Seoul Korean restaurant lunch with sweet shrimp gim bugak: Usu

Today I'm bringing you my review of the Lunch C course at Usu Gongdeok, a premium hanwoo (Korean beef) course restaurant near Gongdeok Station! I'd really recommend this place for an anniversary, an important gathering, or just a fancy meal. It'd be great for a date course, meeting the in-laws, or a family gathering too. Every seat is a private room so I ate in total comfort +_+ And it's corkage free, so it's perfect for wine lovers too! 👍

Where is Usu and how does parking work? Gongdeok Station exit 2, 3 hours free

Usu Gongdeok is on basement level 2 of the Lotte Castle President building at 467 Gongdeok-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, right in front of exit 2 of Gongdeok Station. It connects directly to the subway so it's super convenient to reach, and there's a large in-building parking lot with 3 hours free parking.

• Address: Basement level 2, Lotte Castle President, 467 Gongdeok-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul
• Hours: open every day
• Parking: large in-building lot (3 hours free)
• Transit: right by Gongdeok Station exit 2 (subway connected)
• All seats are private rooms, corkage free, group seating available

Private rooms at every table: Usu's sleek, weighty interior

🖤 The moment I stepped into Usu Gongdeok, I could tell this was a restaurant with real atmosphere.

But the biggest advantage of all was that every single seat is a private room! Independent rooms are neatly arranged along a hallway, and once you close the door, outside noise is completely blocked.

I thought this would be perfect for meeting the in-laws in Seoul, an important business meeting, a Yeouido team dinner, or a Gongdeok work dinner spot! And being corkage free means you can bring your own wine to drink.. what a thoughtful touch 🍷👍

The tableware was so neat and tidy, and they served roasted barley tea, which was lovely!

What comes in Usu's Lunch C course (80g)?

🍽️ Usu Gongdeok's Lunch C course is based around 80g of hanwoo sirloin. The visuals are honestly insane... every garnish and sauce felt so carefully done, it had the feel of a high-end hanjeongsik (Korean set-course) meal, and I felt taken care of the whole time... 💕

The three one-bite starters

Straight-up Instagram-worthy visuals from the start.. here are the three finger foods with insane presentation 📸

The bulgogi sandwich. Hanwoo bulgogi, mushroom duxelles, and truffle cream cheese tucked between fragrant brioche bread, so a subtle truffle aroma filled my mouth with every bite. The flavor after just one bite was... incredible

Scallop and clam. On top of crispy brick pastry, grilled scallop, aburaga, clam cream sauce, and gamtae (seaweed) powder came together for a rich, luxurious flavor of the sea.

Sweet shrimp and gim bugak: the best bite of the course

Sweet shrimp and gim bugak (fried seaweed) was my absolute favorite dish! Grilled seaweed brushed with pollack roe, topped with fried abalone innard rice, chewy sweet shrimp, and a refreshing yuzu sauce.. the combination of savory and tangy was insane ㅠㅠ It was genuinely so good I want to go back just for this.

Abalone gardenia noodles (jeonbok osaek chija-myeon)

A noodle dish with a gamtae (seaweed) dressing base that completely refreshes your palate before the main course! Chewy gardenia-colored noodles loaded with abalone, black sesame julienned radish, bracken, shiitake mushroom, seasoned chamnamul, and perilla leaves — tangy, sweet, and clean. It was even better than I expected!

The pot rice that goes with the set!

The main: grilled 1++ hanwoo sirloin and hanwoo seaweed soup rice set

Finally, the main event — Mapo hanwoo 1++ grilled sirloin. Can you see that gorgeous marbling..? You grill it yourself to your preferred doneness over a mini charcoal brazier, so you get to enjoy it warm and tender all the way through !!!

The moment it hit my mouth, the juices burst and it just melted away..

It's no wonder this place is known as one of Seoul's go-to hanwoo omakase spots and a Gongdeok favorite.

My face is covered but you can tell how happy I look, right? haha

Paired with the rich hanwoo seaweed soup set that came alongside, it really rounded out into the perfect, filling meal...

With the seaweed soup plus three side dishes, the rice just disappears.. I finished a whole bowl in no time 🍚✨

Dessert: corn and cheonggyul (green tangerine)

The dessert finish was perfect too.. so, so delicious.

A handmade dessert combining corn ice cream, corn cream cheese, apricot, corn crumble, sponge cake, and a cheongyul (green tangerine) cream sauce. Sweet and nutty, and the tanginess of the apricot and cheongyul gave it a clean finish 🍨

Say ahh~~ everyone haha

Is Usu worth it? Verdict and visit notes

💡 Access & parking: right by Gongdeok Station exit 2, so it's super easy to find, and with 3 hours free parking in the building's large lot, driving there is a breeze!

Private space: since every seat is a room, it's ideal for a quiet, private time, and being corkage free is a nice bonus!

I really, really recommend this place if you're looking for a Seoul hanjeongsik (Korean set-course) restaurant for a Gongdeok date, a wedding anniversary dinner, a gathering after sending out invitations, or bringing your parents along!! If you want to enjoy a delicious hanwoo course on a special day, definitely check out Usu Gongdeok 💖💖