Icheon Janghowon beef BBQ: flat iron on cold noodles, Jowatso

Jowatso Janghowon Gamgok Main Branch (조왔소 장호원 감곡 본점)

• 📍Location: 25 Seodong-daero 8809beon-gil, Janghowon-eup, Icheon, Gyeonggi, South Korea
• ⏰Hours: 11:00-22:00, last order 21:20
• 📅Regular closing day: none, but check before you go ✔️

Today I'm introducing a Janghowon BBQ place where you can eat beef with great value for money: Jowatso. The set menus are really well put together, so if you're looking for a BBQ spot for a family gathering or a good-value beef restaurant, this is one I'd recommend. Okay, let's get into it.

Where is Jowatso in Janghowon, and is there parking?

Jowatso is an easy-to-reach charcoal beef rib restaurant in central Janghowon. You can park right in front of the restaurant, which was convenient for driving there.

Is charcoal beef BBQ too hot in summer?

The restaurant was clean, and the unusual part was that every table has a mini fan! With this heat you might think, charcoal-grilled ribs? Now? But with a fan beside me, it wasn't hot at all.

Jowatso menu and platter prices

The menu at Jowatso has five platter sets.

• ✔️Signature Special Cuts Platter ₩89,000 (uidae galbi (thick-cut bone-in rib) + bonkkotsal + galbisal + flat iron + rapeseed-honey mildly marinated grill)
• ✔️Marinated Platter ₩63,000 (marinated galbisal + rapeseed-honey mildly marinated grill + LA galbi)
• ✔️Bone-in Rib Platter ₩55,000 (uidae galbi + LA galbi)
• ✔️Beef Rib Platter ₩69,000 (plain, marinated, or half-and-half)
• ✔️Daily Limited Platter ₩75,000 (A. flat iron + LA galbi + yukhoe / B. flat iron + uidae galbi + yukhoe / C. flat iron + rapeseed-honey mildly marinated grill + yukhoe)

The set lineup is really good, right? That day we chose the set that includes yukhoe (beef tartare): ✅Daily Limited Platter ₩75,000, B. flat iron + uidae galbi + yukhoe.

Daily Limited Platter B: flat iron, uidae galbi and yukhoe

(Left) flat iron, (right) uidae galbi. The Daily Limited Platter B I ordered is flat iron + uidae galbi + yukhoe, and the grill meats come out first. They also gave us rice for sushi without us asking!

The meat quality looks good, right?

Tip: grill the flat iron first

💡Start with the flat iron, which is the leaner cut

Jowatso's flat iron has a distinct charcoal aroma, and it tasted better than what I'd cook at home. I've been eating nothing but hanwoo (Korean beef) lately, so I worried this might taste underwhelming, but even to my hanwoo-only palate it was a solid flat iron. I liked it more than the ribs ✨ It's good on top of the sushi rice they gave us, and good on its own too. It melts in your mouth.

Best dipping sauce for flat iron steak

Jowatso brings out several kinds of sauce, and dipping the flat iron in the one in the middle was the best match. It doesn't seem to be plain gochujang (chili paste), but it's rich in savory flavor and went well with the flat iron.

How was the yukhoe (beef tartare) in the Daily Limited Platter?

The yukhoe arrived while we were eating the flat iron. Fresh, great-looking yukhoe: be sure to pop the yolk and eat it with the Asian pear! No fishy taste, no gamey smell, and fantastic value ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Since they gave us sushi rice as a freebie, it was also great for making yukhoe sushi.

Save the uidae galbi for last

Next up is the uidae galbi. It's better eaten later, after the leaner cuts.

₩6,000 mulnaengmyeon topped with flat iron to finish

No meal is complete without the finishing mulnaengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles in broth) at ₩6,000. Eating it with flat iron on top was so good! Even the cold noodles were good value at this Gamgok restaurant, and the friendly staff made this Janghowon spot even more memorable.