Byeollae Korean restaurant: cuttlefish bulgogi bibimbap, Gojip

A cuttlefish lunch on a day out in Byeollae, Namyangju

Gojip Tongmuneo Kalguksu Byeollae Byeolgaram Station Branch (고집통문어칼국수 별내별가람역점) is a Korean restaurant in Byeollae, Namyangju, serving whole-octopus kalguksu and cuttlefish dishes. I love seafood, so I booked ahead and went for the cuttlefish.

Have you heard of cuttlefish (갑오징어)? It used to be an expensive ingredient that was hard to come by, so it wasn't on menus, but these days cuttlefish dishes are popping up everywhere. While out in Byeollae, I heard about a restaurant with great cuttlefish dishes and octopus kalguksu, so off I went.

Gojip always has a wait, so there's a big waiting room with heating and air conditioning next to the restaurant. If you come around 11 when it opens, or at 5 p.m., there's hardly any wait and you can eat right away. You need to be seated by 2 p.m. or 8 p.m. to eat. Once the waitlist closes you may have to leave without a meal, so give yourself plenty of time.

Lots of people come on dates, family meals, work gatherings, lunches, or return visits, so it's best to allow extra time. There's a big parking lot too, so no parking worries. Today I'm introducing Gojip, a Korean restaurant where I enjoyed the cuttlefish, and where the friendly service and cleanliness left me very satisfied ~~

Gojip Byeollae Byeolgaram Station Branch: location and hours

• Location: 450-31 Sunhwagung-ro, Namyangju, Gyeonggi, South Korea (679 m from Exit 3 of Byeolgaram Station)
• Hours: Monday–Sunday 11:00–21:00 (closed every Wednesday)
• Parking: dedicated lot behind the restaurant

Where to park and how to find Gojip

Park in the dedicated lot behind the building and take the stairs down, and you'll find Gojip. Other restaurants share the space, so be sure to check the sign before you go in.

The red chairs caught my eye first and made me look twice. It's a long, narrow restaurant, with a tank of fresh clams out front, and men's and women's restrooms beside the tank. The waiting room is next to the restrooms.

How does the wait work at Gojip? The heated and air-conditioned waiting room

The waiting room has heating and air conditioning. Enter your phone number on Tabling (a queue app), wait in the room, and they'll contact you in order.

The yellow tank next to the restaurant was full of fresh clams.

Inside Gojip Tongmuneo Kalguksu

When we arrived, we got lucky: one table had just opened up, so we went straight in without waiting. The line kept growing behind us.

The spacious interior was neat and clean, and the owner and staff greeted us with smiles, which put me in a good mood the moment we walked in. I thought, "A place like this must have good food too," and my satisfaction went up. There's also a place to wash your hands at the entrance, which looked good for cleanliness.

Gojip menu and prices

The menu is kalguksu and cuttlefish dishes. The cuttlefish bulgogi lunch special is ₩14,000 per person, and the surf clam kalguksu is ₩9,000 per person.

• Kalguksu: surf clam kalguksu ₩9,000 per person / whole octopus seafood kalguksu ₩43,000–₩72,000
• Cuttlefish: cuttlefish bulgogi lunch special ₩14,000 per person / cuttlefish bulgogi ₩37,000–₩63,000
• Sides: fried cuttlefish ₩16,000 / seafood dumplings (7) ₩6,000 / steamed rice ₩1,000
• Add-ons (kalguksu): extra whole octopus ₩30,000 / extra cuttlefish ₩13,000 / extra abalone ₩12,000 / extra noodles ₩2,000
• Add-ons (cuttlefish bulgogi): fried rice ₩3,000 (available for 2 or more)

We ordered cuttlefish bulgogi, fried cuttlefish, surf clam kalguksu and 1 bowl of rice.

Homemade side dishes at Gojip

After we ordered, the side dishes were set out. They're made in-house, and looked clean and tidy. The young radish kimchi (yeolmu-kimchi) was cool and delicious, and the napa cabbage kimchi was a little spicy.

Here's the generous spread we enjoyed today.

• Cuttlefish bulgogi (small, for 2) ₩37,000
• Fried cuttlefish ₩16,000
• Surf clam kalguksu for 1 ₩9,000

How does the ₩37,000 small cuttlefish bulgogi (for 2) taste?

The small cuttlefish bulgogi at Gojip serves 2 and costs ₩37,000. Just look at the color of it! Big portion, and doesn't it look delicious?

Cuttlefish, the tastiest of all squid, is stir-fried over high heat with king oyster mushrooms, onions and a special sauce, so it was spicy and delicious. You can choose regular, spicy or extra strong.

The cuttlefish is thick and chunky, but don't worry, "What if it's tough?" It's so soft and tender you'll be surprised. The vegetables were stir-fried so they weren't mushy, either, which gave a nice texture.

One bite of the cuttlefish bulgogi and the flavor of the special sauce made my mouth cheer. The sauce is seriously good.

Surf clam kalguksu made with live clams, ₩9,000 per person

Gojip's surf clam kalguksu is made with fresh clams alive in the tank, not frozen ones, and the broth was fantastic.

The deep, rich stock is simmered with 15 ingredients, and the live surf clams go straight in, so the savory depth is superb yet clean and refreshing, as if the whole sea had come into my mouth. And how can the noodles be this chewy?

Slurp, slurp~~ Slurp, slurp~~~ What a fun mealtime.

Fried cuttlefish with garlic mayo, ₩16,000

Gojip's fried cuttlefish tastes different from regular fried squid. You won't know the soft, chewy texture of thick cuttlefish until you've tried it.

The staff put grated garlic on top of the mayonnaise and said, "Mix it up well and dip the fry in it." "Thank you ~" I mixed it as told and dipped the fried cuttlefish. The sharp garlic cut the richness, and the garlic aroma spread through my mouth.

Cuttlefish bulgogi bibimbap with yeolmu kimchi and an extra bowl of rice

The cuttlefish bulgogi lunch special includes rice, but the small cuttlefish bulgogi doesn't. So I ordered a bowl of rice (₩1,000) and mixed it with the cuttlefish bulgogi, bean sprouts, young radish kimchi and seaweed (gim).

With a sauce this good, the bibimbap went down in gulps, too. Wrapping it in seaweed doubled the flavor.

Verdict: lunch at Gojip in Byeollae

At Gojip in Byeollae, Namyangju, I enjoyed the cuttlefish bulgogi, fried cuttlefish and surf clam kalguksu. The dedicated parking lot made parking easy, and both the owner and staff were kind, so we could eat comfortably.

The cuttlefish stir-fried in the special sauce was tender, not tough, and the fried cuttlefish was crispy outside and juicy inside. In the surf clam kalguksu, made with live clams from the tank, the broth, noodles and clams were all delicious, and the savory depth was superb.

If you like cuttlefish dishes or kalguksu packed with seafood, give Gojip a visit. You'll make a tasty memory~