Prime sirloin platter and radish salad at Sutbul Seonghwa in Songpa

I went back to Sutbul Seonghwa. I came again for the meat, and once more it was exactly the place that comes to mind when I'm craving beef. This spot is also well known as a Seokchon Station restaurant, and quite a few people were there for dinner.

Sutbul Seonghwa is also known for being included in the Michelin Guide. I was curious about the meat itself, but since I'd already been once before, this time I wanted to try some of the other menu items too.

Seonghwa Platter ₩99,000, ordered by table kiosk

You order through the kiosk on the table. After looking through the menu for a while, I went with the Seonghwa Platter this time. It costs ₩99,000.

After ordering, it wasn't long before the side dishes arrived. There were more varieties than I expected, and overall it felt generous. At a barbecue place, the side dishes matter almost as much as the meat, and with so many laid out, the table filled up fast.

The reason I came back: the side dishes, especially the radish salad

This was actually my second visit to Sutbul Seonghwa. One of the reasons I came back was the side dishes. The meat was great, but it was the banchan (side dishes) that stayed with me.

The radish salad in particular is genuinely delicious. It's tangy and crunchy, which pairs really well with the meat. Eating beef can get a little heavy after a while, but having the radish salad alongside it makes your palate feel clean again.

Seonghwa Platter 400g: 240g sirloin and 160g wine-marinated short rib skirt

Finally, the Seonghwa Platter I'd ordered arrived. It totals 400g, and just looking at it, the portion was pretty impressive.

The platter is made up of 240g of Seonghwa sirloin and 160g of wine-marinated short rib skirt. I liked that I could try two different cuts instead of just one.

The sirloin and the skirt had different textures and different levels of seasoning, so switching between them worked well. Eating the plain cut first and then the marinated one afterward let me notice the contrast, which made the meal feel less one-note than sticking to a single menu item.

Prime-grade Seonghwa sirloin

The Seonghwa sirloin is said to be prime grade. A lot of people care about the grade when choosing Korean beef, so having a prime-grade sirloin on the menu is worth noting when deciding what to order.

Sirloin especially is a cut where you're tasting the meat itself, so how it's grilled matters. Grill it too long and it gets tough — I found it's best cooked just right.

Staff grill the first bite for you

The first round of meat was grilled for us by staff. Having someone grill it meant I didn't have to worry about how done it should be, which was a relief.

Watching the meat cook over the charcoal, the smell alone was enough to work up an appetite. I think beef tastes best cooked just right without over-grilling, and with staff handling the first pieces, I could just wait comfortably.

Once the meat was grilled to the right point, it was placed on individual plates for each of us. Having it ready to eat right away meant I could enjoy the first bite without any hassle.

And that first bite was so good. The sirloin's signature savory flavor came through, it wasn't tough at all, and there was a subtle smoky note from the charcoal.

The beef was delicious on its own, but I'd personally recommend always trying it with the side dishes. Pairing it with the radish salad I mentioned earlier, the savory meat and the tangy salad went really well together.

Finishing with doenjang jjigae, rice, and bibim naengmyeon

After eating a fair amount of meat, we also ordered doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) and rice. After a barbecue meal, having stew and rice makes it feel like a proper full meal.

And the rice here is really good.

We also ordered bibim naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles). After eating meat, finishing off with cold noodles to reset your palate is a must, isn't it?

I mixed the bibim naengmyeon well so the seasoning was evenly distributed and had it alongside the meat. After the beef, that spicy-tangy cold noodle brought my appetite right back.

I came away from Sutbul Seonghwa having had a really generous meal of beef. Maybe because it was a return visit, the side dishes and the overall menu stood out to me even more than the first time — and as always, the radish salad was the one I'll remember.