Ansan Seongpo-dong meal kits: galbitang and samgyetang for a week

Today I went looking for somewhere to take a bit of the stress out of deciding what's for dinner, and ended up at Star Plaza in Seongpo-dong, Ansan.

Morakmorak Home & Cook: location, hours and parking

Morakmorak Home & Cook is a butcher shop on the basement level of Star Plaza in Seongpo-dong, Ansan. Walk into Star Plaza and head down to the basement, and the butcher shop comes right into view.

• Address: Star Plaza B1, 513 Hwarang-ro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do
• Hours: 09:30 ~ 20:30 (closed on major holidays)
• Parking: Parking support available (free turnaround is 20 minutes)

More than a butcher shop: meal kits too

Morakmorak Home & Cook isn't your ordinary butcher shop that only sells meat — they have all kinds of house-made marinated meats, soups and stews, and easy meal kits ready to go.

The variety was bigger than I expected. From grilling cuts like kkotdeungsim (ribeye), galbisal (short rib meat), anchangsal (skirt steak), and bugaesal (flat iron steak), to aged beef, stewing cuts, and frozen meat — it was all there.

I especially liked the range of marinated meats — you don't have to mix up your own marinade at home, you can just throw it straight in the pan or on the grill.

Made by the owner himself, with friendly service

I asked a few questions while picking out meat, and the owner explained everything kindly, one by one, and packed everything carefully — it made for a really pleasant shopping trip.

He'd even set out vitamins for little customers who came in with their moms. It might not seem like a big deal, but that kind of thoughtfulness toward kids was really touching. Little gestures like that make it a nice place to visit as a family.

Finish the week's grocery run on your way out

Star Plaza's basement level also has a side-dish shop, a rice cake shop, and a mart, so you can knock out your grocery shopping all in one place. I think it's a great spot for anyone in Seongpo-dong looking for a one-stop grocery run.

What I actually bought: a week of dinners for about 30,000 won

What I bought at Morakmorak Home & Cook was galbitang for 12,000 won, tteokgalbi for 10,000 won, and samgyetang for 8,900 won. I mostly picked things that are easy to eat at home. On days when you can't be bothered cooking every single meal, having a few of these in the fridge is such a relief.

1. Galbitang (short rib soup), 12,000 won

Morakmorak Home & Cook's galbitang (short rib soup) is a dish the owner makes and sells himself. It's currently discounted too, so the price isn't a burden and it's great for a full meal. All you have to do is heat it up in a pot — no extra cooking needed, which makes meal prep so much easier on busy days.

2. Tteokgalbi (grilled meat patties), 10,000 won with buy 4 get 1 free

The tteokgalbi (grilled meat patties) is the jumbo hanwoo-and-hanwoo-pork version currently on a buy-4-get-1 promotion, and it's affordable, so I grabbed a few for the kids' side dishes. I topped a slice of cheese on it and pan-fried it until golden — instant side dish done!! If you're a household that also has to sort out kids' side dishes like me, this is such a useful item.

3. Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), 8,900 won

On days when you want something restorative, making samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) from scratch means a lot of prep and ingredient shopping. Having one you can just heat up makes things so much easier. My kids usually don't eat samgyetang well, but they slurped down even the broth on this one, right to the end.

Verdict: is Morakmorak Home & Cook good value?

Morakmorak Home & Cook lets you pick proper cuts of meat like hanwoo, marinated meats and tteokgalbi that work great as side dishes, and easy meal kits like galbitang and samgyetang — there's a lot to choose from!! Instead of cooking everything from scratch every time, picking up whatever you need here seems like a great way to save both money and time.