KOREA GOT BEEF.
OKAY LET'S TALK ABOUT MEAT.
Korea's big on beef. Exported or local, they're doing everything right. If you're looking for the local Korean beef experience, Hanwoo specifically, this is the post for you. If you're looking for the raw beef experience, "yook-hway", this is also the post for you!
As such, Hanwoo is highly fatty and the marbling is proof of it. Hanwoo has grades of meat depending on the marbling too. As such, it is an expensive dish which draws the excitement of the locals here. Hanwoo will not be served in normal BBQ places at low places. You can expect that one serving (150g) can cost KRW20,000 or more.
The place I went for Hanwoo was the Majang Livestock Products Market near Wangsimni. The market sells pork and beef wholesale and fresh from Korean farms. Since the meats are sold wholesale, you can expect the price to be lower than supermarkets. (Sadly I have no photos to help you out this time.) Don't be shocked if you see dissected pigs or cows -it is a livestock market.
Once you enter the market, you can look at any of the stores for beef or pork, depending on your menu. Remember to look carefully at the cuts and the cutting of the meat. It's very important because it can land you with tough meat despite the grade. Whatever amount you buy, usually the store will give you an extra packet of meat for free (which they call "service" for buying from them). If you are looking for a place to grill the meat, there are stores upstairs that the shop owners can guide you to.
In these shops, all you have to do is pay the service fee, which is about KRW4-5,000 depending on the restaurant you visit. They will set up the grill and serve some free side dishes. If they're not busy and you look foreign enough, they will help you to grill too.
Directions:
[Walking] From Line 2 or 6 Wangsimni Station Exit 2, walk straight for 360m to a junction and turn left. Walk for another 480m and you will reach the market.
[Bus] From Line 2 or 6 Wangsimni Station Exit 3, turn around and walk until you reach a bus stop. Take 2222 and get off at the third stop. The bus system will announce the stop as "Majang Livestock Produce Market" in English. Other buses that go there are 145, 148 and 2015 from other stops.
A popular spot for raw beef would be Line 1 Jongno 5-ga's Yukhoe Alley at exit 8. Just walk into any restaurant that says "육회" and you'll find raw beef.
The one I went to was so famous we waited half an hour. I sadly do not know the name of the restaurant.
Directions: Walk into the Gwangjang Market at exit 8. When you reach the market junction, turn right. At the first(?) alley, turn right. There should be two raw beef restaurants. Go to the second one, or obviously, the most crowded one.
Raw beef is something I thought I couldn't handle. Rare steaks always settled poorly in my digestive system. But the raw beef was great and I haven't had diarrhea writing this 4 hours after my meal! This restaurant has a few choices of raw dishes: 육회 raw beef, 한치회 raw squid salad, 간 & 천엽 raw stomach(cow's no 3 stomach) and liver, and 육사시미 beef sashimi. The difference between the sashimi and the raw beef dish is that the sashimi is not marinated while the raw beef is. Both are awesome in my opinion but the price can be a problem. I like the sashimi because the pieces are big so I can feel some sort of texture. It comes with a sesame oil-gochujang sauce mix so there is flavor for your meat. All dishes are served with pear to keep the taste refreshing.
CHALLENGE: The stomach and liver was a free service for our table because our friend had come here six times already. It was a challenge for us to try stomach and RAW liver. As if the cooked liver wasn't bad enough for my friend, the raw was WOW. We all took a piece and tried. The liver has a stronger liver taste (metallic). The stomach is actually tasteless. It looks funky and probably "tastes" funky by itself because there is barely a taste. Dip it in the sashimi sauce! I found the stomach ok but the liver was a little challenging.
Korea's big on beef. Exported or local, they're doing everything right. If you're looking for the local Korean beef experience, Hanwoo specifically, this is the post for you. If you're looking for the raw beef experience, "yook-hway", this is also the post for you!
Hanwoo
If you have watched many Korean variety shows, you would know that Korean grain-fed beef Hanwoo is precious and treasured by the Koreans. That's because Hanwoo cattle are raised and bred within Korea, fed with organic grain. Like Japanese beef, these cows are not subject to any GMO or strenuous activity so as to preserve the tenderness and fattiness in the cow's meat.As such, Hanwoo is highly fatty and the marbling is proof of it. Hanwoo has grades of meat depending on the marbling too. As such, it is an expensive dish which draws the excitement of the locals here. Hanwoo will not be served in normal BBQ places at low places. You can expect that one serving (150g) can cost KRW20,000 or more.
The place I went for Hanwoo was the Majang Livestock Products Market near Wangsimni. The market sells pork and beef wholesale and fresh from Korean farms. Since the meats are sold wholesale, you can expect the price to be lower than supermarkets. (Sadly I have no photos to help you out this time.) Don't be shocked if you see dissected pigs or cows -it is a livestock market.
Once you enter the market, you can look at any of the stores for beef or pork, depending on your menu. Remember to look carefully at the cuts and the cutting of the meat. It's very important because it can land you with tough meat despite the grade. Whatever amount you buy, usually the store will give you an extra packet of meat for free (which they call "service" for buying from them). If you are looking for a place to grill the meat, there are stores upstairs that the shop owners can guide you to.
In these shops, all you have to do is pay the service fee, which is about KRW4-5,000 depending on the restaurant you visit. They will set up the grill and serve some free side dishes. If they're not busy and you look foreign enough, they will help you to grill too.
Directions:
[Walking] From Line 2 or 6 Wangsimni Station Exit 2, walk straight for 360m to a junction and turn left. Walk for another 480m and you will reach the market.
[Bus] From Line 2 or 6 Wangsimni Station Exit 3, turn around and walk until you reach a bus stop. Take 2222 and get off at the third stop. The bus system will announce the stop as "Majang Livestock Produce Market" in English. Other buses that go there are 145, 148 and 2015 from other stops.
Raw Beef
If you want to be adventurous, raw beef is for you. Raw beef, or 육회 (pronounced "yook-hway") is carefully sliced and prepared so that it can be taken raw. So don't worry about getting bacteria. The adventure comes in the fact that you (as a foreigner used to cooked beef) is taking beef raw and the concern whether your stomach can... stomach it. Korean raw beef is usually local beef, since raw beef will require high freshness to prevent bacteria from growing. As such, it can cost a lot considering that some places use Hanwoo.A popular spot for raw beef would be Line 1 Jongno 5-ga's Yukhoe Alley at exit 8. Just walk into any restaurant that says "육회" and you'll find raw beef.
The one I went to was so famous we waited half an hour. I sadly do not know the name of the restaurant.
Directions: Walk into the Gwangjang Market at exit 8. When you reach the market junction, turn right. At the first(?) alley, turn right. There should be two raw beef restaurants. Go to the second one, or obviously, the most crowded one.
Raw beef is something I thought I couldn't handle. Rare steaks always settled poorly in my digestive system. But the raw beef was great and I haven't had diarrhea writing this 4 hours after my meal! This restaurant has a few choices of raw dishes: 육회 raw beef, 한치회 raw squid salad, 간 & 천엽 raw stomach(cow's no 3 stomach) and liver, and 육사시미 beef sashimi. The difference between the sashimi and the raw beef dish is that the sashimi is not marinated while the raw beef is. Both are awesome in my opinion but the price can be a problem. I like the sashimi because the pieces are big so I can feel some sort of texture. It comes with a sesame oil-gochujang sauce mix so there is flavor for your meat. All dishes are served with pear to keep the taste refreshing.
 |
| Beef Sashimi KRW24,000 (200g) |
 |
| Squid Salad KRW12,000 (200g) |
 |
| Raw Beef KRW6,000 (200g) |
CHALLENGE: The stomach and liver was a free service for our table because our friend had come here six times already. It was a challenge for us to try stomach and RAW liver. As if the cooked liver wasn't bad enough for my friend, the raw was WOW. We all took a piece and tried. The liver has a stronger liver taste (metallic). The stomach is actually tasteless. It looks funky and probably "tastes" funky by itself because there is barely a taste. Dip it in the sashimi sauce! I found the stomach ok but the liver was a little challenging.
 |
Comments
Post a Comment