Buji Ggaengi 부지깽이 “Fire Poker” (Hongdae, Seoul)

[Update: the restaurant has unfortunately closed down]

Here’s a great hanjeongshik (Korean set meal) restaurant called Buji Ggaengi (“Fire Poker”) that my girlfriend and I thoroughly enjoyed awhile back. Their specialty is handmade tteok galbi (beef patties) grilled over hardwood charcoals 참숯. For those unfamiliar with tteok galbi, they’re basically beef patties mixed with thinly chopped onions, carrots, garlic, and other seasonings. Although beef is the primary protein, many places will add some pork to add some extra fat to the mix. Interestingly, we had no idea this place existed in our neighborhood until taking a stroll on the outskirts of Hongdae near Sangsu Station. Lucky for us, we were treated to tons and tons of quality food at more than reasonable prices. We went for dinner and got one of each: pork tteok galbi set 한돈떡갈비정식 (14,000 won) and the spicy pork tteok kalbi 고추장떡갈비정식 (16,000 won). Both were nicely seasoned, juicy, and absolutely fitting with all the fresh side dishes that were brought out. Little did we know until later that this wasn’t even their signature dish….that goes to their hanwoo tteok galbi set (Korean beef patties) @ a respectable 22,000 won per person. Needless to say, we’ll definitely be back for that hanwoo version. Also, they have a lunch special for only 10,000 won. 🙂

“Not eating meat is a decision, eating meat is an instinct.” ~ Denis Leary

Food: ★★★★ out of 5 stars

Service: ★★★★½ out of 5 stars

Ambiance: ★★★★ out of 5 stars

Value: ★★★★½ out of 5 stars