A note on the words: gamjatang is the Korean stew of pork spine and potato, and jjim means a dish braised or steamed down in its own liquid, so haemul-jjim is that treatment given to seafood, arriving under a thick red chili sauce. Bulgogi is marinated beef, namul are the seasoned vegetable side dishes, and jang is the family of Korean fermented pastes that gives those sauces their depth. Akasaka is a business and nightlife district near the government offices, with a long-standing Korean quarter. Prices are as of this writing (August 2026).
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Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. This time, to Ho Gam, a Korean restaurant in Akasaka!
Apparently the gamjatang and something called jjim are what it is known for, and the sign outside says “the gamjatang I fell for”^^
The shop is on the second floor, and the small room is very bright and immaculately kept, with a real sense of cleanliness about it.
Well, this is promising, I was thinking — and then noticed that the next table, and the one beyond, were all speaking Korean (maybe lol)!?
A Korean restaurant loved by Koreans themselves, then! This bodes well.
Deciding to finish on either the gamjatang or the jjim, we settled in to drink while picking at whatever snacks came to hand.
First, of course, a beer.
And then various little dishes. This is looking properly Korean!
Kimchi and namul, and — jjim, is it? — something like a rolled omelet as well!
As drinking snacks they are quite excellent. Perfect with beer.
I am fairly sure this was the bulgogi.
Look at those colors. Green and red chilies scattered through it beautifully.
And there is a good deal of it. There were two of us, and this alone left us quite full.
The seasoning is properly done and delicious, with real chili heat to it. This is good.
It feels like the real thing!!!
The bulgogi alone would fill you up, but you cannot come here without having the jjim or the gamjatang!
So we ordered the seafood jjim!
Whoa, that is a lot, and it looks superb as well!
Plenty of vegetables and seafood — squid, a white fish that looked like cod, crab, shrimp and so on — with bean sprouts and the rest underneath.
Stained thoroughly red and looking suitably fiery, which is very good indeed.
One mouthful and you feel the heat, but it is remarkably mellow. Being steamed, the ingredients have all their savor packed inside them, which is delicious.
Against that concentrated savor, the chili and the savory jang go beautifully. Good!
We were far too full to manage it, but finishing with rice or noodles in it might well be delicious.
Well — with three or four of us we might have enjoyed a wider range! With two it was simply too much food and we could not order anything more^^ We drank a great deal instead, so the bill came to a fair sum in the end, but the room is comfortable, the food is good and it is a pleasure to look at as well, so I think it a very fine shop. It is easy to see why Koreans themselves love it!
Ho Gam (Korean / Akasaka Station, Akasaka-mitsuke Station, Tameike-sanno Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.7
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
