Between Garosu-gil and Apgujeong there is an alley where hanwoo butcher’s restaurants cluster together. Passing by now and then, the meat looked decent and the prices were not bad, so I had been meaning to go someday, and when something came up worth celebrating, I dropped in. While eating I thought the prices were reasonable, but when I searched after getting home, it turned out they used to be cheaper. I have no idea why hanwoo prices have gone the way they have these past few years. Still, butcher’s restaurants are at least affordable, but the prices at hanwoo specialty restaurants…
500 grams of hanwoo chimasal (skirt steak)
Unusually, they sell it in 500-gram portions rather than by the geun (600 grams). The price was 48,000 won as of July 2014. 500 grams is enough for three ordinary people to eat their fill, so it is not a bad price. This time it was just the two of us, and we overdid it a bit. There is a table setting charge of 3,000 won per person, and if you also order a meal dish and some beer, it works out to about 30,000 to 40,000 won per person for decent beef, which seems to be exactly the going rate for eating out in this apartment-block neighbourhood. Maybe that is why the place seemed to be doing brisk business even though it is not a particularly special restaurant.
Close-up
The meat quality was not what I would call top-tier, but it was decent. It had a good chew and the fat was nicely nutty. Sirloin or galbi have more marbling than chimasal, but that day I deliberately chose a leaner cut. So I cannot really say how much better it is than other barbecue places.
The table setting
There is no lettuce, though I do not know whether they would bring some if you asked. The grill and the charcoal are of decent quality, and the smoke gets ventilated fairly well. It felt like looking at a standard Korean barbecue restaurant.
Come to think of it, there is a street in Daechi-dong packed with butcher’s restaurants, and going by reputation alone, the Daechi-dong side is better in both meat quality and price. But these days I prefer good places close to home. Gangnam is traffic hell, so just getting there and back is a real ordeal, and Daechi-dong does not have as many places for a second round as Garosu-gil does.
Doenjang jjigae with chadolbagi (thin-sliced brisket)
I ordered it as a meal dish, and maybe because it had been a while, it tasted even better.
500 grams was a bit much for two, but anyway, we ate well. It is close to home, so I would like to come back when I get the chance. Honestly, if you want good beef in Gangnam, you can just go to Bongpiyang without a second thought. No matter how good a butcher’s restaurant is, it is not going to match Bongpiyang. But for various reasons, it looks like I will be a butcher’s-restaurant user for the time being. Life throws all sorts of things at you.
Injeolmi bingsu at Sulbing
After a good meal of beef, we went for dessert to Sulbing, the talk of the town. It is so popular that I was curious what it actually tastes like, and having tried it, the idea of putting little rice cakes into soft, fluffy ice is really good. The portions are generous too. I did not add red beans this time, but next time I would like to. Of course this place is good, but it does not come close to the bingsu at Michaya, the best bingsu of my life. Besides, bingsu shops of this style are riding a huge fad these days, so I do not know how long business will stay this good. I have a feeling it could go down in one shot, like Softree did.
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