Oegadgib

This is another delicious Korean buffet.  Unlike Il Mee, you don't go up to get your meats.  There are regular menu items – which I’ve never tried – because when I go there, I focus on the meat-a-palooza.  There are two all-you-can-eat options served table-side:

Menu:  All-You-Can-Eat-Meat – how can you possibly go wrong?

• 3 Types of Meat (~ $15.99 per person):  3 different types of meat are cooked on a stone slab: a) Pork Belly, b) Thinly sliced beef, and c) Marinated beef cubes/chunks.  I’m a fan of the thinly sliced beef and marinated beef over the pork belly.  While I’m a bacon-loving cow, the pork belly is more on the fatty side, so it’s more of a preference.  If you’re looking for that fatty, juicy flavor you’ll like it (I’ve got friends who love the pork belly at Oegadgib over anywhere else).  I like eating the thinly sliced beef by dipping it into the simple sauce of sesame oil and salt & pepper.  And, you don’t have to eat it with just plain ol’ rice.  I like wrapping the meat in either the thinly slice rice wraps or the pickled, thinly sliced daikon / turnip wraps (there are official Korean names for these but unfortunately I’m not Korean.  If anyone knows the official names, I’d love to know!).  For the marinated beef, there is a slightly spicy red sauce, which is a great complement if you let the sauce cook with the meat while on the stone slab.  When you choose this option, you’ll be provided all 3 meats right away.  After you polish off the first plate of meat, you can then choose if you want a refill of 1, 2, or all 3 types of meat. 

 Pickled Turnips & Rice Wraps – A Meat’s Best Friend

• Shabu Shabu ($18.99 per person): Never ending slices of meat and vegetables that you can cook in a seasoned broth.  Some people like to dip their meat and veggies in there for a short time to cook and others like to put it all into the pot and let it boil / simmer like a stew.  I’m a fan of the latter – but to each their own!  Along with the tons of vegetables (bean sprouts, cabbage, etc.) there is also a side of udon noodles…yum yum yum.  The broth is flavorful but I start to find it quite salty after a while.  Now, that could be because you typically don’t drink the broth that often – you usually just use it to cook the meat and veggies.

Regardless of which option you choose (because both are delicious) you will definitely be full.  In addition to meat fest, Oegadgib offers an amazing array of banchan (side dishes), which changes sometimes, but includes items such as thinly sliced rice wraps (request it specifically since they don’t bring it out automatically anymore) that go great with the meat, thinly sliced pickled turnips (which is a refreshing pickled taste to cut through the meat), Kimchee, spicy pickled cucumbers, potato salad (you think it’s odd, but the way it’s done at the Korean restaurants are quite tasty), bean sprouts, etc. 

Yummy banchan, limited stomach space

Banchan Party 1 (Top L-BottomR): Pickled Radish, Spicy Cucumber, Bean Sprouts, Kimchee

Banchan Party 2 (Top L-BottomL): Seaweed, Bean Paste/Red Sauce for meat, Jalapenos

 AND (yes there is more!) there are two side soups:  1) Steamed egg (which is awesome on top of your rice) and 2) Vegetable stew (slightly spicy).  Oh, AND a side salad with a delicious peanut and spice dressing.  My spouse and I can easily go through two servings of this salad. 

Steamed egg, Vegetable stew, and Sesame Crack Salad (it’s that good)

When you are done and are suffering from the meat sweats, you are given a sweet rice drink to wash down all that meat – quite a sweet and refreshing end to a delicious, filling meal.  There are also rice bits at the bottom with a squishy texture.

 

Settle the meat party in your stomach with a sweet rice drink

Oegadgib is a bit difficult to find.  It is located right behind the Jerry’s Subs / Pizza off of Little River Turnpike in Annandale, VA.  They now have a sign in English (hooray!).  You’ll  see a small brick building by Jerry’s Sub / Pizza.  Oegadgib shares a building with some sort of spa/karaoke (?) place.  The spa door will be to your right, but aim straight ahead for the restaurant.

From what I recall, the menus do not have a lot of English, but once I discovered the all-you-can-eat options, I stopped looking at the menu hee hee =)

Oegadgib is open late (until 2A) so if you have a late-night hankering for a lot of meat, this is a good place to be.  I don’t recommend wearing your finest clothing as the sizzling meat on an open stone slab doesn’t guarantee splatter free dining.  But, for a bountiful amount of delicious Korean meat and sides, I think a bit of grease is a small sacrifice =)

Check it out:  www.yelp.com/biz/oegadgib-annandale

Food Quality:

  4 Moos

Service:  

Initially, waiters spoke minimal English (which isn’t an issue since all you needed to do was point), but now the waiters do speak more English.  Service overall is very good – you may have to cook your own meat sometimes, but that’s sometimes part of the experience.  Waiters are generally responsive and attentive in filling up drinks, water, and refills of side dishes.

  4 Moos

Overall Rating:

Overall, a great value for the amount and quality of food.  In the 5 years I’ve been coming to this place, there has been a slight decline in quality / quantity (bad economy?), but really, it’s still fantastic.  For one flat rate, you get unending meat (or soup/meat) and endless banchan.

  4 Moos