The Gogijib (“Gogijib”) is a Korean charcoal BBQ house that specialises in Iberico Pork. The pairing of the finest pork in the world with Korean-style charcoal bbq, it will surely be a gastronomy delight. On top of the Iberico pork, Gogijib also serves seafood, beef and Korean Soy Marinated Raw Crab (Gejang).
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| The Gogijip |
After we placed our order, the banchans (Korean side dishes) are the first to arrive. You get the kimchi, radish salad, chilled tofu with red pepper sauce, summer kimchi, candied sweet potato and salad. Fresh lettuce will also be served to wrap the meat.
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| Banchans |
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| Banchans |
DIY Tobiko Dry Seaweed Rice ($10) – Ju Muk Bab / Rice Ball. One of our favourite items to order at Gogijib. The rice is covered with tobiko, seaweed, sesame and pickled radish. Once you mixed them and squeeze them into a ball shape, it is just a flavour bomb.
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| DIY Tobiko Dry Seaweed Rice |
First on to the grill is the beef. We ordered the Beef Ribs ($38), Beef Striploin ($40) and Beef Rib Finger ($35). The beef finger ribs are the learner cuts compared to the beef ribs. It has a more slightly meaty texture, while the beef ribs will deliver the melt-in-your-mouth sensations. I will pay close attention when cooking the beef, as I like mine cooked to medium rare.
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| Beef Ribs, Beef Rib Fingers & Beef Striploin |
The spread of the marbling in the beef striploin is a bit uneven. Therefore, some parts will be meatier, and others are fattier. However, the fatty part will not be as juicy as the beef ribs.
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| Beef Rib Fingers |
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| Beef Ribs |
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| Beef Striploin |
While we are grilling beef, we started to dig into Korean-style Raw Beef ($42) – Yukhoe. The version at Gogijib is served with sliced pear, green onion, raw yolk, cheese and red pepper sauce. While the chilled beef is refreshing, I feel the version here is just overcomplicated. LD and I like mine simpler, just with egg yolk, Korean pear, sauce and sesame oil. This will allow the natural flavour of the beef to shine.
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| Korean-style Raw Beef – Yukhoe |
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| Korean-style Raw Beef – Yukhoe |
LD and the others start to dig into Soy Marinated Korean Raw Flower Crabs ($75 for small, $85 for medium). It is difficult to find a good one in Singapore, however, Gogijib seems to master it and LD will try to order this whenever possible. The crab flower crab is raw and marinated with soy sauce that enhances the sweetness of the crab, together with the spiciness from the cut chilli.
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| Soy Marinated Korean Raw Flower Crabs |
Pork Set ($105) - Iberico Pork Collar 180g, Black Pork Belly 180g, Iberico Pork Jowl 180g. When it comes to Korean BBQ, LD and I will usually stick with pork belly and jowl. However, since they are serving Iberico pork here, the collar is not to be missed. Therefore, ordering the Pork set gives you a good spread of cuts.
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| Iberico Pork Belly, Iberico Pork Jowl & Iberico Pork Collar |
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| Iberico Pork Belly, Iberico Pork Jowl & Iberico Pork Collar |
Since the pork jowl is the thinnest cut, we cook the pork jowl right after the beef. When cook correctly, you will get to taste the crisp exterior followed by a burst of juicy fats in the middle. Also, the version served here has a nice ratio between fats and meat, so it does not overwhelm you.
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| Pork Jowl & Pork Belly |
The black pork belly comes in a big cube size shape. You need to start grilling all the sides of the pork belly and it will slowly render the fats as well. Once all side is seared, you need to cut them to the size of your pinkie finger. Then slowly grilled it until it reaches the desired texture. We like ours to be crispy externally while internally it remains juicy, bursting with flavour and slowly melts in your mouth.
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| Pork Belly - Pinkie Finger Size |
For the Iberico pork collar, you probably get one of the better versions at Gogijib. It has a nice marbling, with tender and juicy meat. It is also absent of any strong porky flavour.
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| Lettuce Wrap - Free Flow |
The set comes with Soybean paste stew (beef / seafood) or kimchi stew (tuna / pork), steamed egg, and free-flow of side dishes with fresh vegetables. We choose the kimchi stew pork. The stew and the steamed egg come almost at about the same time.
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| Kimchi Pork Stew |
Beef Large Intestines ($25) is the last item that we put on the grill. Usually, if the staff is free, they will do the grilling for this. While it looks like a fatty part, it is nice to chew once it is grilled. Since it is almost tasteless, you will need to rely on the special dipping sauce for the flavour.
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| Beef Large Intestines |
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| Beef Large Intestines |
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| Beef Large Intestines - Ready to Eat |
Seafood Pancake ($25). This pancake is loaded with seafood, green onion and some cut chilli in between. The batter has a crispy exterior and it binds all the ingredients in a soft yet chewy texture. It is very tasty, I usually eat it on its own, without the dipping sauce.
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| Seafood Pancake |
Don’t expect much of the décor of the restaurant. While the signboard and lighting outside are bright and inviting, the dining room is lit with warm light (yellow) and some areas can be a bit dark. Since it is a BBQ place, the restaurant is filled with bbq aroma, burning meat, alcohol and people speaking loudly. The restaurant has 2 storeys of seating area.
The service is very minimum. We usually grill the meat ourselves as they have limited-service staff. The service staff usually only help us grill the beef large intestines. If we need to get their attention, we just press the bell button on our table.
Since Gogijib and Kko Kko Na Ra (Korean Fried Chicken) is related, you can also order Korean Fried Chicken when dining in Gogijib.
CBK Verdict: We are regulars at Gogijib since they opened a few years back. We find the Iberico pork offerings are of a good standard, the beef is acceptable and they offer Soy Marinated Korean Raw Flower Crabs. Other plus points are they accept reservations and they also have Korean fried chicken on their menu. So, if you like Iberico Pork, give Gogijib a try. Geonbae!! Cheers!!
Food & Drink: 8/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 6/10
Ambiance: 6/10
Budget per Person: $51 - $80
The Gogijib
72 & 74 Tanjong Pagar Road
Singapore 088495
T: +65 6224 0667
IG: @Thegogijib
OH:
Mon – Thu: 12.00 – Midnight
Fri – Sun: 12.00 – 15.00; 18.00 – Midnight
Menu Available Online
