Thicker than a book!! A proper Korean beef barbecue experience — take big bites!

Photos & Text byRicky Kuo


The right way to eat Korean BBQ!! First, open your mouth as wide as possible and stuff it all in in one go~~~ In Korea, you’re not supposed to take two bites!!

Good Korean beef comes out as one big chunk~~ and is cut into smaller pieces with scissors while grilling, but even the small pieces are still pretty big!! Then add lettuce, green onions, garlic, kimchi, and other toppings — doesn’t it look super messy, right?! But in Korea, this is actually the polite way to eat!!!


Check out the menu~ A single serving of aged Korean beef sirloin is 32,000 WON, about NT$960 (a bit pricey~)

When you order Korean beef, they’ll serve you lettuce and spicy chopped green onions as sides.


There are also three kinds of free kimchi.


And here comes the star — the Korean beef!!! The fat and lean marbling is so evenly distributed!!! And it’s thicker than an encyclopedia.


The servers here — the OPAs — all wear shirts and ties, pretty handsome, right!!! In Korea, we don’t call them hunks~~ we call them “warm guys”!!!




And here’s the finished product!!! The Korean beef is grilled until just slightly charred on the outside~~ all the juices are locked inside, it’s really delicious!! It’s not the most amazing Korean beef BBQ I’ve ever had, but when you consider the atmosphere, service, and everything else~~ it’s still a great experience.



This is our other order — NURUNJI (scorched rice soup).


This one is super tasty (KERANJI), it’s Korea’s version of grilled egg. Usually it’s cooked around the edge of the grill, but this place serves it as a whole pot. The top part of the egg is half-cooked, the inside is fully cooked, and the parts that touch the edge of the pot are slightly burnt — it’s really good!!!


This pot is a Korean-style tofu hot pot~~ honestly, it’s not that spicy~~ just average in flavor.

At any restaurant in Korea, you’ll get free kimchi to eat~~ ^^


The interior decor is modern and minimalist.


They also have a big freezer~~ soju is stored at -3°C, and beer at 0°C (such a weird insistence).

[Coconut Gada Maa]

Address:Pyeonghwa-ro 124-15, Samcheong 1-gil (Pyeonghwa-ro), Jongno-gu,
(About two minutes straight from Exit 2 of Itaewon Station, it’s on the left side in the basement level!)


Entertainment anchor Ricky Kuo’s Food, Fun & Travel Support Squad