Dongtan hanwoo omakase: 170,000-won anniversary dinner at Ubeullang

To celebrate my partner's department transfer, I finally worked up the nerve to go all out for fine dining haha. We're not really the type to go to places like this often, and my taste buds are pretty budget haha, but since it was a special occasion I figured let's just do it! Today's spot was Ubeullang Dongtan, a well-known restaurant in Dongtan.

Where is Ubeullang Dongtan, and what are its hours?

Ubeullang Dongtan is a hanwoo omakase fine dining restaurant on the 1st floor of the Linstrauss apartment complex on Dongtan-yeok-ro. Weekdays it's open 12:00–22:00 (break time 15:30–17:30), and weekends 11:30–22:00 (break time 15:00–17:30).

Ubeullang Dongtan is on the 1st floor of the Linstrauss apartment complex! If you're parking and walking up, it's close to underground parking Gate 1, so going in that way makes it easy to find haha. We parked and hurried up too.

But the exterior already had that upscale vibe going strong, right..? The inside was seriously clean and elegant too, so I felt a little out of place the moment we walked in haha. This atmosphere is unfamiliar to little old me…

Dinner course price: 170,000 won per person

We booked the dinner course, which is ₩170,000 per person!! ...💸 Just looking at the price, honestly, you do need to steel yourself a bit haha. But it's been a while since I felt like every won was worth it at a course meal place, ㅠㅠ. Keep reading to see why I felt that way…

Before the course started, they showed us the ingredients that would be used today, right in a wooden box! Just the color of the meat alone was... insane, right? And then caviar and truffle too... even before it started, I already knew we were in for a proper feast haha.

Corkage-free at Ubeullang Dongtan, so we brought wine

And wine is corkage-free here!! So we brought a bottle we had at home haha. When you can drink wine along with a meal like this, it somehow makes the mood even better, you know? Since this was a proper celebration party for my partner's transfer, we decided to go all out today haha.

First courses: shrimp taco and nagyeopsal beef carpaccio

Then came the bite-sized dishes and the mountain-and-sea delicacies! The shrimp taco here was legendary. It was the perfect one-bite size but the flavor was just insane… And the meat wrapped in wild garlic leaves was explained as wine-marinated meat, and the flavor was seriously incredible. If it's already this good at the start, what were they going to do for the rest ㅠㅠ.

The shrimp taco especially left a real impression on me. One bite in and I was like, oh… what is this… haha. It was the dish that stuck with me the longest out of everything I ate that day.

Then came pine mushroom & ginseng, bokbunja (black raspberry) honey, and today's seafood of the day too! The seafood of the day was raw fish eaten with a mango sauce, scooped up together with a spoon, and that combination was pretty refreshing.

Next was the dried leaf-cut beef carpaccio! They even gave us a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, saying it pairs well with it… wow, having a sip of wine while eating meat really set the mood.

And then, buddha jumps over the wall soup!! It felt like it warmed us up right before the main dish haha. Koreans just can't resist a warm broth like this appearing, so of course I was glad to see it haha.

Hanwoo tenderloin truffle katsu sandwich

And then the one I was really looking forward to: the hanwoo tenderloin truffle katsu sandwich! It was bigger than it looked and generously filled inside. One bite and… absolutely delicious. With hanwoo (Korean beef) plus truffle aroma added, how could it not be good ㅠㅠ. And after finishing it, they gave us a glass of basil essence to cleanse our palate haha. The aroma on this was really clean too, like it reset your mouth before the next course!

The main: three cuts of hanwoo with house-made truffle oil

Finally, the main dish appeared… and wow ㅠㅠ, I'm someone who's obsessed with beef, so the moment I saw this, my eyes just went wide haha. It was so, so delicious ㅠㅠ.

It comes as three of the best cuts of hanwoo, and honestly, I finally understood what people mean when they say something melts in your mouth. One bite in and my eyebrows just shot up !! ㅠㅜ The meat itself was so tender and you could really taste the meaty flavor, so I wanted to savor every single piece slowly haha.

But here's the truly insane part — the house-made truffle oil they served alongside was out of this world… The moment I drizzled a little on the meat, it just harmonized in my mouth perfectly. It was soooo good ㅠㅠ that without even thinking I asked if I could pay extra for a bit more oil, and to my surprise… they gave me two more dropperfuls, no extra charge at all ㅠㅠ. I was so grateful…

But here's the really crazy part… I was so thankful I told them to please pass along to the chef that the oil was insane, that it was seriously delicious. And you won't believe it… they gave me the oil as a gift?! ㅠㅠㅠㅠ They didn't have a proper container so they gave it to me in a plastic bag haha ㅠㅠ, but isn't that just so thoughtful?? Even without a proper container, the fact that they still wanted to give it to me was so warm and appreciated. I was genuinely moved that day…

Hanwoo gomtang and the clay-pot rice set

And that wasn't even the end — hanwoo gomtang (beef bone soup) and a hot pot rice spread came out too. Isn't this basically an all-out food assault at this point haha. Honestly by the time we were eating the meat, I was already pretty full? But when the gomtang and hot pot rice showed up, I ended up eating more anyway… seriously such a generous course, right? This was my first time at a course meal place that left me feeling this stuffed haha.

And then, the seasonal dessert, drumroll~~~!! It was a pudding, and it was so cute and delicious ㅠㅠ. Even when you feel like you're about to burst, dessert always finds room to go in, that's just the rule haha. I finished it off neatly to the very end.

Anniversary bookings come with a cake

But seriously~~~ when I booked, I mentioned separately that we were coming to celebrate my partner's department transfer. And you won't believe it, they prepared a cake for us on top of everything ㅠㅠㅠㅠ. The food was already delicious, but with them taking care of us like this at the very end, I really felt glad we came on this special day. Absolutely the best, best, best — 200% would come back!! Though I probably can't afford to go often haha. Still, I think I'll think of this place again on special days.

This was Ubeullang Dongtan, where I splurged to celebrate my partner's department transfer, and honestly it's been a while since I felt zero regret about the money spent on a course meal ㅠㅠ. Every single dish being delicious was great, but the little extra touches along the way and the cake at the end made this one I'll definitely remember as an anniversary restaurant! If you're in Hwaseong looking for fine dining or hanwoo omakase for a special day, I think I'll definitely keep this place in mind. I'll splurge again next time too… thanks for the meal 🥹🤎