Ansan butcher yukhoe 3-pack made into chili jangjorim: Morakmorak

Some days you just don't want to think about what to cook. That's when a place like Morakmorak Home & Cook, in the basement of Star Plaza in Seongpo-dong, comes in handy — it solves everything from tonight's dinner to the meat the kids love, all in one stop.

Fresh meat is a given, but there's also a wide range of house-made marinated meats and soup/stew kits. Good prices, good service — this is the Ansan butcher shop our family keeps coming back to.

Where is Morakmorak Home & Cook? Star Plaza basement and parking

Morakmorak Home & Cook is on basement level 1 of Star Plaza traditional market. Head into the interior of the market and the pink-lit meat counter is hard to miss.

There's a parking lot in front of the building, and you get 4 hours free with a purchase at the store. Plenty of time, so no need to rush your shopping.

Picking your own marinated meats at the counter

The showcase has everything from yukhoe (raw beef tartare) and yuksashimi to

dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken), jeyuk bokkeum (stir-fried pork), and sirloin bulgogi, all lined up. Chuncheon-style dakgalbi is ₩15,000. Soy sauce jeyuk bokkeum and gochujang jeyuk bokkeum are ₩8,900 each. Sirloin bulgogi runs ₩1,980 per 100g, so it's easy to buy just the amount you need. No need to season anything yourself — just stir-fry or grill at home. So convenient.

There was also handmade marinated wangpo galbi on display, and the case had various cuts organized for stewing, like brisket and shank.

Handmade hanwoo/handon tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties) is ₩2,500 a pack — an easy pick for kids' side dishes. There was also a buy-4-get-1-free promotion running during the visit.

Beyond hanwoo and handon, there's a wide range of convenience meal kits too — galbitang, gomtang, seolleongtang. Browsing through the fridges, you end up grabbing dishes you never planned to buy.

Aged beef cuts and the extras thrown in

Aged hanwoo and handon cuts are also available by section, and if you tell the staff how you plan to cook it and how thick you want it, they'll trim it to order — very convenient. The butchering area was kept clean, and being able to watch them cut the meat directly built trust.

By the register there was even a free giveaway of some kind of meat(?). Not entirely sure, but it looked like seonji (blood cake). The generous portioning, letting you take as much as you like, left a good impression.

Three packs of ₩9,900 Morak signature marinated yukhoe

The real reason for our trip was the Morak signature marinated yukhoe. It's ₩9,900 a pack, and the portion is quite generous for the price. Our family loves it so much we bought 3 packs outright.

It's already fully seasoned, so all you need is a bit of garlic mixed with sesame oil and it's done. Piled generously on a plate with an egg yolk in the center, it looks like something straight out of a restaurant.

The meat wasn't tough at all, nice and soft, and the seasoning wasn't too sweet or salty — easy to eat. The savory marinade was well soaked into the meat, and mixing in the egg yolk made it even richer and smoother.

Turning the last pack into kkwarigochu chili jangjorim

Two packs went into yukhoe, and the last one we turned into jangjorim (soy-braised beef) with kkwarigochu (mild green chili peppers) added in. Since it was tender yukhoe-grade meat, it wasn't chewy at all, and the salty soy seasoning with the aroma of the peppers made a perfect side dish for rice. Not a bad way to use up leftover yukhoe meat.

Morakmorak Home & Cook menu and prices

• Morak signature marinated yukhoe ₩9,900
• Morak hanwoo yuksashimi ₩10,000
• Chuncheon-style dakgalbi ₩15,000
• Soy sauce jeyuk bokkeum ₩8,900
• Gochujang jeyuk bokkeum ₩8,900
• Sirloin bulgogi ₩1,980 per 100g
• Galbitang packed with meat ₩12,000
• Hanwoo gomtang, three 800ml packs ₩10,000
• Hanwoo/handon jumbo tteokgalbi ₩2,500
• Handmade marinated LA galbi ₩4,580 per 100g

※ Prices and offerings may vary depending on when you visit.

Is Morakmorak Home & Cook worth a visit?

Morakmorak Home & Cook is a convenient spot where you can pick fresh meat, marinated meat, and soups and stews all in one place. Prices are reasonable and the selection is wide, making it easy to stock up on several days' worth of side dishes. If you're looking for a good-value butcher shop in Seongpo-dong, or an Ansan meal kit that's easy to cook, this one's worth a visit.

Hours, address and parking

• Name: Morakmorak Home & Cook
• Address: Basement level 1, Star Plaza traditional market, 513 Hwarang-ro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours: 09:30–20:30
• Closed: Lunar New Year and Chuseok day
• Parking: Lot in front of the building, 4 hours free
• Gift sets available for same-day wrapping, takes about 15 minutes
• ※ Checking current hours before visiting is recommended