Daehwa-dong steamed beef restaurant with sprout bibimbap: Pyeonbaekrim

What did we order at Pyeonbaekrim in Daehwa-dong?

At Pyeonbaekrim (편백림) in Daehwa-dong, we ordered beef pyeonbaek-jjim (cypress-steamed beef), bean sprout bibimbap and soft tofu stew (sundubu-jjigae). I found the place while hunting for Daehwa-dong restaurants, and the huge photos of steamed dishes at the entrance totally grabbed my eyes! But then inside, another challenger was waiting... the kimchi stew you eat wrapped in lettuce.

“Do I eat the kimchi stew? Or the steamed beef?”

I agonized for ages, but the name of the place is Pyeonbaekrim, so the first visit has to be the steamer, right? So I ordered the beef pyeonbaek-jjim, bean sprout bibimbap and soft tofu stew. Kimchi stew, you just wait~~ You're next time! Haha

• Address: 1573 Jungang-ro, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi, South Korea (2nd floor)
• Hours: 11:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.
• Closed: every Sunday
• Parking: building's underground car park
• Delivery: Baedal Minjok, Coupang Eats

What is the atmosphere like at Pyeonbaekrim?

From the entrance, Pyeonbaekrim's mouthwatering steamer photos grab your attention. The mood felt warm, tidy and comfortable. The signature dishes are visible at a glance, so I was already excited before even going in.

Inside, it was roomier and cleaner than I expected. Besides lunch, it looked quite good for a family meal or a group gathering, since it's spacious and pleasant.

What is pyeonbaek-jjim?

Pyeonbaek-jjim is Pyeonbaekrim's signature dish: meat and vegetables steamed in a cypress-wood steamer. Every table has an ordering tablet, so you can browse the menu and order comfortably.

The steamer is made of cypress wood, well known for phytoncide. They say it's a Korean take on seiromushi, a traditional dish from Hokkaido in Japan, so you can enjoy meat, vegetables, seafood and more. Grilled meat is great, but sometimes you suddenly crave meat steamed lightly like this, don't you?

The side dishes are generous: kimchi, macaroni salad and seasoned dried radish, plus perilla leaves, ssamjang and wasabi. Under the steamer, they boil water with pepper and bay leaves, so the food steams moist in hot steam with a subtle aroma.

How long do you wait for the beef pyeonbaek-jjim?

You set a timer at the table and steam the beef for 9 minutes. A huge cypress steamer arrives at the table, and the look of it is already the real deal. While it slowly steams in hot vapor, a faint cypress scent drifts up~ and the lower the timer number got, the more excited I was. Lifting the lid after 9 minutes is the highlight, so my anticipation shot up.

What's at the Pyeonbaekrim self-bar?

The self-bar has fresh wrap vegetables like lettuce and perilla leaves, plus kimchi, seasoned dried radish and macaroni salad. If you run short of a side dish, you can just take a little at a time without feeling awkward, which was convenient!

How was the soft tofu stew?

Pyeonbaekrim's soft tofu stew has a spicy broth with big pieces of silky tofu, and it went well with the mild steamed beef. While eating the light steamed food, you start craving something hot and spicy, and right then, a spoonful of the stew! It came out bubbling hot, scooping up big chunks of soft tofu was fun, and the spicy broth woke my appetite up again. Honestly it was better than many soft tofu specialty restaurants, and I was even moved.

What's in the beef pyeonbaek-jjim once the lid is off?

The beef pyeonbaek-jjim has moist, cooked beef, crunchy bean sprouts on one side, and a heap of mung bean sprouts under the meat. After the 9-minute wait, the moment I lifted the lid I couldn't help but say “Wow!” With the faint cypress scent spreading too, my mouth was watering before the first bite.

Does the bean sprout bibimbap go with the pyeonbaek-jjim?

Pyeonbaekrim's bean sprout bibimbap is a big bowl of rice topped with crunchy bean sprouts steamed in the pyeonbaek steamer, which you mix with as much seasoning sauce as you like, and it was a perfect match for the steamed beef. There were various set menus to enjoy with the pyeonbaek-jjim, but we ordered the bean sprout bibimbap and the soft tofu stew.

The sprouts crunch, the egg yolk wraps around them softly, and the savory sauce on top makes it a bowl that disappears in no time. Putting a piece of the steamed beef on top also worked well. I ate the meat and rice separately at first, then ended up merging them in one bowl. Tasty things are best combined, right? Haha. And then the spicy soft tofu stew on top... the combo was just crazy.

How to enjoy the beef pyeonbaek-jjim: wraps and the special sauce

The beef was good wrapped in lettuce with mung bean sprouts, or dipped in the special sauce with a little wasabi. I wondered if eating only steamed food would get boring, but put that worry away. Haha. Put a moist piece of beef on a big wrap leaf, add the bean sprouts, and take a bite! The freshness of the vegetables on top of the light meat keeps you going. The trick at the self-bar is to bring a little at a time and go back when you run out! Honestly, I really loved the special dipping sauce for the meat. Dipped with a little wasabi, it was great without feeling greasy.

The kimchi stew wraps are for the next visit

I didn't get to try Pyeonbaekrim's kimchi stew wraps this time, but it's the dish I was still hung up on at the end. It kept catching my eye... it hung big in the restaurant, saying it uses domestic pork, napa cabbage, garlic, radish and more, and a kimchi stew you take a bite of wrapped in lettuce? My curiosity exploded!

When ordering, I really did agonize between the steamed beef and the kimchi stew. Since it was a first visit, I went with the signature steamed dish, but even after eating I was thinking about the kimchi stew... Next visit's dish is already decided. Wrap-it-up kimchi stew, just you wait!~

When is Pyeonbaekrim in Daehwa-dong a good choice?

Pyeonbaekrim lets you eat beef steamed in a cypress steamer instead of grilled, so it's a nice place for days you want a light meat dish. Beef with crunchy mung bean sprouts, a big lettuce wrap, then bean sprout bibimbap and soft tofu stew on top made a pretty filling meal!

They also reportedly have various main dishes such as soy sauce shrimp, jjamppong rice (spicy seafood noodle soup over rice) and yakiudon, plus alcohol including craft beer, so the menu choice is wide. If you want meat but grilled meat feels a bit heavy, the beef pyeonbaek-jjim at Pyeonbaekrim in Daehwa-dong is worth a try. Next time, I'll retry for the kimchi stew wraps I agonized over so much.