Galbi on the grill
Tuck into a pan of Korea's famed chicken dish this week as Yoogane comes to town
POPULAR WITH young South Koreans and a regular “star” of many TV series, Yoogane – the Korean comfort food chain that serves chicken galbi or stir-fried marinated chicken with Korean chilli pepper sauce – has now arrived in Bangkok, opening two outlets at Siam Square and Future Park Rangsit.
Established in 1981 in Busan, Yoogane now has more than 150 branches in South Korea plus stores in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and China. It’s known for its unique blend of sauces and seasonings that complement fresh ingredients at reasonable prices and is a great place to get together and have fun.
Furnished with plain wood tables equipped with grills and chimney hoods, Yoogane offers galbi in three sizes: S is for one or two persons, M is deal for up to four and L is good for a big group of six. The signature dish Yoogane Chicken Galbi (Bt320 to Bt820) offers boneless chicken thighs marinated in unique spicy sauce and fresh vegetables. You pay extra for such toppings as Ramyeon noodles, udon noodles, mozzarella cheese, fried rice, dokboki (rice cake), and sweet potato dokboki. The staff are trained to cook for you at the table, so all you need to do is relax and wait to be served. Each diner is given an apron to wear to prevent oil splashes from the sizzling hot pan.
You can also enjoy your chicken galbi with octopus, mussels and shrimps. The most popular set among the young generation is Cheese Chicken Galbi, which is available only in M size for Bt750. The marinated tender chicken and fresh vegetables are surrounded in the pan by a layer of melted mozzarella cheese and you dip your meat into it, just as you would bread into cheese fondue. Do eat it quickly though, as the cheese tends to dry.
Another pleasing dish is Marinated Chicken Galbi Fried Rice (Bt220 to Bt580) – a combination of chicken galbi and fried rice on a bed of mozzarella cheese. Enjoy it with a side dish of Korean Style Seafood Pancake (Bt300), Japchae (Bt250), stir-fried bean vermicelli with assorted vegetables and tender chicken strips or Spicy Cold Noodle (Bt170), which comes with spicy sauce, vegetables and boiled egg.
Kimchi, shredded cabbage and pickled turnip are refillable at no extra cost.
SPICE IS NICE
Yoogane has two branches at Siam Square – behind Siam Square One mall – and at Future Park Rangsit.
It is open daily from 11am to 10pm. Visit “YooganeThailand” page on Facebook.
