Gumbae is DUMB

[leisuretraveler223]

There, I said it!

 

I love Korean BBQ. But it's supposed to be a fun and social meal where you cook your own pieces as you go and eat hot fresh selections made just the way you want it right off the grill.  But instead, the waiter comes out and cooks (really overcooks) everything all at once, piles it on a plate and then you pass it around.  If that's how it's going to be prepared, just have someone actually cook it properly in the kitchen so we're not relying on the waiter not being distracted by other duties and overcooking everything.

 

Aaaaah... I feel better now!

[jon81uk]

Why not ask for some tongs, or state “that’s done enough for me can I take it please?”

 

back in 2021 they did give tongs to all guests and leave us to it once the meat was on the grill, but I assume guest feedback was they didn’t want to cook for themselves. 
 

I do think a hybrid would be best, give guests tongs but the server monitors in case people want some help.

[leisuretraveler223]

3 minutes ago, jon81uk said:

Why not ask for some tongs, or state “that’s done enough for me can I take it please?”

 

back in 2021 they did give tongs to all guests and leave us to it once the meat was on the grill, but I assume guest feedback was they didn’t want to cook for themselves. 
 

I do think a hybrid would be best, give guests tongs but the server monitors in case people want some help.

 

I will confess, if I had been at a table of six people that all knew each other already, I might have considered that. But we were one of three couples seated together and kind of taking over the cooking wouldn't have been something I would have done.

 

I think it would probably be much slower and problematic for guests to cook, and I get that. But not doing it makes the whole format kind of pointless.  I mean, it's not like this is even some Japanese hibachi where the cooking is some sort of campy show. If we're not doing it ourselves, I'd much rather be served properly cooked plates out of the kitchen.

[jon81uk]

8 minutes ago, leisuretraveler223 said:

 

I will confess, if I had been at a table of six people that all knew each other already, I might have considered that. But we were one of three couples seated together and kind of taking over the cooking wouldn't have been something I would have done.

 

I think it would probably be much slower and problematic for guests to cook, and I get that. But not doing it makes the whole format kind of pointless.  I mean, it's not like this is even some Japanese hibachi where the cooking is some sort of campy show. If we're not doing it ourselves, I'd much rather be served properly cooked plates out of the kitchen.

I know it’s a bit different but even seated with other guests I did tell the server to leave the pork on for longer as I wanted it crispy. I also asked her to get more beef as not everyone at the table ordered it but everyone took some so I didn’t get a whole portion!

[cantgetin]

On board now....our server specifically asked if we wanted another order of the marinated beef, and promptly appeared with it.  We've been in similar situations on our previous sailings; again, more food quickly appeared and was cooked.  When we've had Korean BBQ in Asia, there was no question...we cooked it ourselves, but we were also at tables for 2.  Gumbae is different, but you can have the food cooked the way you like it and have as much as you want.

[sid_9169]

Gunbae was a one and done for me on my very first Virgin Voyage. I even sprung for the wagu upgrade for $45 extra, and wasn't really impressed. I guess the table mates had something to do with my experience as well, as there were definitely two opposite types of people at the same table...

[cantgetin]

We got the Waygu once on our last cruise--I agree, not impressed.  The normal marinated beef was a lot better.  So live and learn.  Yes, tablemates do influence the meal.  We had a party of 4 who spoke no English (one of the 4 spoke limited English with the server and translated for the others).  Not the best.  The next time one of the others shared a hobby with one of us, and they chatted all night.  The other two visits were polite, decent people....most people know that there are certain topics that don't belong at a dinner table with strangers.  We've met great and neutral people on VV....no problems with anyone seated near us for meals, some occasional stressed, rude people in other settings. (rare)

[Cloud9 Bob]

I chose to skip Gunbae, as all of the other restaurants were more interesting to me. But to be totally honest, the sitting with strangers aspect didn't particularly work for me. Don't get me wrong, I love talking to others on a cruise...just not while I'm eating. You see, whether I like to admit it or not, I feel a need to be  "on"  when talking to others as I would HATE to ever appear rude or disinterested to anyone. Combined with dinner, I wind up not enjoying either. Now I separate the two and fully enjoy both.

[scubagal44]

Haha definitely agree.  I have never done it on VV and have no intention of ever doing it.  If I wanted to sit with strangers and be forced to talk to them, I'd go for a traditional cruise line with set MDR seating thing.  No thank you.

[benjaminnicholas]

On 4/27/2023 at 7:47 AM, leisuretraveler223 said:

There, I said it!

 

I love Korean BBQ. But it's supposed to be a fun and social meal where you cook your own pieces as you go and eat hot fresh selections made just the way you want it right off the grill.  But instead, the waiter comes out and cooks (really overcooks) everything all at once, piles it on a plate and then you pass it around.  If that's how it's going to be prepared, just have someone actually cook it properly in the kitchen so we're not relying on the waiter not being distracted by other duties and overcooking everything.

 

Aaaaah... I feel better now!

The word is GUNBAE, or 'bottoms up' in Korean.  

 

As for the concept, it's fine for a lot of people who have or never will spend time in Korea or any authentic KBBQ joint.  It's a whitewashed version created to give the feeling of worldliness without making people feel too uncomfortable.

 

For me, the flavor and spice level is way off.  The drinking games are silly and I'd rather just polish off several bottles of soju with my dining companion without the theatrics.  The meat was WAY overdone and I wanted desperately to cook my own meat (but could not).

 

All said, I appreciate a cruise line thinking outside the box.  It's a concept that no other ship has at the moment and that's a good thing.  I don't complain about most ship food, as it's quite a bit like complaining about the authenticity of international cuisine when dining at EPCOT in Disney.  

[CruisingWalter]

Yep it's not 'real Korean BBQ' but the original concept of allowing everyone to cook themselves was dropped after the pandemic. You can still find original marketing images that clearly show the guests cooking for themselves. If you're looking for 'authentic anything' on a cruise ship, you'll most often be disappointed. I could go on for days about Extra Virgin 'issues' with me being of Italian Heritage, but I enjoy my meals there. It's not the best, but it's certainly not the worst, but put that place up against anywhere on Arthur Avenue and it's terrible. 

 

Considering we don't have to pay anything extra for Gunbae, I love it because it's one of the few places where you're actually seated with guests you may not know. For me it's more the social aspect of eating there than just the food. The food is good, the atmosphere is fun and if you don't take it seriously, it's a great evening out.

 

If we didn't eat at Gunbae we would have never had a chance dinner encounter with the Diva a few weeks ago. Honestly while the food may not always be the best in Gunbae, we've had a great social experience each time, so we'll keep going back. 

[jon81uk]

37 minutes ago, CruisingWalter said:

Yep it's not 'real Korean BBQ' but the original concept of allowing everyone to cook themselves was dropped after the pandemic.

Although it wasn’t anything to do with pandemic as to why it stopped, we cooked for ourselves in the first cruises Virgin did in August 2021.

[gingersvp]

I didn't love it either, but I didn't hate it. I've been twice - I don't eat beef and another in my party is allergic to mushrooms. The first time they took our orders, cooked my mushrooms and then cleaned the surface before cooking the beef. All was a-okay. The second time we went, she conveyed her allergies and then they didn't ask anyone what they wanted - just decided to bring out a variety. Unfortunately they didn't ask *me* and so no mushrooms came out and all the meats were cooked with the beef, leaving me nothing to eat. I was stuck in the back of the circle so it was hard to chat with the server. I'm sure I could have said something and gotten them to come back, but it was just as easy for me to walk out to the food truck/self serve area and grab something to eat on our way out. I've just learned it's not the place for me.

[Cherries Jubilee]

Is the meat seasoned nicely? I don’t love the idea of sitting with others but I will try it for a one night experience,

[jon81uk]

40 minutes ago, Cherries Jubilee said:

Is the meat seasoned nicely? I don’t love the idea of sitting with others but I will try it for a one night experience,

I thought the marinated beef

was good (the beef on its own, not as part of the mixed selection). The other meats aren’t really marinated but do come out good on the grill and you can decide if you want crispy pork belly etc. There are some dipping sauces. 
 

I also enjoyed the fried chicken and the bibimbap can be made fairly spicy. The seafood pancake is also nice. The meats are good, but the smaller dishes are also good too.

[nimbex1970]

Ok, so now I'm confused.  Your table orders their protein, it's cooked and passed around on a plate for everyone to take the amount they wish and you can ask for more. So this is family style? I may sound weird, but 5 other folks handling said plate and taking food from them may not be for me.  How are the sides handled?  In hibachi, the cook puts your food on your plate, no one else touches it. I also like my beef fairly rare, so if I ask for it medium rare, do I get it that way? Thanks in advance.

[cantgetin]

First, your table does not order their protein.  Each person at the table can order what they wish for each course.  Secondly NO plates are passed around.  Your server uses the cooking tongs to place whatever you ordered on your plate.  He or she will sometimes ask if you want a single piece of something you didn't order.  You can ask your server to cook your food any way you want it. You order whatever sides you want, and they are served in individual portion bowls,  Again, no food is passed around or shared unless a family member offers you something from one of their dishes.  We ordered the upcharge Waygu beef once (definitely not worth it, the marinated beef on the menu is much better).  Again, it was cooked and served just to the two of us; the others at the table were not offered any.

Our first time at Gunbae, we went with the servers suggestion of having "the favorite items."  We learned that this was WAY too much food, so now we make just a few choices of the things we wish..  This results in far fewer bowls or items on plates being served to us, but it also allows me to walk out of the restaurant.

[_tacocat_]

2 hours ago, nimbex1970 said:

Ok, so now I'm confused.  Your table orders their protein, it's cooked and passed around on a plate for everyone to take the amount they wish and you can ask for more. So this is family style? I may sound weird, but 5 other folks handling said plate and taking food from them may not be for me.  How are the sides handled?  In hibachi, the cook puts your food on your plate, no one else touches it. I also like my beef fairly rare, so if I ask for it medium rare, do I get it that way? Thanks in advance.

As can’t get in said, you can either go with a server-directed meal, where they essentially bring some of everything on the menu, or you can order what you want.  I opt for the latter, as I don’t like squid/octopus.

 

For things that everyone gets, they’ll either pass a plate around (and everyone uses the dedicated tongs for that plate to grab a few bites) or plop a portion directly on your plate from the grill.

 

re: doneness, it’s really thin slices of meat, so they end up almost well done to begin with.  I am a rarer-than-medium-rare person, but I thought the beef at Gunbae was still great and tender.  Word of advice though- the beef that comes with the “combo” meal option is unseasoned.  I’d skip that and only get the marinated short rib!

[jon81uk]

2 hours ago, _tacocat_ said:

Word of advice though- the beef that comes with the “combo” meal option is unseasoned.  I’d skip that and only get the marinated short rib!

Yep on my last visit I asked for the marinated beef and just some pork belly only rather than the combo. 

[Sackat60]

Tried it on two different cruises and both times was unimpressed.  It's my least favorite of their restaurants due to high level of noise, mediocre (under seasoned and not well prepared) food and uncomfortable seating (hard to get in and out of for some).  My traveling companions on my last cruise enjoyed the sort of party nature of it, but none of the other 6 in our group was particularly excited about the food overall. It might be more fun/interesting if we could cook ourselves, but I doubt that's going to allowed due to liability, etc. I think it's worth checking out if you've cruised VV before, or are onboard for a longer time, but I wouldn't bypass trying out the other restaurants to eat there.  

 

[jon81uk]

12 minutes ago, Sackat60 said:

It might be more fun/interesting if we could cook ourselves, but I doubt that's going to allowed due to liability, etc

Don’t think it’s a liability issue, we were left to take the meat off the grill ourselves back in 2021. I think it’s more certain guests didn’t understand the concept. 
 

Personally I find Gunbae fine, the marinated beef is good and the crispy fried chicken is great.

[Sackat60]

4 minutes ago, jon81uk said:

Don’t think it’s a liability issue, we were left to take the meat off the grill ourselves back in 2021. I think it’s more certain guests didn’t understand the concept. 
 

Personally I find Gunbae fine, the marinated beef is good and the crispy fried chicken is great.

Maybe.   On my first visit (December 2020), they were pretty new to cruising and several COVID protocols were in place. We were not allowed to take the meat off the gill ourselves and since a lot was still being worked out (most of the shows broke down, there was just a lot of start up turmoil), I gave them a pass.  On the second visit there (Jan 2023 - my third cruise on Scarlet), we were still not allowed to cook our food and I don't recall being able to serve ourselves off the grill, although dishes were handed around the table.  I don't think the food was awful, just not as good as other restaurants onboard.  We have a number of very good Korean BBQ's where we're from, so I think a few of us were extra picky. This is my opinion (of course) and experiences vary depending on what you like and even on the cruise, depending on who's managing the restaurant.

[jon81uk]

54 minutes ago, Sackat60 said:

Maybe.   On my first visit (December 2020), they were pretty new to cruising and several COVID protocols were in place. We were not allowed to take the meat off the gill ourselves and since a lot was still being worked out (most of the shows broke down, there was just a lot of start up turmoil), I gave them a pass.  On the second visit there (Jan 2023 - my third cruise on Scarlet), we were still not allowed to cook our food and I don't recall being able to serve ourselves off the grill, although dishes were handed around the table.  I don't think the food was awful, just not as good as other restaurants onboard.  We have a number of very good Korean BBQ's where we're from, so I think a few of us were extra picky. This is my opinion (of course) and experiences vary depending on what you like and even on the cruise, depending on who's managing the restaurant.

I assume you mean December 2021, all 2020 sailings were cancelled. We sailed August 2021 in the UK covid staycation cruises and everyone was given tongs and encouraged to remove the food from the grill ourselves. Something changed then from the move from UK to US I assume but it was not initially due to covid, we still shared the table with another couple. I’ve always assumed it was cultural and initial guest feedback.

[Sackat60]

3 minutes ago, jon81uk said:

I assume you mean December 2021, all 2020 sailings were cancelled. We sailed August 2021 in the UK covid staycation cruises and everyone was given tongs and encouraged to remove the food from the grill ourselves. Something changed then from the move from UK to US I assume but it was not initially due to covid, we still shared the table with another couple. I’ve always assumed it was cultural and initial guest feedback.

Oh gosh yes.  Sorry....I had a moment.  My daughter and I booked their first cruise, which was to be be April 2020, rebooked several times after COVID cancellation, so yes, our first was actually December 2021.  2nd was January 2022 and third was January this year.  Thank you for the correction!  They made many tweaks during the first year, so on each cruise, I saw several modifications.  Some of the things they did during those initial UK-only cruises were modified when they came to Miami.  They definitely served us in December 2021, but honestly I enjoyed the drinking game A LOT on the 2nd Gunbae experience (it was my birthday) and while I know we didn't cook, I can't say for sure we didn't serve ourselves. At any rate, it's my least favorite restaurant onboard, but I'd still go if travel companions wanted to. 

 

[jon81uk]

Just now, Sackat60 said:

Oh gosh yes.  Sorry....I had a moment.  My daughter and I booked their first cruise, which was to be be April 2020, rebooked several times after COVID cancellation, so yes, our first was actually December 2021.  2nd was January 2022 and third was January this year.  Thank you for the correction!  They made many tweaks during the first year, so on each cruise, I saw several modifications.  Some of the things they did during those initial UK-only cruises were modified when they came to Miami.  They definitely served us in December 2021, but honestly I enjoyed the drinking game A LOT on the 2nd Gunbae experience (it was my birthday) and while I know we didn't cook, I can't say for sure we didn't serve ourselves. At any rate, it's my least favorite restaurant onboard, but I'd still go if travel companions wanted to. 

 

yep it seems strange why they made the change as it’s not a liability or covid issue but as you say something was modified after the Uk cruises. 
 

I skipped it on a shorter trip too, but on a seven night cruise there is enough time to do everything!