Lamb chops vs BMS 9 beef lunch course in Bangbae-dong: Bistro Chai

Bangbae-dong Western dining spot Bistro Chai Plus, a corkage-free wine bar and blind-date favorite in Seorae Village

Where Bistro Chai Plus is and when it opens

Bistro Chai Plus is a Bangbae-dong dining spot where you can enjoy classy course meals at reasonable prices in a swanky private room.

• Location: 5-minute walk from Naebang Station Exit 7, across from Bangbae Lotte Castle Rose Apartments
• Hours: Daily 11:30-22:00, break time 14:30-17:30, last order 20:00
• Reservations: Naver Place, Catch Table / booking ahead recommended

The building, the ground-floor wine shop and the private rooms upstairs

Found a Bangbae-dong course-meal fine dining spot! Taste, price, service and atmosphere all clicked — Bistro Chai Plus was thoroughly satisfying.

On the first floor there's a wine shop called Winery Tenuta, so if you want wine with your meal, buy it there before heading up to the second floor.

Great variety of wines, and the prices are decent too.

There are wine gift sets too. Next to the stairs up to the second-floor restaurant, there was even actor Ryu Seung-ryong's autograph.

The second floor is so calm and upscale that I'd recommend Bistro Chai Plus for a Bangbae-dong blind date or a meeting-the-parents dinner. Every table on the second floor is a private room, so booking is essential — the two rooms at the far end by the window had amazing views.

They're 6-person and 4-person rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, so it feels open and airy with green trees visible outside — instantly puts you in a good mood. Perfect for bringing your parents for a formal meeting or a birthday/anniversary dinner 👍🏻

The room we were shown to was also clean and comfortable, a private space good for quiet conversation while focusing on the course. The restroom was clean and pleasant too.

Lunch and dinner course prices, plus the corkage-free policy

Bistro Chai Plus is a Bangbae-dong course-meal spot built around seasonal ingredients. Lunch courses run 48,000 / 58,000 / 78,000 won per person, and dinner courses run 90,000 / 120,000 / 150,000 won — a wide range of course types, all well worth it given how solid the composition is.

There's a corkage-free event, a meal-voucher giveaway event, and more — great if you bring your own wine!

What we ordered and how the lunch course runs

Lunch course 58,000 (main: lamb chops), lunch course 78,000 (main: Korean beef steak) / 136,000 won total.

We each ordered a different course, and each course comes with a total of six dishes. We booked for noon and finished at a leisurely pace by 1:30 (though we hurried out a bit for our next appointment).

Caesar salad

Mini romaine salad with Caesar dressing, whole bacon bits, and toasted breadcrumbs. The romaine was fresh and crisp with great texture, and the whole bacon and cheese really got the appetite going.

Seasonal soup

Ridiculously good, rich potato soup. First time a starter soup was this delicious — the smooth potato flavor and aroma were great, and it was nice how it warmed my stomach before the meal.

Chai gangjeong (crispy glazed chicken)

Fried chicken thigh with special sauce and vegetables. More moist than crispy — and this is where I started regretting not bringing wine! Kept thinking I should've run down to the wine shop for a bottle of white, full-on wine-regret mode kicked in 😰

Makguksu (cold buckwheat noodles)

Perilla oil buckwheat noodles with baby greens and cucumber. The noodles were chewy and nutty — appetite absolutely exploded haha

After this course, before the main dish arrives, they serve a basil sorbet. Perfect refreshing palate cleanser timing!

Main course comparison: lamb chop steak vs BMS No. 9 Korean beef steak

We deliberately ordered different mains — lamb chops and Korean beef steak. Both were genuinely delicious, but I'd highly recommend the lamb chop steak.

Lamb chop steak on a hot stone plate

A French rack seared on a hot stone plate with melted Isigny butter.

That top-tier Isigny salted butter, which could easily overpower lamb, actually balanced out the richness perfectly — melted butter plus lamb chops was such a great match (wine emergency, need it now...)

No gamey smell at all on the lamb — the flavor was excellent.

With the accompanying sauce, one rack of lamb chops felt a bit too short — that's how good this Bangbae-dong course-meal spot Bistro Chai Plus is.

BMS No. 9 Korean beef steak

A premium steak made from top-grade Korean beef, carefully seared to keep the juices in. Being BMS grade 9 Korean beef, the flavor was clearly a notch above.

I usually eat steak medium-well, but this was the first time I realized medium-rare could taste this good. Tender, juicy, and I'd recommend the steak too! With well-seared garnish, black garlic sauce, and smooth mashed potatoes, it was perfect.

Dessert

Dessert was a mini patbingsu (shaved ice with red beans) — the red beans were generous and delicious! I thought it was a thoughtful touch since it's a dessert people of all ages, including grandparents, would enjoy.

Is the Bistro Chai Plus lunch course worth it?

With warm service from the friendly manager, a great meal composition, and generous portions, Bistro Chai Plus felt very much worth the price — a Bangbae-dong course-meal spot I'd genuinely recommend. Also a great pick for a Seorae Village blind date!