Question about Gunbae

[KKB]

OK...this looks very intriguing & fun.

But DH is concerned about the menu--little appeals to him from what they show on the menu.

I suspect he will actually like it; he has tried Chef's Table on Carnival & Celebrity & enjoyed them both.

But neither of us have eaten at a Korean BBQ place, so I'm not even sure how to explain it to him!!

[Essiesmom]

If you are looking at the menu on the VV website, that is just a sampling of what is offered.  I googled and found a website that had all the recent menus.  Can’t post a link as I don’t remember the name, and it is a travel agency.  EM

[KKB]

13 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

If you are looking at the menu on the VV website, that is just a sampling of what is offered.  I googled and found a website that had all the recent menus.  Can’t post a link as I don’t remember the name, and it is a travel agency.  EM

Yes, I've looked at several sites with overviews & menus, plus some videos.

It looks fun, but the food reviews are very mixed.

I think since we only have 4 nights, we will save this one for a future cruise.

[CastleCritic]

Best way to describe it.

 

table for 6 around a central grill, you will be seated with other people most likely.

 

the waiter will take your order, usually for grilled meat and or vegetables.

 

you will play a "drinking game"  (non-alcoholic alternative available I just drank raspberry juice).

 

appetizers will show up.

 

the main dish food will show up raw and the waiter will cook everything one or two items at a time in front of you dividing that thing up amongst everyone who ordered it.

 

they will offer desert

 

not a thing to do if you are in a rush, while there will be sauces its very much an "eat grilled thing plain" kind of meal. (I suspect there was rice but Im not 100% sure)

Edited May 26 by CastleCritic

[Cloud9 Bob]

Is it very peppery?

[kaysha2004]

All the dining is free, so give it a try. 

[CruisingWalter]

10 hours ago, KKB said:

But neither of us have eaten at a Korean BBQ place, so I'm not even sure how to explain it to him!!

 

It's not a 'true Korean BBQ' but a cruise line facsimile of one. The lack of the open flame does change the flavors and what they prepare, but safety on a cruise ship is paramount, so no open flames.

 

The short ribs are among the best meat items prepared at the table, don't waste your money on the "treat yourself" wagu beef, you won't taste the difference. The items prepared in the kitchen are amazing. To me the best part of the meal. If your husband is a 'meat and potatoes' eater he may or may not enjoy the dinner but should enjoy the overall experience. And if he didn't get enough that he likes at Gunbae, you can head down to the Pizza Place or even another restaurant.  

[jon81uk]

I love the Korean fried chicken (dakgangjeong) which by default is spicy but you can ask for no sauce or on the side. Also the seafood pancake is nice (but one is enough for the table to share). Then bibimbap (rice and veggies) is nice and the server add the spicy sauce at the table so you can decide how spicy. 
 

For mains the marinated beef (kalbi) is fantastic, pork belly OK but needs the dipping sauces and the shrimp are good. Don’t need more rice if you have a bibimbap, but there is the option to order fried rice on the side. 
 

dessert is soft serve ice cream.

 

9 hours ago, Cloud9 Bob said:

Is it very peppery?

i don’t taste any significant black pepper on it. The kalbi beef is more sweet, soy sauce and brown sugar. As above other dishes use chilli spicy sauce (gochujang) but you can get it on the side.

[rebeccac]

Definitely ask for extra sauce as some of the items are a bit plain.  Also, you can combine parts of different entrees.  I usually get the vegetables and add just the shrimp.  To me the best parts are the stuff before the entree.  I could fill up on that.  

[jon81uk]

1 minute ago, rebeccac said:

Definitely ask for extra sauce as some of the items are a bit plain.  Also, you can combine parts of different entrees.  I usually get the vegetables and add just the shrimp.  To me the best parts are the stuff before the entree.  I could fill up on that.  

Yes I find it’s better to order individual meats too as we want the marinated beef but the platter stuff isn’t. Also agree it’s easy to fill up just on appetisers and bibimbap.

[cantgetin]

Our favorite is the Kalbi (marinate beef).  You'll be offered a choice of ordering off the menu or having server bring you "the favorites."  Do whatever suits you.

This is NOT real Korean BBQ as we had in Asia, but is OK. It can get noisy.  If you don't like eating with strangers, put together your own party of 6 with others you've met on the cruise.  A lot depends on the mix at the table.  Our first time, we were with a family group of 4.  3 did not speak English and one translated enough for the server.  Lots of smiles and nods.  The next time, we were with a person who shared my daughter's hobby and they hit it off great.  Others have been good to great.

 

[Cloud9 Bob]

I'm sorry,

18 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

The next time, we were with a person who shared my daughter's hobby and they hit it off great.

 

I'm sorry, but I have to ask now....what is your daughters hobby? 😸

[cantgetin]

11 minutes ago, Cloud9 Bob said:

I'm sorry,

 

I'm sorry, but I have to ask now....what is your daughters hobby? 😸

Computer stuff--video games, AI, etc.

[CastleCritic]

3 hours ago, cantgetin said:

Our favorite is the Kalbi (marinate beef).  You'll be offered a choice of ordering off the menu or having server bring you "the favorites."  Do whatever suits you.

This is NOT real Korean BBQ as we had in Asia, but is OK. It can get noisy.  If you don't like eating with strangers, put together your own party of 6 with others you've met on the cruise.  A lot depends on the mix at the table.  Our first time, we were with a family group of 4.  3 did not speak English and one translated enough for the server.  Lots of smiles and nods.  The next time, we were with a person who shared my daughter's hobby and they hit it off great.  Others have been good to great.

 

I can see how that would go, I was solo and seated with 5 strangers.

 

Another solo (though I think his wife was on board and didn't want to come?).  The main singer for the show and her boyfriend and a Virgin HQ employee and her mother.  

 

its a LONG meal if there is no discussion going on.  In our case we had a lot of conversations, and basically ended up with the entire menu to try, and the singer remembered me when I ran into her the next day in port.  

 

I am NOT a social person and that was the only meal I ate with anyone else but Im not sure I can see doing it alone unless the time could be hugely compressed.  And yes it's a REALLLY noisy venue....pretty much every table is playing. drinking game at some point so ....kind of comes with the territory.

Edited May 28 by CastleCritic

[Watchmen]

I’m Californian and my wife is Japanese. We’ve had a ton of Korean BBQ. Gunbae is fine. But for us, we were seated with a couple from Michigan and a couple from Wisconsin. They’d never had or heard of Korean bbq before. Instead of treating it like a fun adventure, they were hesitant and questioned everything. They ended up leaving early. So guess it’s not for everyone. 

[KimPossible1]

On 5/25/2024 at 10:09 PM, Cloud9 Bob said:

Is it very peppery?

Are you the only other person in the world allergic to black and red pepper?  I am really limited when it comes to choosing foods on cruises, and half the time they will say it doesn't and first bite and I'm like yup it does! 😄😄😄

[Cloud9 Bob]

I’m not allergic to red or black pepper but I find almost all restaurants overdo it as far as my taste is concerned. I can enjoy a little, but more is definitely not better. If I really notice it in a  dish, that’s too much for me.

[Wildcatllamas]

21 hours ago, KimPossible1 said:

Are you the only other person in the world allergic to black and red pepper?  I am really limited when it comes to choosing foods on cruises, and half the time they will say it doesn't and first bite and I'm like yup it does! 😄😄😄

I am actually allergic to black pepper. The minute it touches my lips or mouth they begin to burn and if I swallow I will begin to wheeze. Red pepper is actually red chili peppers that have been ground up and isn't related to the black pepper corns. I can eat red chili powder although I may regret it later on.

[Tyler414]

23 hours ago, KimPossible1 said:

Are you the only other person in the world allergic to black and red pepper?  I am really limited when it comes to choosing foods on cruises, and half the time they will say it doesn't and first bite and I'm like yup it does! 😄😄😄

My sister "had" a similar issue with pepper on cruises. Over several cruises the "I don't want pepper on anything" began to change to "please don't over pepper anything"  She has began to discover a little pepper on food can be a good thing.

[ceilidh1]

On 5/27/2024 at 2:30 PM, cantgetin said:

Our favorite is the Kalbi (marinate beef).  You'll be offered a choice of ordering off the menu or having server bring you "the favorites."  Do whatever suits you.

This is NOT real Korean BBQ as we had in Asia, but is OK. It can get noisy.  If you don't like eating with strangers, put together your own party of 6 with others you've met on the cruise.  A lot depends on the mix at the table.  Our first time, we were with a family group of 4.  3 did not speak English and one translated enough for the server.  Lots of smiles and nods.  The next time, we were with a person who shared my daughter's hobby and they hit it off great.  Others have been good to great.

 

You nailed this! Last cruise I was solo and was sat with a Korean family of 5 - they were pleasant enough, but spent most of the dinner talking to one another in Korean and didn't actually order any of the regular grill items as they customized everything (obviously knew what they were doing) so it was an "odd" experience. The first time was better/more fun as we were sat with other pairs, but even then there were two that just didn't want anything to do with the "game" and that made things a little awkward...On a short cruise, this is the restaurant I would skip!

[cantgetin]

2 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

On a short cruise, this is the restaurant I would skip!

Ditto....we liked the Kalbi, but nothing else was all that great.  Oh course, each person has an opinion on that.  And the atmosphere is great if you are with the right group.  We did it once with people from the FB group--no one I knew, but we are all unofficial friends from the group, so that worked.