Restaurant Review: Bul Go Gi House
BUL GO GI HOUSE 8813 92nd Street ~ bulgogihouse.ca Instagram: @bulgogi_yeg Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew
I'm not exactly sure why this is, but the Korean food in Edmonton is very good. There are a lot of solid restaurants to choose from, ranging from traditional cuisine all the way up to the more modern and innovative. There are plenty of options for Korean BBQ, Korean fried chicken, and of course Korean street food (like those crazy corn dogs!). Personally, some of the best Korean food that I've eaten in Canada has been right here in Edmonton. Open since 1973, Bul Go Gi House in the Bonnie Doon area has gotta be one of the longest-standing Korean restaurants in the city. Edmonton Journal named them Best Korean Restaurant 2020 and Best Korean Restaurant 2021. It's easy to see that this Korean favourite has reached institution status. Surprisingly, however, I had never visited myself! It was about time that I did and that I experienced Bul Go Gi House for myself. Visiting on a Saturday evening, reservations are recommended due to the restaurant's on-going popularity. You'll find Bul Go Gi House in an especially lovely and adorable neighbourhood, right in Edmonton's Quartier Francophone. It's arguably one of the best little corners of the city. The outside of the restaurant is nothing flashy and it looks like it's been around forever. Inside, the dining area is large, made up of various rooms, and potentially hasn't been updated at all since the 70s (which I love). You'll find exposed brick, wood paneling, and a general cafeteria vibe to the place. There are a few pieces of Korean art on the walls but for the most part the decor is pretty simple. Seated quickly, our server was exceptionally friendly and helpful in answering any of our questions. The menu is fairly extensive and leans in a very traditional direction. You won't find anything too wacky here, only the most classic, tested, and true plates. All of our dishes came out very quickly once ordered and the meal was accompanied by an automatic serving of steamed white rice. Curiously, we were not given chopsticks to use, only a fork and spoon. When dining Korean I am accustomed to using chopsticks and a spoon. I found myself missing the chopsticks but didn't bother mentioning it. As with most (all?) Korean restaurants, the meal begins with banchan. These small side dishes are almost always complimentary and you'll usually be served at least two of them. Sometimes there are like six of them and that's a real party! Bul Go Gi House offered up the two most popular types; Kimchi and Kongnamul (cold boiled bean sprouts with sesame oil).
It's always a good idea to try the house kimchi at a Korean restaurant, so I appreciate that it's usually a lock to be served as banchan. The kimchi was filled with spicy, fermented magic. The sprouts were good too. I find that banchan is meant to be used as a palate cleanser and the pickled flavours facilitate that well. When choosing what to order, no other dish could be more obvious of a choice than the Bulgogi ($18.95). I mean, it's the restaurant's name. You'll find it in the Stir-Fries section of the menu and there are actually three different types to select from. We went with the most classic one in this case.
Thin, marinated slices of beef stir-fried in a pan with various vegetables like cabbage, carrots, sprouts and onions. For a self-titled dish, I enjoyed Bul Go Gi Houses' version a lot. Expertly made, the beef was extremely flavourful. The whole plate boasted a savoury deliciousness. The veggies were fresh and bright, delightfully crisp. If I had any criticism it would be that I wish there had been a little bit more beef! An obvious must-try, you won't be disappointed with this namesake dish. Even though steamed rice was provided, a favourite Korean dish of mine is always the bibibap, a rice dish that gets combined with a bunch of different ingredients. Bul Go Gi House has four different types to choose from but my very favourite is Dolsot Bibimbap ($18.50) which refers to the sizzling stone bowl that the dish is served in.
The benefit to the dolsot version is that, as previously mentioned, the bowl arrives sizzling-hot. This caramelizes the rice and other ingredients, creating crispy and delicious edges. Once you dolsot it's difficult to go back! This version is served with vegetables, rice and egg. You will also always be provided with gochujang to use, a Korean hot sauce which you can add to taste. My method is to add (a lot of) gochujang to the dish and then to mix the entire bowl up, incorporating all of the ingredients. This also breaks up the egg and distributes the yolk throughout. Once this is done everything touching the bowl itself adopts the aforementioned crispiness and it is quite wonderful. This version was very good and I enjoyed their quality ingredients and the overall experience of it all. For our last dish we weren't exactly sure what to order! Bul Go Gi House does seven different bokkeum-style dishes, which I love. These are spicy stir-fries and I like them so much because they really bring in the danger-spice that Korean food is known for! If anything, I found the big heat to be missing at Bul Go Gi House but that may also have been due to our menu choices. The next time that I visit I will definitely try one of their bokkeums. They also do a deep fried spicy chicken which I didn't end up trying but will certainly order next time as well. What we did order was the LA Galbi LA ($30.00) which seems to be very much one of the restaurant's most popular dishes.
From the Korean-Style Barbecue part of the menu, this is the dish that I've heard the most raves about. Served on a cast iron pan, three thin slabs of tantalizing meat beckoned with a delicious, grill-marked aroma. Saucy and juicy, I was amazed at how tender this beef was. Each bite melted in my mouth and I loved that it was full of true barbecue flavour. Very, very delicious. However, you must order other dishes along with these or else the meal will be pretty one-noted. Overall, my visit to Bul Go Gi House was a good one. Going to this restaurant feels like an OG Edmonton Korean experience and it's nice to see a place that has stood the test of time the way that this one has. It's plain to see that Bul Go Gi House has paved the way for other Korean restaurants in the city and our culinary scene is richer for it. Beloved neighbourhood restaurants like this one deserve to be celebrated and I am happy to see that their legacy remains strong. Finger heart!
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