the bone. They cut and grilled it into bite-size pieces so it was easy to eat, and I liked the distinctive chewy texture near the bone.

If hanwoo is the tender side, hanDon is firmer with more chew, so alternating the two worked well.

What is half-and-half naengmyeon?

Gogikkun Gimchunbae's half-and-half naengmyeon (cold noodles) puts mul naengmyeon (in broth) and bibim naengmyeon (spicy mixed) in one bowl, half and half, and it came out while we were eating the meat. I've seen plenty of places do half jjajangmyeon, half jjamppong, but this was the first place I'd seen half mul, half bibim naengmyeon, so it still felt novel.

One side is cool and clean mul naengmyeon, the other is sweet, tangy and spicy bibim naengmyeon. It seems perfect for people who agonize every time over mul or bibim. A piece of meat with bibim naengmyeon is delicious, and the mul naengmyeon broth resets your mouth in between, so it's fun to alternate the two flavors.

Kkakdugi fried rice: the real finish

The finish at Gogikkun Gimchunbae Hongdae Supgil Branch was kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) fried rice. I meant to stop after the naengmyeon, but skipping fried rice at a BBQ place felt like a shame. They fry kkakdugi, rice and seasoning on a wide grill plate, so there's no waiting and you can dig in right away. You can feel the crunch of the kkakdugi here and there and the seasoning is rich, so even when I was full, my spoon kept going back.

Revisiting: eating yajang-style made the same menu feel new

Even though I ate the same menu again at Gogikkun Gimchunbae Hongdae Supgil Branch, the mood this time was completely different. Last time I focused more on the meat itself, but this time the cool breeze and Gyeongui Line Forest Park view added a real yajang feeling. Since I already knew the meat was good, I could eat more leisurely too. In good-weather seasons, the window seats and open seats definitely seem to show off this place's charm best.