Spent a few days in Seoul and tried Hanwoo beef for the first time. We avoided any Michelin-style tasting menus and fine dining. Other than the barbecue, LA’s Korean food appears to be right there for the most part.
Overall, we liked our meal at SUUT the most. But my favorite dish was probably the yukhoe at Born & Bred.
I liked trying a pocha for the experience.
Barbecue:
Hanwoo beef in general seemed pretty expensive, about $250-300 USD per lb. IIRC, but you really don’t need to eat that much of it - 200-300 grams per person is fine. Note that servings are priced by the 100g, but most minimum servings require more than that. Trying 4-5 different cuts per meal seemed like a sweet spot (any more than 6 is diminished returns IMO) and the barbecue meals hoverered around $150-200 per person but YMMV.
Born & Bred. We did the a la carte (2F) tasting of 6 cuts of Hanwoo beef, cooked a bit rarer here than at other places. Each piece was served with instructions on which specific condiment to use. Their herb Maldon salt was great. There was one cut with ssamjang and a marinated leaf that was outstanding. Their yukhoe was my favorite - subtly dressed, with very complementary julienned cuts of beef and Korean pear. The banchan included a 1-year aged kimchee. All of the food seemed like good quality. The grillers spoke English and were very engaging. If you want just one, easy Hanwoo restaurant and speak only English, this might be a good choice since the crowd was all international / tourist.
Suut (formerly R Gogi)
Just private rooms here at this restaurant that formerly operated as R Gogi. It’s a shame they’re not more busy, because their barbecue meal is very good. The hayashi omurice is pretty good. I liked all the banchan, and the hachiya persimmons as dessert was great. They didn’t speak English, but they tried. Everything was good quality.
Byeokje Galbi The Cheongdam
This might’ve had the nicest atmosphere of all 3 Hanwoo barbecue places we visited. Byokje Galbi as I understand it is an old-school place from the 80’s and this one in Cheongdam is their second outpost. Counter tasting menu or private rooms for a la carte only. Good service with a kind griller.
Jeju fish, good
Others:
Gebang Sikdang (gejang ganjang)
very clean crab. coming to LA next year, I think. only heard English, Chinese, and Thai spoken. really clean establishment but didn’t really have the local charm I was seeking. i liked the crab best squeezed onto the gamtae seaweed (it’s pretty delicate).
Woo Lae Oak (naengmyeon and bulgolgi, others)
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good old school place, broad menu. quite different than what I remember from the LA outpost from the 90s.
Gongpiyang Gyeongbukgong (naengmyeon and pork bbq)
Pretty solid option near the Gyeongbukgong palace.
I quite like naengmyeon and was happy to learn a bit more. The Pyongyang style seems to be a bit more prevalent, at least where I went, but I think I prefer Hamhung style a fair bit more both for the noodle texture and the bolder taste.
Han Il Kwan Apgujeong (stews)
Got here a bit too close to closing. Apparently it’s an institution from 1939. They were out of most stuff we initially tried to order. Restaurant is upstairs and felt empty. Stews arrived lukewarm but heated up over the next 10 minutes, which was a little strange. Yukgaejang fairly bland.
Hadongkwan (gomtang)
Not a bad option for breakfast, since they open at 7am. Basic menu with two items, basically with or without intestine. Soup not as bland as I was expecting, but beef also not as tender. Very homestyle but in the touristy myeondong area.
Hongdukkae Kalguksu (kalguksu)
This was a charming find in Garogusil. Not sure I got the name right, but this was kind of your proverbial hole-in-the-wall run by an elderly couple with no English in sight. Through the translator, I got the sense that the husband making noodles in back had been doing it for over 40 years. Good knife-cut kalguksu and cheap. Liked this meal overall for its rustic simplicity as it felt very authentic. Bowl arrived piping hot and stayed that way for quite a while.
Gwangjang Market (Buchon Yukhoe and a naengmyeon stand)
It’s crowded in here but worth a visit for first-timers like us.
We checked in to Buchon Yukhoe (the original location) and were told it would be about 30 minutes. Grabbed some mandu and a bowl of bibim naengmyeon nearby, and in 15 minutes, our table was ready at Buchon. Good for the price on both counts.
Buchon yukhoe
from a late-night pocha near Jongo 3-ga
