FatManSeoul

Galbi houses can serve up some great cuts of meat, but not necessarily the most classy atmosphere.  Grease and smoke are everywhere, and you can’t hear yourself think over the noise of the fans – not conducive to impressing important clients or your date for the evening . . .
Fortunately, there are some alternatives out there if you’re willing to reach deep, deep into your pockets. Bamboo House caters to those who like their food served in posher surroundings than the neighborhood galbi-jip.  Enclosing a small bamboo garden that gives its name, the restaurant serves up high quality cuts of hanwoo beef in an upscale, modern setting.

Although banchan are part of the meal, the modern, western take on Korean food extends to the menu, where you’ll have to look to find most starters.  A selection of seasonal jeon is delicately prepared and seasoned, but both portions and service are westernized.  Those used to more generous Korean serving sizes will come away surprised (and hungry)

Moving on to the main courses, Bamboo House offers a range of cuts of beef, but the most popular are the 꽃등심 (ggeotdeungshim:  sirloin) and 왕갈비 (wanggalbi:  short rib).

The sirloin is exceptionally mild and well marbled, while the short rib is so well marbled as to border on decadent.  There’s so much fat that it maintains a luxurious richness even after grilling, nearly melting in your mouth.

Unlike most grilled meat restaurants in Korea where you handle your own meat, the attentive staff will do all the grilling and turning for you, placing the finished meat on cool spots on the grill or on your plate. The service here is almost entirely western style, with staff handling just about everything on your behalf.

There’s also a short menu of non-meat dishes, including upper-crust favorites like crab preserved in soy sauce over rice, bibimbap, and grilled fish, and there’s even a short dessert list that touches on both east and west. The 홍시 (hongsi: frozen persimmon) makes a sweet, refreshing end to a meat heavy meal. Bamboo House also has an extensive wine list, and a shorter but well-selected list of Korean alcohols.

Bamboo House is long on quality and ambiance and also on price. Prices start at 45,000 won, and a meal for two with drinks, appetizers, sides, and dessert will easily run to the hundreds of thousands of won. This is a place that will impress you with its lovely mood, beautiful garden, exceptional food, excellent service, and the deep dent it will make in your wallet.  Hey, if you want to dine in the same rarefied atmosphere as Ban Gi-mun, Mariah Carey, Koizumi, Rain, and Jackie Chan, you pay for the privilege.  And really, if our dear leader beloved president Lee Myeong-bak has eaten there, don’t you want to, too?

And, as befiting a trendy spot, it’s hard to get to from public transportation.  From Yeoksam Station (역삼역) head to Chabyeongwon Intersection (차병원사거리)/Dongho Bridge (동호대교) and make a right at Cha Hospital (차병원).  At Catholic Orthapedics (카틀릭 정형외과) turn right again, and Bamboo House is straight ahead, two blocks in.  If you get lost or need reservations, call the front desk staff (who speak Korean, English, and Japanese) at 02-566-0870.