GEN Korean BBQ House

FOOD

GEN gives you several ways to put beef on the grill before the more expensive upgrades enter the discussion. Premium Chadol is the menu’s name for thinly sliced brisket, a quick-cooking cut. Here, Premium is part of the dish name; it does not by itself mean the paid Premium upgrade. Beef bulgogi arrives thinly sliced and marinated. Hawaiian steak makes the sweeter choice explicit: beef teriyaki served with pineapple slices. Those three alone give the table a useful comparison of cut, seasoning and sweetness.

Beef belly comes plain as Woo Beasal, with honey-soy seasoning, or with a spicy Korean gochujang sauce. The rich, thin slices take well to the sharp accompaniments served alongside the barbecue. GEN Signature Yangyum Galbi is marinated bone-in short rib, among the dinner selections at participating locations. It gives you a reason to pay attention to the meal period when short ribs are the main attraction.

Pork belly, listed as samgyubsal, gets a similar range of treatments. The plain version lets you add garlic, peppers or a dipping sauce at the table; garlic and red-wine marinades season the meat before it reaches you. Spicy pork bulgogi brings thin slices rather than belly strips. Hangjungsal, described by GEN as pork cheek, adds another cut to a selection that could otherwise keep a pork-belly enthusiast thoroughly occupied.

Chicken follows the same interest in seasonings, with garlic, honey and spicy Korean barbecue versions. These are meats for the tabletop grill, distinct from the ready-cooked Korean fried chicken. That dish comes in bite-size pieces with sweet-and-spicy sauce. The distinction is useful when ordering: one plate adds another cooking project, while the other gives the table something to eat straight away.

Shrimp are offered whole and unmarinated, so there’s shelling involved as well as grilling. Calamari has two particularly different preparations: spicy marinated pieces and a calamari steak sprinkled with green tea salt. Some menus pair the steak with gochujang aioli. Fried calamari rings come from the kitchen instead, with a garlic-and-herb sauce. Squid enthusiasts have more than one texture to consider here.

The banchan and finishing touches are part of the pleasure of Korean barbecue. Kimchi, seasoned cucumber and pickles offer something sharp beside rich meat, while potato salad provides a mild accompaniment. Rice paper and thin radish paper give you ways to gather meat and sides into a bite. Ssamjang, green tea salt and GEN’s chadol sauce offer further choices; plain brisket is a useful place to compare them.

Japchae brings stir-fried glass noodles and vegetables in a sweet-savory seasoning. Deep-fried mandu contain pork and vegetables and come with a soy dipping sauce, while fried rice sticks carry sweet-and-spicy sauce. Cheese tonkatsu adds a pork cutlet with melted cheese and its own sauce. These kitchen dishes make a substantial part of the meal alongside the barbecue, with selections varying by restaurant and menu.

For something spoonable, soondooboo soup combines soft tofu and vegetables in a spicy broth; the central menu also lists fermented-soybean doenjang soup. Hotteok offers a sweet finish: Korean pancakes filled with brown sugar, cinnamon, peanuts and seeds.