Thanks to a large Korean expat community, Jakarta has more than a few excellent Korean eateries (we’ve even got our own North Korean restaurant). But one of Korea’s greatest culinary traditions, goggigu (aka barbecue), is usually so expensive here that we’d given up on enjoying it except as an occasional splurge after payday.
So when we heard that Kogikogi, a Korean BBQ joint in Senopati, was offering an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet for a mere Rp. 99k, we were excited… but also skeptical. Finally, we decided that if it really was that cheap, it would be worth it even if the food wasn’t very good.
Well it turns out Kogikogi really is that cheap, and the food is pretty great as well.
Located in a cozy venue with solid brick walls and simple wooden tables adorned only with the traditional barbecue hot plates in the center, Kogikogi is not looking to impress you with luxury, the focus here is squarely on the food. As mentioned before, the all-you-can-eat lunch package (on weekdays) is only Rp. 99k, If you come for dinner on weekdays, or anytime on the weekend, the price is Rp. 199k (which also includes pork belly and wagyu galbisal (unseasoned beef ribs), though you only get 150g of the wagyu variety). Note that drinks are not included in the package.
In the center of the small restaurant is a glass encased island in which chefs go about preparing food, including the crisp, freshly-made jeon (pancakes) that come in chive and kimchi varieties. Around the island lies the limited buffet, where you’ll find the jeon as well as salad and vegetable items (including large lettuce leaves to wrap your bbq), a few varieties of kimchi and gimbap (Korean sushi), rice, some seasonal dishes and desserts. It’s not a huge selection, but everything tastes pretty fresh since turnover is high.
Of course, the main event is the meat, which does not reside on the buffet but is brought out to you by your server. At first, we were afraid slow or reluctant service would prevent us from stuffing our faces with all the meat we could handle, but our servers were very fast and friendly, offering to get us more meat before we even asked (in the end we tipped them a lot).
While we’ve certainly tasted higher quality meats at other Korean restaurants, often they cost Rp. 99k or more just for a single plate of wafer thin slices. And don’t get us wrong, the meat at Kogikogi doesn’t taste cheap at all – in fact there bulgogi is made from quality Australian beef. The kitchen does an excellent job cutting and marinating all of the meats to get the most flavor out of them. In addition to the bulgogi, you get terrifically tender galbi beef ribs, two varieties of chicken and spicy pork.
Kogikogi does have a limited ala carte menu, but pretty much everybody is here for the all-you-can-eat. The dinner and weekend package price of 199k is still quite reasonable, but we wonder how they are able to make a profit on the 99k for lunch? We felt like we ate more meat there then we could buy with Rp 99k at a supermarket.
But, of course,the answer is that most people can’t put away mountains of meat like we can. Plus Kogikogi is packed out at lunch just about everyday (reservations are highly recommended). If you’ve got even the slightest hankering for Korean BBQ, Kogikogi is the best deal in Jakarta.
Jl Wolter Monginsidi No.85
Senopati, South Jakarta
T: (021) 7264999
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