Gangnam beef BBQ for Mom's Seoul visit, doenjang sul-bap: Woosang

I had a cozy dinner with my mom, who came to Seoul for a visit. For parents, a private, quiet beef place is always the best idea, so I searched hard and booked this one near Maebong Station in Gangnam: Woosang Hwarogui. The atmosphere was classy and the meat was good, and Mom was happy, so here's my honest review.

Woosang Hwarogui Gangnam Maebong Station Branch: hours and parking

Woosang Hwarogui Gangnam Maebong Station Branch is at 26 Nonhyeon-ro 34-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 1st floor, and it's closed on Sundays. It's open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday.

• Break time: 3 p.m.–5 p.m.
• Last order: 9 p.m.
• Parking: about 5 spots in front of the restaurant
• If full, use Dogok Minyeong parking lot

What's on the menu at Woosang Hwarogui?

The assorted platter (modeum hanpan) seems to be the main menu here. The lunch special looked good too.

The sides have everything you'd want! Unusual cut names stand out, like aged double-prime striploin, chamjinsal, angeomisal and gadak galbi (short rib strips), and the sides include doenjang (soybean paste) stew with soondubu, ramyeon, naengmyeon and more.

There's a wide choice of drinks too, so pick something that goes well with charcoal-grilled beef.

Atmosphere: is it good for taking parents?

It was night, so the sign stood out from far away. The name "Woosang" is said to mean deep, rich meat flavor and top-grade binchotan charcoal. Apparently it began in Jeongja-dong, by the Tancheon stream, in the old charcoal village that made and supplied good-quality charcoal…

The space is a decent size. It's calm and private, so it looked great for chatting quietly with Mom while feeling properly treated. Inside there are about 6 four-person tables, and the inner rooms hold 4 to 10 people.

Sang Modeum Hanpan for ₩85,000 in a semi-curtained room

We booked the semi-curtained room, which feels a bit calmer. We ordered the Sang Modeum Hanpan for ₩85,000! It comes with three cuts and a pile of scallions.

It was a chilly day, so the warm wet towel the moment we sat down put me in a good mood.

Side dishes came first: pickled celery, pickled chili and garlic shoots, mustard greens kimchi (I think?), salad, seasoned cucumber and chili, salt, wasabi, and braised shiitake. All good partners for the meat. Soon after, the meat arrived.

When it was served, the color and presentation of the meat looked neat and appetizing. Chamjinsal, angeomisal, gadak galbi. Honestly I'd never heard of these cuts, so I wondered if they'd be good! The staff explained what to eat first and how.

The scallion pile came too. It looked a bit like fresh wasabi, which was cute and kind of fascinating.

The staff lay the meat neatly on the set brazier. The fire is strong, so it cooks fast!

Chamjinsal should be grilled to medium so it doesn't burn. They also put on things that taste great grilled, like corn, shishito peppers, garlic and tomato.

Chamjinsal: first bite with salt

The first bite is always salt! Dipped in a little salt, the lovely beefy aroma really came through.

A faint charcoal smoke seeped in and it melted in my mouth. It was nicely juicy too, so it's put on, grill, put on, grill, and you end up rushing.

Angeomisal and gadak galbi: which cut was the best?

Next came angeomisal and gadak galbi. Personally I thought gadak galbi might be tough since it has to be cooked all the way through, but it was chewy and nutty and ended up being my favorite.

Is the doenjang sul-bap worth ordering?

Midway we also ordered the doenjang sul-bap (soybean paste rice stew), and I really recommend it. It's full of meat and the rice is nicely softened. Mom and I said we'd have been in trouble without it, and finished it in a flash.

So much meat and tofu... It's slightly spicy, which makes it even better. Definitely order it!

Suddenly I remembered it was a curtain room, so I tried closing it.

The chewy galbi was so good! And that scallion pile isn't spicy at all, it's finely sliced and crunchy. The texture is insane!

Finishing with sweet corn and dessert ice cream

Last was the sweet corn (chodang corn). I planned to finish with it like a dessert, but Woosang Hwarogui has dessert ice cream too!

Excellent. If you want, they sprinkle salt, pepper and olive oil on it, and that's how you should eat it, it's insanely good. The owner really knows what's up...