Gunbae on Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady

I often wonder whether your first visit to a new restaurant taints your perspective when you visit again.  What would happen when I eat for a second rime, four months apart.  I tested that last night at Gunbae on Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady.  I had sailed this ship in October 2021 and an returning now in January 2022.   Gunbae is the first Korean BBQ restaurant at sea.  I had flowing praise for it on the October sailing. What would be the verdict this time?

Here is the menu. 

They say you around a round table with a grill in the middle.  It is a shared table and we had two other diners sitting across from us.  

What would you order?   For our experience, our waiter Farida suggested to just being everything.  And she meant it.  We got one of every small plate, noodle and rice dish.  All very delicious. 

You start with an assortment of small appetizers. 

 I don't remember all the names but one was kimchi and another a marinated eggplant.  That was my favorite. The kimchi was okay but I remember it being spicier and funkier last visit.  

Of particular note is the  Dakgang Being or Forever Fried Chicken. 

This is very crispy chicken thighs with a spicy sauce similar to a General Tsos except more emphasis on the heat.  It is spicy without being overpowering. 

The Bugak or crispy nori was something we didn't have last visit and I am glad it was included.  

Thins strips of nori, deep fried.  Like your favorite potato chip only better. 

I also enjoyed the Miyeok Muchum or seaweed salad. 

This was different than the seaweed salad that is found in many Japanese restaurants.  That is usually thin strands of seaweed.  This superior dish was larger pieces of a different kind d seaweed.   A dressing with a hint of soju, crispy cucumbers and some shitakes!!  A larger portion would make a great dinner salad.  

The bindaetteok (kimchi and mung bean pancake) and Hot Bar were also better than when I had it before. Crisper with a savory flavor.  The pancake could have used a spicier kimchi for balance.  

And last, but certainly not least is one of my favorite dishes Bibimbap. 

To say this is dried rice with egg would be severely underselling it.  The rice is crispy.  There is nori.   There is kimchi.  And of course a poached egg.  This all gets mixed up into one dish.   The textures are one of the best features of this dish especially with the crisped rice.   The flavors would only have been better with some spicier kimchi.  

Then come the veggies, seafood and meats that are grilled in front of you, similar to Teppanaki.

Here, the octopus was my favorite followed by the marinated short rib.  And you could order as much of each as you wanted.  Our table did ask for more octopus and short rib. 

So can you go back to a restaurant with fresh eyes and see if your first experience was just because of the newness?   That has been the case with some places.  But for me, I think Gunbae improved on many of the dishes, especially the fried ones. Where I would like to see some change is in better quality kimchi.  Since that is in so many dishes, it keeps coming back like a bad penny.  

I will definitely go back again to Gunbae and hope Virgin Voyages keeps this concept on the Valiant Lady and Resilient Lady.