Goong Korean BBQ

FOOD

Goong’s food program is built around choice within the same tabletop-barbecue format. The Standard tier lists more than 30 selections, the Goong tier more than 40, and Premium more than 50. The broader range is useful because the menu extends well beyond plain cuts of meat: marinated beef and pork, chicken, seafood, banchan, cooked appetizers, rice dishes, soups and stews can all compete for space during the same 90-minute meal.

Beef is the clearest place to begin. Prime brisket cooks quickly and gives the grill an immediate layer of browned edges, while bulgogi brings thinly sliced ribeye in a sweet soy marinade. Galbi and other short-rib cuts add more chew and richness, and marinated finger short rib provides another beef option with more body than the paper-thin cuts. Higher tiers widen the selection further, including premium short-rib preparations and Wagyu offerings.

Pork gives the grill a different pace. Samgyeopsal, or pork belly, needs more time for the fat to render and the edges to crisp. Pork jowl is richer and slightly firmer, while spicy marinated pork supplies chile heat against the sweeter beef marinades. Chicken appears in both sweet-soy and spicy preparations, useful when a table wants a break from the heavier beef and pork cuts without leaving the grill.

The prepared dishes keep Goong from becoming a sequence of meat platters. Steamed egg arrives soft and savory. Kimchi pancake adds crisp edges and fermented tang, while tteokbokki brings chewy rice cakes in a red chile sauce. Fried dumplings, japchae, pickled radish, green-onion salad, garlic, jalapeño and other banchan give each round of barbecue something fresh, sharp or cool to eat beside it.

There are also Korean comfort dishes substantial enough to become their own course. Chadol kimchi fried rice folds beef brisket into the familiar spicy-sour rice dish. Bibimbap adds rice, vegetables and meat in a mixed bowl, while kimchi jjigae and soft-tofu stew bring hot broth to a meal otherwise dominated by the dry heat of the grill. These dishes make the AYCE menu feel closer to a compact Korean restaurant menu than a meat-only package.

Seafood and premium items broaden the upper end of the selection. Scallops have appeared among the premium choices, and spicy marinated baby octopus adds a chewy, chile-coated option for the grill. The top tier is also where Goong’s emphasis on premium beef becomes most visible. The point of moving upward is therefore access to different cuts and ingredients, not simply permission to order more of the same food.

Shabu shabu is the separate unlimited alternative. Its menu lists more than 15 selections and moves the meal from the grill to broth, with meat, seafood and vegetables cooked at the table. For guests choosing Korean barbecue, however, Goong is most known for its interaction between seared meat, banchan and cooked Korean dishes: brisket followed by pork belly, a spoonful of stew, something pickled, then another order for the grill. The abundance comes from combining those parts rather than treating the meal as a single parade of protein.