Cycle 4 – Item 159

13 (Wed) June 2013

Hanwoo Bulgogi Bibimbab

3.0

at Jang Yunjo Gamasot Gukbab

-Oksu, Seongdong, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with W and DJ

Jang Yunjo Gamasot Gukbab is a Korean restaurant.  Specializes in the eponymous gukbab, as well as other beef dishes.

The marketing is a bit much.

First, whereas gamasot (가마솥) is a gigantic cast iron cauldron – used in traditional Korean kitchens, often heated by burning wood underneath, to boil large amounts of food, such as soups – I doubt that this place uses one, very few modern kitchens do.  If they do, they would show it, as a marketing gimmick.

Second, every dish on the menu contains hanwoo, both in content and in name.  Even on the front signage, “Hanwoo Specialty (한우전문)” is larger than the restaurant’s name.  While capitalizing on the cache of hanwoo – CASH COW – the relatively low prices suggest that the meat itself is low grade hanwoo.  The bulgogi, for example, is 15,000 won for 250 grams (6,000 won per 100 grams), a fraction of the prices elsewhere.

In any case, whether the food can live up to its own hype, we’ll see.  During the first few days of business, the place has been packed, as far as I could tell.

On our first visit, we ended up getting items that didn’t rely too much on hanwoo per se.  The bibimbab, comprising zucchini + spinach + carrot + bean sprout + laver + bulgogi,  were all seasoned just right, quite good in its balanced simplicity.  Given the basic composition, however, 9,000 won was a tad high.  Then again, it came with a small bowl of the gukbab broth, which was excellent, perhaps enough to justify the price.  Anyway, everything was reasonably enjoyable, definitely worth a return visit, especially to try a full serving of the gukbab.

(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)