Seoul Korean BBQ lunch at Geumseong Hoegwan near City Hall

Visiting Geumseong Hoegwan in Bukchang-dong’s food alley

I visited Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch (금성회관 서울시청직영점) in Bukchang-dong’s food alley for the first time in a while. It takes only 10 minutes on foot from the office near Toegye-ro. I went for lunch with the gentleman next door. Even though it was September, it was still hot in the middle of the day.

It had been a while since my last visit, and it looks like galbitang (beef short-rib soup) has been newly added. I had galbitang two days in a row, though, so I was not particularly tempted.

The restaurant looked quiet at 1:30 p.m. But the peace was short-lived: nine ladies came in, and suddenly the place was buzzing.

Geumseong Hoegwan menu and prices

• Pork geun set ₩55,000
• Geumseong special set ₩99,000
• Galbi bone-in pork belly, 200 g, ₩19,000
• 1% pork neck, 180 g, ₩17,000
• Emperor galbi, 150 g, ₩19,000
• Marinated beef short rib, 1 rib, 300 g, ₩29,700
• Marinated galbi (pork neck), 180 g, ₩17,000
• Korean beef yukhoe, 180 g, ₩24,000
• Pork skin, 200 g, ₩10,000
• Korean beef snowflake cut, 130 g, ₩29,000

It is a little different from the old menu.

Ordering pork neck and galbi bone-in pork belly

• 1% pork neck, 180 g, ₩17,000 × 2 servings
• Galbi bone-in pork belly, 200 g, ₩19,000
• Spicy Jjapagetti, ₩6,000

Still, we came to a barbecue restaurant, so we had to have meat. Marinated meat is hard to grill, so we ordered it fresh. Soft tofu stew comes with an order of a main dish. The gentleman next door is someone who absolutely has to eat rice. We added a bowl of rice and spicy Jjapagetti.

They set out various banchan (Korean side dishes) and sauces, too. There was pork-cutlet sauce and breadcrumbs. With just those two, there is a delicious way to enjoy the meat.

There were ssam vegetables, too.

Our meat arrived.

Here are the pork neck and galbi bone-in pork belly. Since it is pork belly attached to the bone, it is also called bone pork belly. The meat looks great. Honestly, pork is all delicious these days.

You can see the pork neck, right?

Starting with spicy Jjapagetti

All preparations were complete. The gentleman next door seemed uneasy because he had not put any meat on the grill yet. This is the complimentary soft tofu stew. All it needs is one extra bowl of rice. And this is the spicy Jjapagetti. They cooked Jjapagetti and added red pepper powder and Cheongyang chili peppers.

Ramen is no good once it gets soggy, so you have to eat it quickly. You can leisurely enjoy the meat afterward. We waited for the grill to heat up while eating ramen.

The gentleman next door grills the meat

As soon as he finished his rice, the gentleman next door hurriedly put the meat on the grill. Seeing this, I wonder whether he simply loves meat so, so much. Or perhaps he is just impatient. The grill was nicely heated, so the meat cooked quickly. Today again, he diligently grilled the meat. He cut it into nicely bite-sized pieces, too.

The pork neck was cooking up beautifully.

We cleared the pork neck at speed, then put on the galbi bone-in pork belly. There is a bone attached at the end of the chunk of meat on the left.

The gentleman next door worked hard grilling the meat again today. Do you slice pork with the grain or against it? He slices in the same direction as the grain. I prefer slicing against it.

Still, he worked hard grilling it, so we should eat it deliciously, right? The separated bone was grilling nicely, too. But it was cleverly hidden behind the smoke vent, so you cannot see it.

We enjoyed the galbi bone-in pork belly, and the gentleman next door thoroughly gnawed off every bit of meat attached to the bone.

Pork neck is delicious dipped in salt, too. But if pork-cutlet sauce and breadcrumbs come out? Dip it in the sauce, coat it in breadcrumbs, and you can enjoy an instant pork cutlet.

Is it good for lunch, too?

Geumseong Hoegwan is a barbecue restaurant in Bukchang-dong’s food alley that many foreign visitors also seek out. At lunch, one serving of the Emperor Galbi set meal is free when four or more are ordered. There are also naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles), yukhoe bibimbap, and the new galbitang. Since there is no break time, it is also good for eating alone or having a daytime drink. Next time, I should have the galbitang.