Charcoal bulgogi Korean BBQ in Mokdong, Seoul: Gamgol Yeontanjip

After watching a movie at Megabox Mokdong on a weekend evening, I wanted some good meat and headed to Gamgol Yeontanjip Mokdong.

A retro charcoal-grill Korean BBQ near Omok-gyo Station

Gamgol Yeontanjip Mokdong is open daily from 14:30 to 23:30. It's located across from Hyundai Department Store, near Exit 2 of Omok-gyo Station.

There was a sign welcoming group bookings, so it seems like a great spot for a weekday work dinner! My first impression walking in was 'grandma's house' — the tables, chairs, the fabric covering the chairs, the mix of emerald green and pink floral patterns 🤭

There was an episode of High Kick Through the Roof playing in a corner of the restaurant 😂 and a tiger painting hanging on the wall.

Even the spoons and chopsticks were fully retro.

Ah! Almost forgot the heotgae tea (hovenia dulcis tea). Served in an old-school Del Monte glass bottle, it gave me that nostalgic barley-tea feeling.

Gamgol Yeontanjip side dishes and a first taste of basil ssamjang

The basic side dishes are kimchi, scallion salad, and lettuce wraps. I'd recommend grilling the kimchi rather than eating it as is!

There are three dipping sauces: house-made ssamjang, basil ssamjang, and sesame oil sauce. The sesame oil sauce is apparently made using a three-generation family mill's sesame oil. Sweet potato salad and pickled peppers came alongside as well.

The basil ssamjang was a sauce I'd never seen before, and it paired surprisingly well with the meat! It felt like eating steak 🤭 The moment I dipped the meat in the basil ssamjang, it suddenly felt like a Western dish.

What to order: jullijulli teukmoksal and gochujang charcoal bulgogi

Gamgol Yeontanjip has a must-order lineup, and we went with gochujang charcoal bulgogi, jullijulli teukmoksal, seolhwa kkodeulsal, plus diced charcoal fried rice and egg custard!

We started with the jullijulli teukmoksal! Sizzling away. Since it's a steak-grade cut, they said it doesn't need to be overcooked. We grilled it to about 80% and dipped it in the sesame oil sauce — so good 😋

Next up was the gochujang bulgogi. First they mixed the sauce in well, then put it all on the grill.

Just keep flipping it with tongs. Apparently it's tastiest right when the sauce starts to darken.

Even though it's called gochujang bulgogi, it wasn't super spicy — more on the sweet side. And then there was the seolhwa kkodeulsal, which apparently yields only 600g per pig.

I ordered it out of curiosity for the limited cut, and it was also delicious!

After demolishing the meat, we stacked up the earthenware bowls like this 🤭

Why the diced charcoal fried rice is a must

Out of the three meats, our pick was the jullijulli teukmoksal ✨️ Maybe because it's steak-grade, it was the tastiest🤤👍 The egg custard we ordered as a side had a strong, savory sesame oil flavor,

and there was shrimp inside too! I think the menu item might actually just be called shrimp egg custard?!

The portion of egg custard was bigger than expected, so it was quite filling. And then… the diced charcoal fried rice… this one's a must, absolutely must-try ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Kimchi fried rice with cheese, a fried egg, bracken fern, and fish roe. A combination that sounds like it shouldn't work… but it was so good I was in awe eating it. Paired great with the meat!

Besides the meats served in earthenware bowls, there were plenty of tasty-looking drinking-snack menu items too, like odolgalbi (cartilage rib), seasoned kkomjangeo (hagfish), charcoal-grilled chicken feet, honeycomb tripe, and grilled capelin skewers.

Next visit, I should try the flat bibim-myeon (spicy mixed noodles) too — it's a signature side menu you can only find at Gamgol Yeontanjip.

Good to know before visiting Gamgol Yeontanjip Mokdong

The menu apparently comes from recipes developed by a chef who graduated from Le Cordon Bleu, ranked the world's No. 1 culinary school, and has Michelin restaurant experience, together with that chef's mother.

The restroom is outside the restaurant, up a flight of stairs. Make sure to note the door code before you go.

Side dishes are self-serve.

A complimentary plum slush after the meal! A great digestive after eating your fill of meat — slurp it down and the meal is complete.

Gamgol Yeontanjip Mokdong — where you can enjoy safely grilled, delicious charcoal-fire meat ✨️