Hongdae charcoal grill house with dice rice: Gogikkun Gim Chunbae

If you're looking for Hongdae samgyeopsal (pork belly), the flavor of the meat matters most! But what if they grill it for you, you get to eat hanwoo (Korean beef) and hanpork together, and even the naengmyeon (cold noodles) comes half-and-half? This is the place where we both shouted that it was delicious the moment we tried the hanwoo!!!

What is Gogikkun Gim Chunbae like on the 3rd floor in Hongdae?

If you're looking for Hongdae samgyeopsal, the location is pretty appealing to start with~ Gogikkun Gim Chunbae Hongdae Main Branch is in Hongdae's main commercial district, on the 3rd floor of the building.

Pass the clothing store on the 1st floor, head up the stairs to the 3rd floor, and the main hall appears right there. The inside was bigger than expected, and I liked that the tables had generous spacing.

A lot of Hongdae grill houses are noisy, but this one felt like it was just us, which I really liked!

What comes in the hanwoo and hanpork set for two

What we ordered was the hanwoo hanpork set for two!

600g total, so the portion was quite generous. Pork belly is 150g, fresh short rib is 250g, and today's hanwoo is 200g.

For two people, it was more filling than expected. At an average appetite, two women would be pretty full, and two men would find the portion just right too! On top of that we also ordered half-and-half naengmyeon, dice rice, and a glass of Asahi draft beer~ (Because of my boyfriend's health checkup issue ㅠㅠ I was the only one drinking, haha..)

Aged meat grilled for you by the staff

Gogikkun Gim Chunbae Hongdae Main Branch grills the meat for you! This is exactly why I want to recommend it for Hongdae samgyeopsal.

With 10 years of operating know-how, they say they serve the raw meat in a way that's ideal for charcoal grilling. They also note that all the meat used is refrigerated and aged.

Maybe that's why, from the very first bite of beef, it just melted in my mouth...? Since the staff grilled it to just the right doneness and served it, we got to enjoy the juices too! I was so grateful they helped us eat everything, from hanwoo to hanpork, at the ideal doneness!

The beef and pork set with naengmyeon and dice rice

• Hanwoo hanpork set for two
• Half-and-half naengmyeon
• Dice rice

Since we had a reservation, they had already set out the basic side dishes when we arrived! After that they brought out the charcoal, lettuce wraps, and green onion salad~

Hanwoo of the day: salchisal (chuck flap tail)

And then our hanwoo/hanpork set for two came out! They said all the meat is refrigerated and aged, and maybe that's why it looked so good.

Of all the Hongdae samgyeopsal we've had, the hanwoo grilled for us first was really outstanding. That day, today's hanwoo was the striploin (salchisal). After a few chews, the grain melted apart softly and this savory juiciness spread through my mouth...? The outside had that subtle charcoal aroma from the grill, while the inside stayed moist, so the contrast in texture was especially good!

My boyfriend and I both said it was seriously delicious the moment we took a bite... and looked at each other with wide eyes at the same time. Kind of funny... but that's how eye-opening it was!!!

My boyfriend couldn't drink because of his health checkup the next day, but I sure needed to...? (Sorry.) So I ordered a glass, and being draft beer it was even smoother and colder, perfect with the meat! If you get a craving for alcohol while eating meat, I recommend the Asahi draft beer~

It's great with just a light dip of salt, and it's also delicious wrapped in wild garlic leaves. The white kimchi and pickled onions that came as basic side dishes were also great between bites of meat~

Half-and-half naengmyeon (cold noodles)

I definitely recommend the half-and-half naengmyeon at Gogikkun Gim Chunbae Hongdae Main Branch too. You get the cool broth of mul-naengmyeon (water-based cold noodles) and the spicy-sweet flavor of bibim-naengmyeon (mixed cold noodles) all at once! For people like us who hate giving up either one... this is the best.

Hanpork fresh short rib

The hanpork fresh short rib wasn't overly fatty, so it was relatively clean-tasting! If anything, that gave it a nice chew that made it really delicious~

The portion looks pretty big, right?? Eating this hanpork fresh short rib with wild garlic leaves or green onion salad is seriously amazing!!

Ogyeopsal (five-layer pork belly)

The pork belly at the end, on the other hand, had this appealing chewy texture!

Even with the fat attached, I felt the chewy texture before any greasiness~

Dice rice at Gogikkun Gim Chunbae

And a bite of dice rice on top makes the combo perfect~ It's fried rice made with diced kkakdugi (radish kimchi)!

The tartness of the kkakdugi cuts through the richness, and the savory-sweet flavor of the dice rice went perfectly with the meat, haha

The combination worth ordering again in Hongdae

If I went back to this Hongdae grill house, I'd probably order the exact same thing!

At Gogikkun Gim Chunbae Hongdae Main Branch, we had the hanwoo hanpork set along with half-and-half naengmyeon and dice rice! This combo was great.

If you're looking for Hongdae samgyeopsal but don't want to eat just pork belly and want some beef too, I especially recommend this place~ Definitely order the half-and-half naengmyeon! The combination of the hanwoo's tender juiciness with the cool noodles made me want to eat it again right away! It was also my first time trying dice rice, and the savory rice went perfectly with the hanpork, haha