Seoul Plaza Korean BBQ and outdoor library outing: Geumseong Hoegwan

I tried hwangje galbi and 1% pork neck at Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch (금성회관 서울시청직영점) in Bukchang-dong, then headed to the Seoul Plaza outdoor library with my kid 🥩

Autumn holiday: lunch and an outing near Seoul City Hall

This autumn holiday weekend, we decided to have a meat lunch at Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch and then head out to Seoul Plaza. The weather was great, but going far meant worrying about traffic, and staying home felt like a waste of the autumn sky. We had no plans for the holiday and were staying in Seoul anyway. So we settled on tasty meat for lunch near Seoul City Hall, plus an autumn outing with my child.

Lunch was decided: Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch in Bukchang-dong! We tried everything from beef hwangje galbi to thick 1% pork neck, then spent a relaxed afternoon at the Seoul Plaza outdoor library. 🍂

Is Geumseong Hoegwan a Bukchang-dong BBQ spot that's easy with kids?

Thanks to its clean feel and roomy table spacing, Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch was an easy Bukchang-dong Korean BBQ place to eat at with a child. The City Hall Station and Bukchang-dong area has plenty of restaurants popular with office workers. What I noticed first at this branch was the clean atmosphere and the comfortable spacing between tables.

When you think of a BBQ restaurant, you easily picture smoke, noise and tables squeezed together. This place felt relatively pleasant, so eating with a child was comfortable. The gaps between neighboring tables were generous, so it didn't bother us during the meal. I also thought it would work if you're looking for lunch or dinner near City Hall Station, or a spot for a company dinner or gathering in Bukchang-dong.

What we ordered: hwangje galbi and premium 1% pork neck

What we ordered at Geumseong Hoegwan that day was beef hwangje galbi and pork premium 1% pork neck. We got one beef and one pork to compare.

• Hwangje galbi
• Premium 1% pork neck

The meat came with a variety of sides, like mustard leaf kimchi (gat-kimchi) and pink salt, so it was fun to mix and match to your taste. The same meat tastes different depending on what you eat it with, right? Even before we started grilling, I was looking forward to finding the best combination.

What does Geumseong Hoegwan's hwangje galbi taste like?

Geumseong Hoegwan's hwangje galbi is the intercostal cut between the beef ribs; it was chewy rather than melt-in-your-mouth, with a rich, nutty beef flavor. It was the first thing we tried. It has a different texture from ordinary galbi meat. Once the meat went on the charcoal, a savory aroma started rising.

I picked up a nicely cooked piece and dipped it lightly in pink salt. It wasn't the melt-in-your-mouth style; it was chewy, with a deep, savory beef flavor. The nice springiness and rich flavor came together, and it got more appealing the more I chewed.

Personally, I liked it best with just a light dip in pink salt rather than adding lots of sauce. It was also great for enjoying the natural taste of the meat. If you usually only eat tender beef, I think the distinctive chew of hwangje galbi could be quite appealing.

Steak-thick premium 1% pork neck

Geumseong Hoegwan's premium 1% pork neck is a pork dish whose thickness stands out from the moment it arrives on the plate. We'd tried the beef, so now it was pork's turn!

It looked almost like a single block of steak, so I was curious how it would turn out grilled properly. We browned the outside of the thick pork neck, then cooked it through. One bite gave a savory crust and juicy, moist meat.

The clean yet savory taste of pork neck really came through, so it was easy to eat without feeling heavy. They give you several sauces too, and the salty, savory depth brought out even more flavor in the pork neck. A bite of tangy mustard leaf kimchi in between refreshed my mouth, and I was ready for more meat!

I cut my child's pork neck into small pieces without sauce, and probably thanks to the clean-tasting meat, they ate it well. On days when you can't pick between beef and pork, ordering both like this seems like a good move.

Finishing with free kimchi jjigae and naengmyeon

That day Geumseong Hoegwan served kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) for free, and we finished the meal with naengmyeon (cold noodles). When you're eating meat you always crave something spicy and hot, so it was extra welcome. The stew came bubbling in an earthenware pot, with the tang of well-fermented kimchi blending with the richness of pork.

Taking a spoonful of broth in the middle of the meat made my mouth feel so much fresher. Alternating meat and kimchi jjigae was a great match, as expected. We ended with cold naengmyeon. The icy broth with slush floating in it and the chewy noodles neatly cleansed the palate after all that meat.

I saved one piece of pork neck and ate it with the naengmyeon, like a meat-wrapped naengmyeon (yuk-ssam naengmyeon), which was fun. After hwangje galbi, pork neck, kimchi jjigae and naengmyeon in turn, lunch was quite filling.

Can you walk to the Seoul Plaza autumn outdoor library after the meal?

The walk from Geumseong Hoegwan in Bukchang-dong to Seoul Plaza isn't much, so it was nice to stroll over after eating and drop by the autumn outdoor library. After a full lunch, we headed to Seoul Plaza with my child. In autumn you can find the outdoor library, Reading Seoul Plaza (책읽는 서울광장), there.

With bean bags and reading corners set out across the lawn, and all kinds of books to browse, I felt a different kind of calm in the middle of the city. My child and I picked books we liked and read, taking a little break. It had a different mood from reading in an indoor library, so it worked well as a weekend outing.

After a tasty lunch, I wandered the plaza to help digestion, and before I knew it the afternoon had flown by. Being able to enjoy a meal and a walk so close together made it a satisfying day.

Overall verdict on Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch

What stayed with me most about Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch is that you can enjoy chewy hwangje galbi and thick premium pork neck together. The hwangje galbi was appealing for its nutty beef flavor the more you chewed, and the pork neck impressed with its thickness and moist texture. Adding kimchi jjigae and naengmyeon made the meal filling too.

The interior is clean and the tables are spaced comfortably, so it was fine to visit with a child. If you're looking for a good restaurant near Seoul City Hall or Korean BBQ in Bukchang-dong, especially if you want both beef and pork, take a look at Geumseong Hoegwan Seoul City Hall Direct Branch. A weekend lunch followed by the Seoul Plaza outdoor library would be a good plan, as it was for us. Without going far, we enjoyed a good meat meal and an autumn outing together. ❤️