Isu Korean BBQ: 400g black beef platter, radish fried rice at Hwaseol

Hasn't the heat finally started to ease up lately?! Once that cool morning and evening breeze kicks in, I can finally breathe again 🍃 But my body still feels like it hasn't fully recovered from all that summer heat. So to power through the last stretch of the heat, I went to Hwaseol Isu Branch for some serious nourishment! Beef for recovery? Pretty smart, if I do say so myself ^-^☆

Where is Hwaseol Isu Branch? Hours and parking

Hwaseol is just a 1-minute walk from Exit 13 of Isu Station! The accessibility is amazing >,< *This is a well-known Korean BBQ restaurant near Isu Station, so I'd recommend booking ahead.

Hwaseol is a two-story building, first and second floor! Because the building is so big, you can spot it at a glance, no chance of getting lost.

• ⏰ Hours – Weekdays 11:30–23:00 (break time 15:00–17:00) / Weekends & holidays 11:30–23:00
• 🅿️ Parking – Angel-in-us Coffee lot (₩2,000/hour with Hwaseol receipt, normally ₩4,000)
• **No wide or large vehicles (Equus and mid-size SUVs are fine)

Walking in on the first floor, a friendly staff member greeted us right away. There were seats on the first floor too, but they weren't in use yet because of a ventilation issue. The first floor was actually cooler than the second floor..! My friend, who really feels the heat, was a little disappointed about that.

There was a fridge tucked in a corner of the first floor with meat that looked obviously fresh! So cool

Seeing all the autograph signs plastered on the walls, yep, this is definitely a real local favorite.

The stairs up to the second floor are pretty steep, so watch your step going up and down!

The bamboo window seats and the banchan setup

Since we'd made a reservation, the table was already set when we arrived!

A window seat with bamboo decor! Right outside is a busy restaurant street, so it could've felt a bit exposed, but the bamboo screening gave us a lot more privacy to eat comfortably :) I really love little details like this.

Once we sat down, they brought over salad and water. The salad came with a black sesame dressing! It's my favorite salad sauce so I was already happy ㅎ the sweet potato salad and perilla leaves were the best part 👍🏻🤍

Hwaseol had a pretty wide range of sauces! From top to bottom: wasabi, salt, basil oil, and octopus jeotgal (fermented octopus).

They serve barley tea here?! Total regular-worthy detail. I'm pretty sensitive to that weird metallic taste from tap water, so plain water + stainless cup = 😵‍💫, but barley tea + paper cup = 😍 for me. Even the water tastes good at Hwaseol!

What we ordered: the Hwaseol 1% black beef platter, 400g

Ordering was easy through the tablet on the table! Every menu item had a detailed description, so you could compare and choose carefully :)

Since we wanted to try a bit of everything, we ordered 🐮🍲 the Hwaseol 1% black beef platter (stew included, 400g) / 🫜 radish-kimchi fried rice / 🍚 steamed rice!

The restroom is on the second floor, right next to the AC. It was convenient that you could reach it easily from inside the restaurant!

Hwaseol also has a great selection of wines that pair well with beef. And since it's corkage-free, you can bring your own drinks?♥ Next time I'm planning to bring a red wine with me.

Look at that color...! The Hwaseol 1% black beef platter (400g) comes with flower-shaped flower skirt steak, thick-cut rib meat, and cube-cut wagyu sirloin!

The quality of the meat looks fresh at first glance. And that wagyu sirloin marbling, right?

At Hwaseol, the staff grill the meat for you. When it got busy, they politely excused themselves and came back periodically to keep grilling :-) Everyone at Hwaseol Isu Branch was so friendly, which I really appreciated 🤍 Let me calm my excitement over the black beef for a second and introduce the side dishes while the meat cooks!

Hanwoo doenjang stew and steamed rice

Hanwoo il-pum doenjang jjigae (premium beef doenjang stew)! The rich soybean paste aroma made my mouth water even before I took a bite..♡

Let's take a bite with the steamed rice

Whoever serves the doenjang stew first is a good person

I soaked the rice in the broth and topped it with meat and tofu. There was a slight spicy edge, but the deep soybean paste flavor really came through — I couldn't stop eating!! The rice itself was nice and fluffy, perfect for soaking in the stew broth!! Makes me wonder if they made it fluffy on purpose knowing people would eat it this way..!!!

How do the flower skirt steak, rib meat and wagyu sirloin taste?

Finally, the flower skirt steak, almost done grilling

Even while grilling, this flower skirt steak showed off its color. My first bite was dipped in the onion sauce. The sauce was tangy, and it paired perfectly with the beef ♡

The wasabi here wasn't just spicy — you could really taste its aroma. Normal wasabi is often too hot to pile on, but Hwaseol's wasabi wasn't overly spicy and had such a good fragrance that I ended up putting way more on than I expected, and it was delicious!!

The salt looked finely ground, almost shaved, and honestly it's the one I reached for the most. I guess salt really is the classic pairing for beef after all

The basil sauce was packed with basil flavor too, and since I love basil, I piled it on generously haha. Every single sauce was high quality — whatever you dip in, it's delicious

Now let's try the rib meat. I eat this cut fairly often, so I secretly have pretty high standards for it

Hwaseol's black beef rib meat was so tender yet chewy!! I always thought rib meat tended to be a bit tough, but today that whole belief got shattered (?). After finishing that savory rib meat, there was just one more thing left, right?

That's right — Hwaseol's black beef wagyu sirloin!!!! This was the cut I'd been most looking forward to from the start. My friend showed off some serious skill, rotating the cube-cut pieces on all sides to lock in the juices — thank you! They even cut it up for us to make it easier to eat, and even the cross-section looked insane. I wanted to just shove it into my mouth right away

A well-grilled piece of meat. My friend, you did well surviving that grilling job. The black beef sirloin was the most tender, and the juices practically exploded. I can say confidently this was the best sirloin I've ever had

Finishing with radish-kimchi fried rice

To wrap things up with the radish-kimchi fried rice completes the full Korean beef course 𖤐

Just when I felt like I was getting tired of eating beef, one bite of the spicy, salty, chewy(?) radish fried rice sent my chopsticks right back to the meat again. Going back and forth between everything in an endless loop, before I knew it I was full up to my chin 😂 Classic me: overeat whenever the food is good

Is Hwaseol Isu Branch good for work dinners and group gatherings?

The harmony of the menu, and the quality of everything, was excellent at this Korean BBQ spot near Isu Station, Hwaseol ♡ There were actually a lot of large groups dining there, clearly on company dinners, so it seems like a solid choice for a dinner party or gathering near Isu Station too! It was a satisfying meal, filling up on beef after a while :-) If you're looking for a good restaurant near Isu Station or Chongshin University Station, how about Hwaseol, the Korean BBQ spot near Isu Station?