Wallga Galbi has over 30 years of serving traditional Korean BBQ beef and Jeju pork. “Wallga Galbi” embraces the meaning of 2 words; “Wall” (Bricks) + “Ga” (House)” = a brick house, and can also be translated as “Wall Street”. The representative symbol of “Wall Street” Galbi is the black cow statue which is a cheeky play to the similar symbol of its namesake in New York.
Wallga Galbi at City Hall Station has three floors and an open roof that was opened in the past. It has an interior design reminiscent of a Korean art museum decorated with traditional Korean artworks.
The restaurant can seat over 300 pax, and the room varies in sizes from 8 to 80 persons, but because of its location, it is constantly packed.
After the order of beef is entered, the banchan 반찬 (side dishes) start to come fierce and furious. The serving of soegogi-muguk 소고기무국 (beef radish soup) is not complimentary though, but I recommend it as the broth is really flavourful and rich.
There are also some small snacks like Korean pancakes, japchae and kimchis that come with the banchan spread. They are all quite delicious.
A rather sad looking salad was served this evening, made up of a blob of mayonnaise and weak strands of shredded cabbage and bits of old lettuce. I didn’t even attempt to touch this one.
숙주야채볶음 Sautéed Vegetables
This is a very common sautéed mixed vegetable dish from where I come from using mung bean sprouts called sugju 숙주 in Korean. We call it taugay 豆芽, which literally means the sprouts of beans. The Korean version of this dish is quite peppery.
홍벽갈비 “Red Carpet” Ribs
Non-marinated galbi is called saeng-galbi 생갈비 or “fresh ribs”. They are sliced in the traditional cut to expose one smooth bone along the short edge with the meat uniformly filleted in flat layers. Hence the fancy name – 홍벽갈비 “red carpet” galbi.
Koreans consider Hanwoo beef a cultural icon and one of the top-quality beefs of the world; it is used in traditional foods, popular holiday dishes, or as a special-day gift. Only in the latter part of the 20th century has beef become regular table fare, even though it was mentioned in records dating back to Three Kingdoms and Goryoen periods. The fact that most of the local supply of Hanwoo is consumed by Koreans means there is less to export overseas. Hence, additional sources of beef need to be imported to supplement the demand for beef.
The ribs provided by Wallga Galbi are USDA Prime Black Angus ribs, the highest grade and best breed of black cattle from USA. They have superb marbling and meat juice, although the meat itself is chewier than Korean beef. While it loses in tenderness versus Hanwoo, the Black Angus is beefier and more affordable.
How do you know when your beef is done? No worries, in KBBQ the experienced staff will grill it for you to perfection at table side. That’s why I love KBBQ over the others, but only in Korea this is standard. However, they will always grill it to medium or higher doneness, so if you like medium rare or lower, do tell them.
The grilled rib is soft but under seasoned so the pink salt is good, and the dipping sauce and pickled onions are especially delicious.
벽돌갈비 “Brick” Ribs
LA galbi is a style of galbi which beef short ribs cut thinly (about ¼ inch thick) across the bones. “Brick” galbi takes it a one step further by cutting it into pieces one bone wide. Perfectly marbled galbi, stacked like a Jenga meat mountain, this looks like red bricks on the wall.
This LA cut method is not common in Korea, but the spider-web marbling of fat in each piece makes it a work of art. Most people mistakenly believe that the LA cut comes from Los Angeles, but actually the name refers to the “lateral cut” of the meat, as it is cut in a way that shows the sides.
This galbi is not marinated, but each piece melts in your mouth, super tender, succulent, bursting with rich, juicy flavour. I am running out of superlatives to describe it.
물냉면 Mul Naengmyeon (Water Radish Cold Noodles)
After all the grilled beef, you will need something refreshing to finish the meal. Naengmyeon or North Korean style cold noodles come to mind. The two main varieties of naengmyeon are mul naengmyeon (물 냉면) and bibim naengmyeon (비빔 냉면). The cold version is made with a refreshing stock made from the pickling juice of chikin-mul 치킨무 pickled radish.
비빔냉면 Bibim Naengmyeon (Spicy Cold Noodles)
Bibim naengmyeon is made with a spicy dressing made primarily from gochujang (red chili paste) and eaten mixed. It’s not very brothy, but it’s still ice cold and made with a slightly sweet, vinegary, spicy sauce as well as some cucumber and pear. I will take the broth from mul naengmyeon and mix with the bibim naengmyeon for the perfect meal.
If you want to taste the best galbi in Bukchang-dong, Wallga Galbi is the place. First of all to eat beef ribs of this quality in Seoul at this reasonable price, you need to know that they use imported USDA beef instead of the much more expensive Hanwoo (Korean beef). However that does not diminish any bit of the enjoyment of the BBQ meal. BTW, they serve Jeju pork too.
Wall Street Ribs (Wallga Galbi) 월가갈비
22, Sejong-daero 18-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 중구 세종대로18길 22, 1,2,3층
Tel : +82 10-2442-9414 (Reservations)
Visited Jul 2024
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