Duck bulgalbi with minari on outdoor bench seats: Gongjung Dodeok

I was craving duck today, so I went to Gongjung Dodeok. 🐤🐤🐤 I was looking for a duck restaurant near Daeheung Station and ended up here — the vibe was a bit different from your typical Korean BBQ place. Especially on nice days, you can eat at the outdoor bench seats, which gave it a nice yajang (outdoor drinking spot) feel.

Menu and prices

We came as two people, so we ordered the Gongjung mixed set, which lets you have both bulgalbi (marinated duck) and loin (plain duck) split half and half.

Being able to try the marinated meat and the plain meat together made choosing easy. Best of all, minari and duck potato stew came with the set too, so it was a pretty varied spread for two people.

How does the duck bulgalbi taste?

First up was the bulgalbi.

The seasoning had soaked deep into the meat, so a delicious smell rose up as soon as it hit the grill. Tasting it, it's spicy with a strong, deep seasoning flavor. It paired really well with duck's naturally savory taste, and out of everything we ate that day, the bulgalbi was the best.

Grilling minari together with the duck

One thing that felt a little unique at Gongjung Dodeok was grilling minari together with the duck. We tossed the minari on the grill while cooking the meat, and the fragrant minari aroma added more than I expected — it worked really well. Paired with the spicy bulgalbi especially, the flavor felt a lot cleaner. The loin, on the other hand, is on the plain side.

Since it doesn't have a strong seasoning flavor like the bulgalbi, it was a good way to taste the plain, clean flavor of the duck itself. Personally it wasn't a particularly striking dish on its own, but it was great to alternate with the bulgalbi. We also had the duck potato stew that came with the set.

The broth was spicy and refreshing, which paired well with the meat. Having a hot spoonful in between bites felt like it cut through the richness of the meat. Personally, I was quite satisfied eating the duck potato stew alongside the bulgalbi. Next, the cheese potato pancake we ordered as an extra.

The cheese added a savory note to the potato pancake, and personally it was a solid, easy side to go with. Ordering the pancake alongside the duck added a bit more variety instead of just eating duck the whole time. Overall, out of everything we tried that day, the bulgalbi was the tastiest. 😇 The combination of the spicy, well-seasoned bulgalbi grilled with fragrant minari was also great.

The potato stew was spicy and refreshing, making it a good match with the meat. The loin and cheese potato pancake were both solid, easy sides.

Space and atmosphere

And just as much as the food, I liked the atmosphere. There are bench seats set up outdoors, so on a nice day you can enjoy it with that yajang feel.

Sitting on the bench on a cool evening, grilling duck and minari, would add even more to the mood. If you're looking for restaurants near Daeheung Station and want something a bit different from a typical Korean BBQ place, this was a good find.

If you're looking for duck in Mapo, the Gongjung mixed set, which lets you try both bulgalbi and loin, is worth ordering. Next time I visit, I want to have the bulgalbi again — it was the best thing I ate that day. ☺️

In summary

Personally, out of everything, the spicy bulgalbi suited my taste the best, and I was glad to also enjoy the plain loin alongside it. Next time I'd like to sit at the outdoor bench seats and take it a bit slower, piling plenty of minari onto the bulgalbi. If you're looking for somewhere near Daeheung Station with a different kind of menu and atmosphere, Gongjung Dodeok is worth keeping in mind.