guhl-goo-neh (걸구네)

guhl-goo-neh (걸구네)
서울 용산구 이태원로2길 6
tel: 02-795-3992

what was consumed: korean bbq! pork belly, pork ribs (korean american fusion), 

some complain that there aren't enough korean food options in itaewon. while there are lots of international options in itaewon, there are also a few korean cuisine gems. for sure! the haters need to look. not even look harder. just look.

friends and i got together to entertain some other friends who were visiting form out of town and started the night at guhl-goo-neh. we wanted to wait until the rest of our party arrived, so we ordered some deliciously spicy sea snails and noodles (골뱅이 무침). note: this is probably one of my favorite dishes when i join others who are drinking. it's always spicy and always accompanied by a good amount of veggies to mix with the flour noodles. some places make it spicier or vinegar-y-er than others, but it's always right around the same amount of deliciousness. the price of sea snails seems to be rising exponentially, though. sad (for me).

but we were here at guhl-goo-neh for korean bbq, specifically pork belly.  the servers will prepare the stone grill that tilts down. the pork belly is brought to your table uncut, on skewers. the fat from the pork belly drips down into a bed of veggies that cook in the pork fat allowing the fat to drip down and collect in a bowl at the bottom of the tilted grill. and, of course, the pork belly is consumed in lettuce and/or sesame seed leaves (yes! my favorite!).

we also got an order of the pork ribs. they're prepared like american style ribs, but cooked with a korean style sauce. at guhl-goo-neh, the ribs are prepared well. and the sauce is on the sweet side and very spicy. if you're looking for something that's korean-ish, be sure to order at least to taste. it's well worth it!

i'm glad to have visited guhl-goo-neh. definitely must go back. the long lines outside show that others agree with me too. next time, i'll have to try the fried rice at the end of the meal and also "gohb-chang," which is what this place is really known for. MUST!