A warm welcome is guaranteed at Soju & Gogi in Dean Street, Newcastle. A traditional Korean BBQ restaurant situated on the way down to the Quayside and it does not disappoint. Quick decisions are necessary as you arrive, to BBQ or not BBQ, This is because not every table has the traditional BBQ grill and chimney installed, understandably.

The décor is classy but still east Asian inspired. There is a very cosy atmosphere that makes you feel comfortable and relaxed and the staff treat you like their family.

The BBQ Food

Our first visit so we already knew that we wanted to try the traditional BBQ that you cook yourself. So we ordered the seafood platter plus a lovely plum Soju and a Korean beer. The BBQ is set up nice and hot and a small trolley sits nearby with scissors and tongs at the ready. We also ordered sides of gimbap and kimchi.

The BBQ is a fun way to try a great selection from the set menu and there is plenty of it. Shrimps, mussels, scallops, squid, salmon and crabsticks (who knew you could BBQ crab sticks?) The staff who serve you are so friendly and attentive. They explain everything really well and offer some good advice on what to order. With our first attempt ready to eat, we used the tongs to pick up and wrap in a lettuce leaf. Pour on the chilli oil or sesame oil, and shove it in, Korean style. The side orders also give you something to munch on waiting for the next batch of seafood to cook. All the food tasted amazing, even the salmon we accidentally set on fire!!

Recommended

The seafood BBQ platter is £38.95 for 2 people, plus 2 sides and 2 drinks, a total of £56.90. It may seem a little on the pricey side at first, but there is a lot of food and it is very high quality. Also, the service and friendly atmosphere more than makes up for any doubts about the price. I completely recommend Soju & Gogi just for the experience alone, but we will definitely be back to try the non-BBQ menu too. Soju means wine and gogi literally means meat in Korean. This is a good description for the wonderful traditional Korean BBQ food that they serve here.