Foodie Goodie | Yoogane Chicken Galbi.

Having traveled to Korea thrice, I've tried a variety of Korean food - from instant ramyeon to jjajangmyeon, soups, samgyeopsal, street food, and all sorts of seasoned fried chicken. Despite all these, nothing can change the way I feel for dak galbi. I loved it from the first time I tried it in Nami, and I love it even more after dining at Yoogane, one of the most popular and the best chicken galbi restaurants in South Korea.

We finally found Yoogane in Myeongdong!

Established in 1981, Yoogane began as a small restaurant in Busan. Despite fierce competition from other dak galbi restaurants, Yoogane was extremely well-received by the residents of Busan. Hence, the restaurant continued to enjoy success, and opened branches in other areas such as Seoul, Incheon, Ulsan, Daegu, Gangwon, and even Jeju Island. In Seoul alone, there are already 29 Yoogane branches with three of those situated in the shopping capital, Myeongdong.

Making his way to the third floor!

On Christmas Day, my family and I had the chance to visit and dine at the third branch in Myeongdong, located near the Labiotte store and right across Olive Young. The third branch occupies two floors of the Yu-hwa Building, and both floors are almost always jampacked especially during lunch and dinner time.

While waiting for our food to be cooked.

As I have mentioned before, dak galbi is a spicy stir-fried dish made with boneless chicken pieces, sweet potato, cabbage, tteok, and other vegetables. It's Yoogane's signature dish, with eight varieties available on their menu.

The menu! (Click to enlarge)

We ordered the Cheese Chicken Galbi (23000 won, good for sharing), which I had been craving for even when I was still in the Philippines. We also ordered two small bowls of rice (1500 won each) to go with it. We asked the waitstaff to make it less spicy so that Yue can enjoy the dish with us. But since we were unsure if he could handle the spice, we ordered another dish for him just to be on the safe side.

Add-ons, plus other main dishes.

We got him a serving of the Marinated Chicken Bulgogi Fried Rice (6000 won), which the waitstaff cooked first right before our eyes.

Steamed rice, seaweed, a small dollop of gochujang...

... stir-fried with small pieces of chicken meat and scallions.

Mix, mix, mix...

Ta-daaa! Marinated Chicken Bulgogi Fried Rice!

Once the chicken bulgogi was cooked, the waitstaff took out the pan from the grill and came out a few minutes later with a new pan containing the ingredients for our dak galbi.

Up next - dak galbi.

As we waited for our food to cook, the husband went over to the self-serve station to get side dishes. They're free of charge, and you can load up on unlimited amounts of cold soup, shredded cabbage, kimchi, and other fermented vegetables.

Self-serve station.

Shredded cabbage with mayo.

Back at our table, there's a lot of action happening on the frying pan. Like the other dish that we ordered, the dak galbi was cooked right in front of us, with the waitstaff coming over to our table every three minutes or so to stir-fry the ingredients until they were cooked.

Good food being cooked right before our very eyes.

Halfway through the cooking came the best part - the cheese! Generous amounts of mozzarella cheese poured on the side pockets of the pan, melted until they became soft and stringy.

Cheeeeeeeeese!

The dak galbi cooks while the cheese melts.

Mouth-watering goodness.

We dug in as soon as the waitstaff turned the stove off, and the cheese-coated dak galbi was so delectable - creamy, flavorful, with just the right spicy kick.

Stringy cheese!

After a few bites, the husband dumped the rice on the pan, and stir-fried it until each grain was evenly coated with the dak galbi sauce. He even added a few strings of cheese for the extra ooomph. And since the food was so good, we didn't give a damn if we packed a few pounds after just one meal, haha! Heck, we didn't even care if our clothes reeked of dak galbi after we ate!

If you're visiting Korea, make it a point to enjoy a meal or two at Yoogane. With their numerous branches across the country, you'll be sure to find one in popular tourist areas such as Hongdae, Dongdaemun, Gangnam, and of course, Myeongdong. We're definitely coming back to Yoogane when we return in Spring, and now I'm starting to count the days until I get my chops on this spicy cheesy goodness once again!

Yoogane Myeongdong (Third Branch)

Yu-hwa Building 201, 
22, Myeongdong 8, Jung-gu, Seoul