Chimsan-dong, Daegu beef grill date with roll-screen tables: Gogi 9dan

Today's story is about Gogi 9dan Chimsan Direct Branch in Chimsan-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu, where I went with my boyfriend because I wanted a proper meat feast after a long while. I'd been singing "let's go eat meat~" for days, so we ended up searching together and found this place, and honestly I wondered why we hadn't come sooner.

Where is Gogi 9dan Chimsan, and where do you park?

Gogi 9dan Chimsan Direct Branch is at 197 Chimsannam-ro, Buk-gu, Daegu. It's on the ground floor of a piloti-style building (raised on pillars) with a big private parking lot. It's near the Chilseong-dong E-Mart, and right next to the Chimsan 2-dong community center by the Dongchimsan intersection before you cross Gyeongdae Bridge, so it's easy to find.

No parking worries here. If the lot is full, the neighboring National Health Insurance Service lot is open after 6 PM and on weekends, so keep that in mind!

Atmosphere: an open butcher counter and roll-screen partitioned tables

The first thing you see at the entrance is the open butcher counter, where the chef trims the meat right there. Seeing with your own eyes that it's cut to order made it feel fresher and more trustworthy.

Right as we stepped inside, we saw a certificate from the Korea Food Service Industry Management Awards. For a place that has won a respected award, the meat quality, side dishes and service were all top-notch.

The interior was much bigger and cleaner than I expected. It's mostly 4-person tables, and roll screens (blinds) separate them, so you can eat in peace without worrying about the next table. It was a perfect mood for just the two of us, and I was happy with it.

The window seats get natural light, so it's lovely in the daytime too. There's also a separate wide area for groups, so it works for couples, family gatherings, company dinners, you name it.

There's also a kids' play room in one corner, which seems great for families coming with children.

What's on the Gogi 9dan menu, and which side dishes come first?

You order easily from the tablet on the table. I hesitated a bit, but in the end we ordered the skirt steak platter (500g) that the staff recommended as the best seller, plus the 9dan Set.

The basic side dishes really felt made with care. There were so many, and so neatly done, that it felt like a traditional Korean set-course restaurant (hanjeongsik).

Refreshing water kimchi, appetizing green onion kimchi, jangajji (soy-pickled vegetables), pickled onions and a zesty salad filled the whole table.

Marinated crab that disappears with rice, and bouncy japchae

The yangnyeom-gejang (marinated raw crab, known as a "rice thief") had its soy-based sauce soaked right into the crab meat, so it was salty and packed with umami. I put it on rice between bites of meat and my spoon just would not stop.

The japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) had noodles that weren't mushy but bouncy, with crunchy vegetables, perfect when your mouth gets bored of meat. It was slightly sweet with a faint nutty sesame oil aroma, and even my boyfriend said he kept reaching for it, haha. It's hard to believe it's just a basic side dish.

How does the Gogi 9dan 500g skirt steak platter taste?

The skirt steak platter (500g) at Gogi 9dan Chimsan is a specialty cut with evenly spread marbling; grilled medium over charcoal, the outside was slightly crisp and the inside burst with juice. Skirt steak is a special cut that yields only a few grams per cow. When it arrived, the marbling was so gorgeous,, white fat spread evenly like snowflakes between vivid red meat, and just looking at it made my mouth water.

The grain is tight and the marbling is so pretty. With marbling like this, I was already excited before grilling about how much juice would come out as the fat melted into the meat.

The moment it hit the charcoal it went sizzle~ and cooked quickly thanks to the strong heat. We grilled it to about medium, and the slightly crisp outside with juice bursting from inside was honestly the best.

A rich beefy flavor rises the more you chew, and I immediately understood why it's the best-selling menu item. First I dabbed it with a little wasabi and dipped it in salt, and the way the meat melted was so good.

What comes with the Gogi 9dan 9dan Set?

You can order one 9dan Set per grill platter. This time we enjoyed Hanwoo salt yukhoe (seasoned raw beef), jjolmyeon (chewy spicy noodles), flower-shaped sushi and fresh pork kimchi stew. It's a combo you absolutely have to order when you come to Gogi 9dan. The skirt steak platter plus the 9dan Set is literally a winning combination!

Hanwoo salt yukhoe (seasoned raw Korean beef)

The Hanwoo salt yukhoe came freshly mixed and tasted fresh, and its melt-in-your-mouth softness was so good. It was nutty and full of umami, with the beef flavor really alive.

Jjolmyeon (chewy spicy noodles) and flower-shaped sushi

I usually love jjolmyeon, so I was extra excited for this one. Sweet and spicy sauce, chewy noodles, crunchy vegetables, and then you roll a piece of tender beef in with it. The combination is so good!

The flower-shaped sushi came with fresh wasabi, and when you top it with grilled skirt steak and wasabi, you won't envy any sushi place's beef sushi.

Fresh pork kimchi stew, pot rice and scorched rice to finish

I also ordered a pot of rice to go with the kimchi stew, and that was a stroke of genius. The freshly cooked rice was glossy and sticky, and eating it with the kimchi stew was a perfect pairing. After finishing, we poured in sungnyung (rice tea) and made nurungji (scorched rice soup) to finish, and the nutty, clean taste settled my stomach nicely.

You boil the fresh pork kimchi stew yourself on the induction burner at the table. It's loaded with fresh pork, so a spoonful of broth after the meat is spicy, refreshing and even nutty. With just this stew I could finish a bowl of rice in no time,,

After the meal they even gave us patbingsu (red bean shaved ice) as a service, so we ended on a clean note. Finishing with a sweet dessert after meat made this place feel flawless from start to finish!

What's in the Gogi 9dan dessert corner?

Gogi 9dan Chimsan has its own dessert corner, so you don't need to go to a café afterward! You can pick from hot coffee, iced Americano, plum tea and instant coffee to suit your taste.

They also sell healthy snacks, which kids would probably like. The puffed-grain snack (ppeongtwigi) was just right to nibble on after the meat.

Verdict: is Gogi 9dan Chimsan worth it for a couple's beef dinner?

Gogi 9dan Chimsan Direct Branch gives you quality beef plus the great-value 9dan Set. Parking is easy and the mood is nice, so it's great for couples and just as good for family gatherings. If you're looking for a beef restaurant in Chimsan-dong, Daegu, I strongly recommend it!