Samgakji shabu-shabu: hanwoo top blade lunch for 2, Shabu in Seoul

If you're looking for a refined, tidy meal near Sinyongsan or Samgakji Station, today's pick is one I really want to recommend: Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch (샤브인서울 신용산본점)! The modern, stylish interior stands out, and the menu is clean rather than heavy-handed, so it should suit anyone who likes a neat, polished meal. The private seating lets you chat and eat in a relaxed mood, and at lunchtime there were especially lots of office workers from nearby! So here's my review of Shabu in Seoul :)

Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch: location and parking

Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch is at 61 Hangang-daero 62-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 1st floor. Hours are 11:00–22:00 Sunday to Thursday and 11:00–23:00 Friday and Saturday, and the weekday lunch last order is 14:30.

The upscale exterior catches your eye right away. The downside is that there's no parking lot of its own, so use a nearby paid lot, such as the Samgakji Station public parking lot!

Interior, seating and menu

Inside Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch, every seat is separated by a partition, and along one wall there's a group table that seats up to 6.

The interior is clean and modern too, and what I liked most was that the partitions between seats let you eat in private. Along one wall there's also a group table for up to 6 people.

Shabu in Seoul menu

• Prime Angus chuck flap ₩27,000 / ₩30,000
• Prime Angus chuck eye roll ₩22,000 / ₩25,000
• Hanwoo top blade ₩27,000 / ₩30,000
• Black Nine wagyu ribeye ₩33,000 / ₩36,000
• Black pork belly ₩20,000 / ₩23,000
• Black pork neck ₩20,000 / ₩23,000

First, lunch is ₩3,000 cheaper than dinner, so I'd recommend going at lunchtime. The safe, popular choice is the prime Angus! But we were curious about top blade (boseopsal), which you see a lot these days, so we ordered hanwoo top blade for 2!

Choosing a broth and how to eat it well

One unusual thing: if you want a particular finishing meal, you have to choose the matching broth! Pick your preferred meal from egg porridge / rosé risotto / doenjang rice roll / yakisoba / tomato risotto, and that decides the broth. We ordered the clear mushroom broth, which comes with egg porridge!

How we ate the hanwoo top blade lunch

Shabu in Seoul sets out 3 sauces as standard: soy sauce, chili sauce and sesame sauce. Minced chili and minced garlic come along too.

The basic sauces, minced chili and minced garlic are set at your seat, so just add chili and garlic to the soy, chili and sesame sauces however you like.

Hanwoo top blade (lunch)

First, the clear mushroom broth we chose arrived. It gets boiled hard on a dedicated induction burner~

The hanwoo top blade comes with a variety of vegetables.

Once the broth boils, put the vegetables in first and let them cook a little to bring out their flavor.

The top blade is sliced very thin and cooks fast, so I'd suggest adding it a piece at a time and eating it while it's tender.

All 3 sauces were good, so I kept alternating and never got tired of it. It's also tasty wrapped in the rice paper that comes with it: roll up meat and vegetables and take one big bite 👍

Finishing with egg porridge and omija tea

Just the meat and vegetables that come as standard at Shabu in Seoul were enough to fill us up, so we moved straight on to the finishing meal. Request it through the T-order tablet, and a staff member prepares it for you a little later.

They pour in the leftover broth bit by bit to make porridge, then crack in one egg to get the thickness right. Sesame oil, seaweed and sesame seeds go on top to finish! The egg porridge soaked up the rich broth, was nutty and savory, and was just right as a finishing meal 😊

To end, a refreshing omija (five-flavor berry) tea cleanses the palate, and it was a hearty, tidy lunch! Around 12 on a weekday the place was packed with office workers, and after eating here I can see why it's so popular haha

Overall verdict

I'd recommend it as this kind of restaurant.

• A refined place to eat in Sinyongsan / Samgakji
• A shabu-shabu spot with fresh meat and vegetables
• Private seating that works for gatherings with friends or family