I’ve been going to Bul Go Gi House since I was a little girl and it’s always been a delightful choice for a dinner out or for grabbing takeout.
I had made plans to have dinner at Cafe Bicyclette before catching a play at La Cite Francophone with a friend of mine on Wednesday evening, which is a popular brunch spot but also has a lovely dinner menu – except from Mondays to Wednesdays, which my friend and I discovered when we arrived. Luckily, Bul Go Gi House’s convenient location made it a perfect second choice! Bul Go Gi has been in its building for about 30 years and it’s not winning any awards for curb appeal or parking. However, it’s almost always busy and for good reason. Their Korean food is consistently excellent – I can’t remember having any disappointing meals there and I’ve been eating there for about two decades!
The best way to experience Bul Go Gi House is to go with at least one other person and order a variety of dishes. Matthew and I ordered the Kan-pung-gi (deepfried chicken tossed in sweet & spicy sauce) and the Twigim kooksoo (a bed of fried rice noodles covered with chicken, shrimp and vegetables) and all orders come with rice, bean sprout salad and their excellent kimchi. The sauce on the deep-fried chicken is a nice mix of sweetness and a little bit of spice. It’s a good pick if you want something that’s a little bit sweeter and decadent. I usually recommend it if I’m not sure if the people I’m dining with will enjoy some of the more savory and spicy dishes – it pairs nicely with almost everything! The Twigim kook-soo is a nice light dish; the wide noodles start out light and crunchy but soften as they pick up some of the brothy sauce from the stir-fry.
My friend had never been there before and he described the food as being “so delicious that I regret not eating there sooner, despite living so close and hearing about it so often.”
We left the restaurant very satisfied with our dining decision and feeling a little gluttonous after finishing both of the dishes. Our bill was just under $40 with tip (we didn’t order drinks), which is quite fair for the quality of the food and portion size.
If you’re looking for a few other dishes to try (and want leftovers) or if you’re going with a larger group, I also highly recommend the Bi-bim-bap (fried mountain vegetables with rice topped with egg), the Dweh-ji bul-go-gi (marinated spicy pork with vegetables) and, for a vegetarian option, the Tofu bok-kum (stir fried tofu with vegetables – hot and spicy).
Bul Go Gi House is located at 8813 92 St.
Danielle S. Fuechtmann
