Gongdeok Station Korean beef weekday lunch with abalone noodles: Usu

Usu in Gongdeok: a weekday hanwoo lunch course on our day off

Usu (우수) in Gongdeok is a high-end Korean beef dining restaurant in Seoul, with fresh charcoal-grilled beef, seasonal course dishes, an elegant atmosphere and private rooms. My husband and I have been swamped with work lately, so we decided to take one day off to rest. We took a weekday lunch at Usu with Juni (my husband's nickname) and came away feeling healed.

Usu's signature course combines top-grade 1++ hanwoo (Korean beef) with beautifully plated dishes. I strongly recommend it for family gatherings and also as a Seoul restaurant for meeting the in-laws.

Where is Usu in Gongdeok, and what about parking?

Usu is on basement level 2 of Lotte Castle President in Gongdeok-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, right in front of Exit 2 of Gongdeok Station, so it is easy to reach by public transport. If you drive, you can use the building's car park, and they give up to 3 hours of free parking, so you can enjoy a relaxed meal.

Why Usu works for family gatherings and meeting the in-laws

Every seat at Usu is a private room, and the large car park offers 3 hours of free parking with no limit on the number of cars, which makes it ideal for family gatherings, dining out and meeting the in-laws.

The moment we walked in we went "wow" at the luxurious interior and quiet atmosphere. It felt like being given a special day, and I completely fell for Usu. It would be great for an anniversary too.

Usu course types and Lunch C price

Usu, a private-room restaurant near Gongdeok Station, serves set courses: the Premium course, then Course A, Course B and Course C. We ordered the Lunch C course for two (₩79,000 per person).

We were chatting away, going "this place is so good!", when a staff member brought over a showcase box of the day's ingredients. Wow... seriously classy, right? Every ingredient was fresh and top quality.

First dish of Lunch C: Ugye-jinjuk, beef and chicken porridge

The course started right away, and the first dish was ugye-jinjuk (우계진죽), a porridge. It is made with hanwoo bone broth and chicken stock, garnished with nurungji (scorched rice), green onion crust, shiitake, asparagus and white wood ear mushrooms. As the very first dish it went down gently with no harshness, and the natural aroma of each ingredient came through with every bite.

Three bite-size dishes: bulgogi sandwich, scallop clam cream, sweet shrimp gimbugak

The second course was three bite-size dishes: a bulgogi sandwich, sweet shrimp gimbugak (seaweed crisp) and scallop with clam.

The bulgogi sandwich was the best, with sweet bulgogi, fresh vegetables and truffle mayo in perfect harmony.

The scallop clam cream had tender scallop, clam flavor and a rich cream sauce working together beautifully.

And then the sweet shrimp gimbugak, with the clean, savory sweetness of sweet shrimp on a crunchy seaweed crisp. I can't forget the taste of this one. Is "moving" the right word..?

Third dish: shiitake, shrimp and zucchini

The third dish was shiitake, shrimp and zucchini. The main ingredients are top-grade shiitake, shrimp, zucchini, tofu, aged kimchi and golden enoki mushrooms, eaten with peanut tofu sauce and chamnamul (pimpinella) oil like a dressing.

This one surprised me with how delicious it was. All healthy ingredients, so how is it this good? You could feel the care in every single piece.

They also showed us in advance the seasonal fish pot rice that would come with the main set: nicely golden grilled sea bream and perfectly cooked rice! The look of it had us excited.

The abalone gardenia noodles my husband raved about

The fourth dish was abalone five-color gardenia noodles. The garnishes were black sesame radish strips, bracken, shiitake, seasoned chamnamul, perilla leaf and abalone, and the gardenia noodles are tossed with gamtae (seaweed) dressing and mustard garlic sauce.

Juni tried it and raved! The abalone was very tender, the seasoning was just right, and the flavor is one that people of all ages would like, with no hit-or-miss.

Hanwoo seaweed soup set and 1++ sirloin charcoal grill

The last course was the hanwoo miyeok-guk (seaweed soup) set: the sea bream pot rice we saw earlier, a savory hanwoo seaweed soup, and 1++ sirloin hanwoo grilled on an individual charcoal burner. It filled today's meal right up.

Juicy hanwoo that melts the moment it hits your mouth, plus the pot rice and the seaweed soup. Juni and I couldn't stop raving, and we agreed to come back with our parents. That's Usu in Gongdeok.

Dessert and tips for visiting Usu

It wasn't over yet. A fresh, sweet dessert with melon sorbet, green tangerine juice, melon cheese, coconut chips and dill. Per-fect ★

Usu in Gongdeok is corkage free, open every day of the year and has group seating, so it gives deep, memorable moments to friends, couples, spouses and families, on anniversaries and even Teachers' Day. I highly recommend this private-room restaurant near Gongdeok Station as a Mapo beef room restaurant, family gathering spot and place to meet the in-laws. Please do visit!