A note on the words: yukgaejang is a Korean soup of shredded beef, scallion and vegetables in a chili-red broth. Gomtang is a milky beef soup, samgyetang is chicken stewed whole with ginseng and rice, galbijjim is braised short ribs, and dolsot bibimbap is mixed rice served in a hot stone bowl. Namul are seasoned vegetable sides, and the small complimentary dishes that arrive before the meal are called banchan. Sangchu is the lettuce you wrap grilled meat in, samgyeopsal is pork belly, and harami is skirt steak. Meshi in this blog’s name simply means “meal.”
Table of Contents hide
Nurunji on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. Lunch this time is at the well-known Korean restaurant in Akasaka, “Nurunji.” It is probably famous, I think! Because I feel like I have heard of it somewhere. Introduced somewhere at some point, wasn’t it. Something about celebrities slipping in quietly, ha. Well, thinking about it now, that is probably true of anywhere in Akasaka, Roppongi or Nishi-Azabu. Even so, it remains a long-running popular place. I want to go around to various restaurants in search of good yukgaejang!
There are signed boards all over the place, which sets the mood!
Gomtang — 900 yen (about $6 as of this writing, August 2026)
Samgyetang — 1,200 yen
Galbijjim — 1,700 yen
Yukgaejang — 900 yen
Dolsot bibimbap — 900 yen
It is all pretty cheap, isn’t it. Lunch under 1,000 yen is hard to find these days…!
Of course, I picked the yukgaejang! In the menu photo the beef looks slightly shredded into threads — but how will it be in reality?
Nurunji lunch menu
Lunch
It came with complimentary side dishes (rolled omelet, namul, glass noodles, kimchi and so on).
Eaten: there is heat, but the soup is mild and full-bodied. Packed with ingredients and filling.
Loaded with vegetables and nicely balanced.
* Prices are as of the March 2025 visit. They may have been revised since.
Now, the complimentary side dishes that are a fixture at Korean restaurants.
Rolled omelet, namul, glass noodles, kimchi and so on.
Here too, a small amount, the sort that says “here you go, just in case.” Refined, ha.
Well, if a famous place put them out in serious quantity, you would not be eating lunch at this price!
And here is the yukgaejang! Bubbling away.
One mouthful in, and the soup at this place feels mild. There is heat, of course, but the salt is a little restrained too, and while it has body, I found it refreshing. It is packed pretty densely with ingredients, and filling.
This one has glass noodles in it too. With just this and rice, maybe it is not enough for everyone…
The all-important beef is a shame, ha. Not threads, but chunks cut off in big pieces, scattered through. Well, maybe there is no restaurant that can do that for an everyday lunch. It would take an awfully long time! Which makes Soushian (in Japanese) rather remarkable.
And this is the dolsot bibimbap. Come to think of it, dolsot bibimbap is loaded with vegetables and nicely balanced, isn’t it.
So — yukgaejang has subtle differences from restaurant to restaurant, and comparing them is interesting, ha. Incidentally, at this place: at the next table someone was eating grilled meat with sangchu, either the samgyeopsal set or the harami set, I could not tell which — and it looked really good! I will come at night sometime, or if I get another chance to come here, I will order that.
If it’s Korean food!
Nurunji (Korean / Akasaka Station, Tameike-sanno Station, Akasaka-mitsuke Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.5
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
