Yangjae Korean course anniversary lunch with hamburg steak: MUSEO

My boyfriend and I were deciding where to go for our anniversary, and I wanted Korean food, so I booked MUSEO (무제오) ლ(╹◡╹ლ) Fun TMI: it's near Yangjae Station, which is close to me since I live in southern Gyeonggi 🤍

What's the atmosphere at MUSEO like?

MUSEO is in the basement, so just follow the signs! It feels like heading into another world...

The logo design at the door and inside is so pretty that I snapped a bunch of photos.

The main hall is quiet but not uncomfortable, just relaxed! Parties of two are guided to bar seats. The dark, black interior with the red glow of the kitchen makes for a really cool atmosphere.

There are no private rooms, but there is group seating at the back. It looks good for wedding invitation gatherings, company dinners and other group meetups.

MUSEO lunch and dinner menus

MUSEO's lunch offers regular baekban (set meal) and premium baekban, and dinner has two options too: a signature course and a tasting course. We chose lunch this time, but I'll have to come back for dinner.

How much is the premium baekban lunch, and in what order does it come?

The premium baekban lunch at MUSEO is ₩49,000 per person. Side dishes and a spoon-and-chopstick set are already laid out at your seat, along with the course of the day.

You can check the menu you reserved at your seat. We booked the [Lunch - Premium Baekban] course! It's served in the order below ლ(╹◡╹ლ)

• Egg / seafood mulhoe (cold raw-fish soup) / hanwoo ox-foot
• Mint sorbet
• Yukhoe (seasoned raw beef) bibimbap or boyang gukbap (restorative rice soup) set
• Dessert

Even for lunch, the lineup is really substantial. I'd recommend it as a good-value Korean course meal..✨ It's ₩49,000 per person, and switching one to boyang gukbap was +₩11,000, so the prices are reasonable.

There are 3 basic side dishes, and every one was really good. Especially the myeongnan-jeot (salted pollock roe).. I wanted to buy some to take home.

3 appetizers: steamed egg, pyeonyuk, sweet shrimp mulhoe

The premium baekban starts with 3 appetizers! They gave a careful explanation before we ate so we could taste everything more fully, and recommended eating them in the order steamed egg, pyeonyuk (sliced boiled pork), then mulhoe.

First, steamed egg topped with spinach and anchovies! It was super soft, with a pudding-like texture like chawanmushi (Japanese steamed egg).

The spinach on top wasn't tough but tender, and adding some of the myeongnan-jeot from the side dishes made it so good. The salted roe seemed to go well with everything.

Second was pyeonyuk with a seasoned salad and doenjang (soybean paste) sauce. I wondered if the doenjang sauce would be strong.. but it was really mild with a subtle doenjang flavor!

I'd never seen pyeonyuk shaped like this..! It looked like there were several things inside too! The seasoning is mild like any pyeonyuk, but eaten with the doenjang sauce and salad, it's just right.

Last is the sweet shrimp mulhoe. It's sweet and tangy, and the sweet shrimp is rich and chewy, so if you like mulhoe, you'll go crazy for it..

The mulhoe really got my appetite going ლ(╹◡╹ლ)

Before moving on, a mint sorbet to cleanse the palate. The mulhoe and the seasoned salad have a strong chogochujang (sweet-tangy chili sauce) flavor, and the mint sorbet really reset my mouth. Thank you, thumbs-up mint.

What's in the main yukhoe bibimbap set?

The main of MUSEO's lunch course is the yukhoe bibimbap set: hamburg steak, fried Spanish mackerel, seaweed, a clear tofu doenjang soup, and rice. Can you feel how generous it is even from the photo... if not, too bad...✨

The yukhoe bibimbap is loaded with namul (seasoned vegetables). Fresh, veggie-packed bibimbap like this is my kind of thing, and it's been a while since I had one, at MUSEO. It's already seasoned, but you can add more gochujang to taste. I found the seasoning just right, so I didn't add any. It looks gorgeous..

The quality of every namul is crazy good. And there were no polarizing namul in it, so even a picky eater like me could eat everything without picking things out.

Hamburg steak and fried Spanish mackerel with tartar sauce

MUSEO's hamburg steak was the best one I've ever had--<-<-<@

The mustard sauce and shredded green onion kept the flavor from being greasy. MUSEO... you're so good at hamburg steak..,,

And the second-best thing I ate at MUSEO: the fried Spanish mackerel with tartar sauce.

The fish was moist and tender, and the tartar sauce was really good. A gentle flavor that doesn't overpower the mackerel! Honestly, I don't really like tartar sauce. But MUSEO's tartar sauce.. is the best I've had in my life..

The soup was mild, clean and delicious too.

Nothing was too loud or heavy; the whole table was clean and delicious. I was full, but the yukhoe bibimbap was so good that I finished it all...o(><；)oo

How much extra is it to switch to boyang gukbap?

At MUSEO, adding ₩11,000 to the yukhoe bibimbap set gets you boyang gukbap with a small portion of yukhoe. I only tasted the broth, but it was deep yet clean! It really felt restorative. With a lineup like this, it'd be great to bring your parents too ฅʕ•̫͡•ʔฅ

How was the makgeolli ice cream dessert?

The final dessert of MUSEO's lunch course is the makgeolli (rice wine) ice cream I'm still thinking about. It's an ice cream made with organic rice, topped with blueberries, soy sauce crumble and chamoe (Korean melon). Nutty flavor plus fresh fruit, just superb!

Honestly, it's rare for me to be satisfied with the dessert at a course restaurant, but MUSEO's dessert was absolutely perfect✨ While eating it, I was thinking they should open an ice cream shop..

Is MUSEO worth it for an anniversary lunch?

MUSEO's premium baekban lunch was a clean, no-fuss Korean course meal! It made our anniversary's first meal a success. I highly recommend it if you're looking for a Gangnam course meal.