Order the silken tofu stew. If you get one thing at Gunbae on Virgin Voyages, make it that one, because it arrives loaded with clams, mussels, and shrimp, and it costs you nothing extra.
Gunbae got a full menu overhaul, and it was not just a couple of new items. Half the small bites are new, all three rice and noodle dishes are new, and bibimbap is gone.
I sat down at 8:30pm, walked out at 11:10pm, and ordered nearly the whole menu so you do not have to guess. Most of it was outstanding. One dish had my entire table making a face.
Here is what to order at Gunbae, what to skip, how long to budget for dinner, and whether the $75 Bo Ssam is actually worth it.
What Is Gunbae on Virgin Voyages?
Gunbae is the Korean barbecue restaurant on all four Virgin Voyages ships, and it is included in your fare. There is a grill built into the middle of every table, and your crew does the cooking for you.
It is a shared table by design. You get seated with other sailors, you play a drinking game, and the food is meant to be passed around, so go in expecting to meet people rather than have a quiet dinner for two.
Before anything you ordered shows up, a set of small plates lands on the table: kimchi, watercress with eggplant, potatoes, greens. They are included, they arrive automatically, and you just snack on them.
Half my table was new to Korean food and asked if they were supposed to save those plates and mix them into the main dishes. You are not. Eat them first.
The Small Bites Worth Ordering
Order the Oi Muchim, the cucumber and avocado with pepper threads. It was the most refreshing thing on the table, and those red pepper threads look far spicier than they taste.
The Dakgangjeong crispy chicken survived the overhaul, and it is still excellent, so do not panic. The seafood and scallion pancake and the nori rice crisps are both still there too.
The new kimchi pancake earns a spot as well. It comes out thin and very crispy with a sesame-heavy sauce, and it is properly fried, so treat it as one of your indulgences rather than a side.
The One Dish I Would Skip
The Shrimp Kimbap Rolls are the one I would pass on, and it is a texture problem rather than a flavour problem.
Kimbap normally looks like a thick sushi roll with visible pieces inside. These come out dense and uniform, closer to a shrimp sausage, and every single person at my table said something about it.
Here is the honest part though: we all finished them anyway. Order them if you are curious, just know the texture is the surprise, not the taste.
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The Best Thing on the Gunbae Menu Is a Stew
The silken tofu stew is the single best dish on the new menu. It comes with clams, mussels and shrimp, and they do not skimp on any of it.
There is an egg cracked over the top that cooks in the broth, so if a runny egg is not your thing, that is the one warning worth having.
It is good enough that I was surprised it is not a Treat Yourself item. It reminded me of the seafood stew at Lucky Lotus by Razzle Dazzle on Scarlet Lady, except this one is on the regular menu and costs nothing extra.
Ask for a side of plain white rice with it. It is available, you just have to request it, and I forgot to.
The Spicy Rice Cakes, and How Spicy They Actually Are
The spicy rice cakes come with zucchini, shiitake mushrooms and sesame seeds, and the rice cakes themselves are perfectly done: chewy, never gummy.
They look far more aggressive than they are. It is roughly the same heat as the crispy chicken with the sauce on it, so if you handle that, you handle this.
If you do not eat spicy food at all, this one will register. It is not punishing, but it was the hottest thing I ordered.
The Short Rib Stew Is the Heavy One
The Kalbi Jjim is soy braised short rib with egg ribbons, chestnut and daikon, and it is the comfort dish of the new menu.
The short rib pieces are large and soft, the carrots are stewed right down, and the sauce is rich in the best possible way. Get rice with this one too.
Fair warning, it is heavy. If you are ordering three or four dishes, put this one in the middle of the meal rather than saving it for last.
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What to Put on the Gunbae Grill
The vegetable platter is the sleeper order. It arrives raw on a plate: peppers, asparagus, mushrooms and bok choy, and it goes on the grill in front of you.
It is a proper vegetarian and vegan main, not a garnish, and the portion is generous. If you want more, ask for a double order, because you are never limited to what they bring out.
Use all three sauces they set down: the sesame oil, the chili paste and the soy powder. Mixing all three is the whole point.
Beyond the vegetables, the grill runs a soy-marinated ribeye Bulgogi with onions, a new squid, octopus and scallop trio, and the short rib, pork belly and shrimp combo that has been there all along.
Is the $75 Bo Ssam Worth It?
Yes, if you have a table of four and an appetite. The Bo Ssam is the Treat Yourself item at $75, and it is a whole roasted pork butt served with six oysters and a serious amount of caviar.
They cover the grill, bring the pork to the table whole, then shred it in front of you and plate it with lettuce, carrots and green onion so you can wrap it yourself.
Do the math on the oysters alone. Six oysters ran me about $38 in Miami not long ago, so more than half the price of this is covered before you count a whole pork butt and a large portion of caviar.
The caviar tastes like the same caviar they serve at Sip, which a lot of sailors do not realise is even an option. The oysters were bigger and more buttery than the ones I have had at The Wake.
The one real catch is volume. We did not get through half the pork between us, and if food waste bothers you the way it bothers me, bring people.
It also beats the Wagyu platter it replaced on speed. That one came rolled up piece by piece and had to be cooked individually, which took forever. This one arrives ready to eat.
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How Long Dinner at Gunbae Actually Takes
Budget two and a half to three hours. I checked in at 8:30pm and walked out at 11:10pm, and that included dessert.
The clock starts before your food does. Gunbae seats you at a shared table and waits for it to fill, so you are waiting on other sailors before anyone gets to order.
Because the table orders together, the group sets the pace. Half my table had already left before my dessert arrived, which is completely fine. You are not obligated to wait for anybody.
So if you have a show or a late booking after dinner, do not schedule it three hours out and hope. Give yourself more room than you think you need.
What Changed on the Gunbae Menu
This was not a light refresh. Three of the six small bites are new, all three rice and noodle dishes are new, all three desserts are new, and there are new items on the grill.
The biggest loss is bibimbap, which is gone. Japchae went with it, and so did the old kimchi stew.
The Wagyu beef platter is no longer the Treat Yourself item either. The Bo Ssam replaced it.
What survived: the Dakgangjeong crispy chicken, the seafood and scallion pancake, the nori rice crisps, and the short rib, pork belly and shrimp grill combo. The drinks menu did not change at all.
On desserts, all three are new: two soft serves, one shikhye flavoured and one black sesame, plus a Korean pancake. The pancake is the good one.
Honest take though, Gunbae still is not where you go for dessert on Virgin Voyages. The dessert counter in The Galley is a few steps away and it is better.
Eating at Gunbae as a Vegetarian or Vegan
The grilled vegetable platter makes Gunbae genuinely workable, which was not always true here. Peppers, asparagus, mushrooms and bok choy, cooked at your table, in a real portion.
Ask for a double order if it is your main. The crew will do it, and it costs nothing extra.
The menu marks the rest for you, so you are not guessing. The Bugak nori rice crisps and the Oi Muchim cucumber and avocado are both flagged vegan and gluten-free, and the kimchi pancake is flagged vegetarian.
The included small plates that arrive before your order are largely vegetable-based too, so you are eating from the moment you sit down.
Gunbae FAQ
Is Gunbae included on Virgin Voyages?
Yes. Gunbae is included in your fare, like every other restaurant on board. The only thing that costs extra is the Treat Yourself Bo Ssam at $75.
Do you have to share a table at Gunbae?
Yes. Gunbae seats you with other sailors at a shared grill table. That is the format, not an accident, and it is a big part of why people either love it or do not.
How long does dinner at Gunbae take?
Two and a half to three hours is realistic. Mine ran 8:30pm to 11:10pm including dessert.
Can you get plain rice at Gunbae?
Yes, but you have to ask for it. It does not come automatically with the stews, and both of them are better with it.
Is the food at Gunbae spicy?
Only some of it. The spicy rice cakes and the sauced crispy chicken carry real heat. Most of the menu does not, and you can ask for sauces on the side.
Is Gunbae good for vegetarians and vegans?
Yes. The grilled vegetable platter is a full main rather than a side, and the menu flags its vegan, vegetarian and gluten free items so you are not interrogating your server.
What is the best thing to order at Gunbae?
The silken tofu stew with clams, mussels and shrimp. It is on the regular menu and it costs nothing extra.
So, What Should You Order at Gunbae?
Order the silken tofu stew, the cucumber and avocado Oi Muchim, and the grilled vegetable platter. That is the strongest three-dish table on the new menu, and not one of them costs extra.
Add the Kalbi Jjim short rib if you want something heavy, and the spicy rice cakes if heat is your thing. Skip the shrimp kimbap rolls unless the texture question is interesting to you.
And if there are four of you and it is a celebration, the $75 Bo Ssam is worth it. Just do not order it for two, and give yourself three hours.
