Seongsu shabu-shabu with rosé risotto: Shabu in Seoul

I had shabu-shabu in Seongsu, and this time the meat caught my eye before the broth did. I ordered Prime Angus chuck flap and 1++ Korean beef boseopsal; both looked to be in great condition from the moment they arrived, and once I tried them, they were both wonderfully tender. Then there was the spicy mushroom broth, handmade fresh shrimp balls, and rosé risotto at the end. It was a slightly different kind of shabu-shabu from what I usually have in Seongsu, and I remembered it right through to the end.

Shabu in Seoul Seongsu, close to Seongsu Station

It is on the first floor of Yuwon Knowledge Industry Center, 53 Seongsuil-ro 6-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, and is 96 m from Exit 3 of Seongsu Station on Line 2. Hours are 11:00–22:30, with a break from 15:30–17:00; there is no break on weekends. Last order is at 21:30, and underground parking in the building is free for one hour.

Shabu in Seoul Seongsu is easy to reach on foot from Seongsu Station. On the Naver Place screen I checked, it was about 96 m from Exit 3, so it felt quite accessible for a Seongsu appointment or when looking for somewhere to eat near Seongsu Station.

A spacious, comfortable dining room

Once inside, the restaurant was more spacious than I expected. The ceiling was high and there was plenty of room between the tables, so it felt comfortable rather than cramped.

Each table was set up so you could cook shabu-shabu right there.

Ordering at the table was convenient, too. It was nice for a meal for two, with an atmosphere where you could take your time over shabu-shabu.

The shabu sets and spicy mushroom broth we ordered

We ordered the Prime Angus chuck flap shabu set for ₩31,000, the 1++ Korean beef boseopsal shabu set for ₩31,000, handmade fresh shrimp balls for ₩10,000, and Saero for ₩6,000. We chose the spicy mushroom broth from several options. The finishing dish changes with the broth, and choosing spicy mushroom broth meant rosé risotto at the end, which made me curious too.

Do check the descriptions for the broths and meats, as well as how the finishing dish changes according to the broth.

How spicy is the spicy mushroom broth?

The name made it sound quite hot, but when I tried it, a clean peppery kick came through before heat did. It was not aggressively spicy; it had that brisk kick while the broth itself remained light. I liked that it did not overwhelm the flavor of the chuck flap or Korean beef. Since shabu-shabu cooks away as you eat, this kind of peppery, light broth was actually easier to enjoy until the end than something overly intense.

Neatly prepared sauces and pickled radish

The table was also neatly set with sauces for dipping the meat.

I tried the meat cooked in the broth on its own, then changed things up now and then by dipping it in sauce. That made it easy to keep eating without getting tired of the flavors. Personally, I liked that even these small details felt well organized.

Pickled radish came as a basic side dish. The crunchy radish with its tangy flavor was nice to have between bites of shabu-shabu meat. After eating meat continuously, your mouth can start to feel a little heavy, and one bite of the pickled radish freshened everything up nicely.

A vegetable platter as generous as the meat

The vegetables served with the meat were more generous than I expected. A bowl arrived full of ingredients centered around large shiitake mushrooms, with bean sprouts, bok choy, napa cabbage, kabocha squash, other mushrooms, tofu, and rice cakes.

At first it looked like quite a lot, but once the spicy mushroom broth started boiling and I added the vegetables one by one, it disappeared quickly. Adding plenty of mushrooms and vegetables made the pot feel completely full, with far more ingredients than when it held only broth.

They went well with the peppery yet light spicy mushroom broth, and I liked being able to alternate vegetables, meat, and mushrooms rather than eating meat continuously. Even in the photos, the variety of vegetables made the overall shabu-shabu spread feel substantial, not just meat-focused.

A glass of soju with shabu-shabu

You cannot leave out a glass of soju with shabu-shabu, right? As the peppery spicy mushroom broth began bubbling and we cooked the meat piece by piece, having a drink just happened naturally. A bite of tender chuck flap or light Korean beef boseopsal, then a refreshing sip of soju. With the peppery broth as well, shabu-shabu worked both as a meal and a drinking snack. We clinked glasses once, then added more meat. That is part of the fun of coming out for something delicious.

The tender texture of Prime Angus chuck flap

The meat was what I remembered first from this meal. The Prime Angus chuck flap looked in great condition as soon as it reached the table, so I was looking forward to it before even tasting it. Lightly cooked in the spicy mushroom broth, it had a remarkably tender texture. With shabu-shabu, the broth or vegetables can often take center stage, but here the meat itself really stayed with me. It was a dish that made me clearly think, “This is good meat.”

1++ Korean beef boseopsal: tender and light

The 1++ Korean beef boseopsal we ordered alongside it was good too. It was tender like the chuck flap, but the Korean beef had more of its own clean, light flavor.

Lightly cooked in the peppery spicy mushroom broth, neither the broth nor the meat was too strong, and they paired well. Ordering both meats also made it fun to alternate between them.

Handmade fresh shrimp balls added along the way

Rather than eating only meat throughout, we dropped in shrimp balls from time to time. We cooked the handmade fresh shrimp balls in the spicy mushroom broth, and I liked these quite a bit too.

In particular, the distinct texture of shrimp came through when I bit into them. They did not just feel like a smoothly ground fish ball; the texture made it feel like you were actually eating shrimp. Fishing one out between bites of meat changed the rhythm of the meal, so I was glad we added them.

Adding meat and vegetables to the spicy mushroom broth

Once the vegetables were cooked and the broth began to boil, it was time to add the meat piece by piece. There is nothing quite like lightly cooking the meat in the red spicy mushroom broth and lifting it out straight away. The broth was peppery rather than overwhelmingly hot, so you could still taste the tender meat. Alternating chuck flap and Korean beef boseopsal reminded me, as I ate, why the meat had caught my attention from the moment it arrived.

There was rice paper too, so we wrapped the meat and vegetables in it. Personally, if meat quality matters to you in shabu-shabu, this is a place worth remembering.

Rosé risotto instead of rice porridge at the end

And personally, this was one of the most distinctive things about Shabu in Seoul Seongsu. Usually, shabu-shabu ends with juk (rice porridge), right? But because we chose the spicy mushroom broth, the final dish was rosé risotto. When I actually tried it,

it was creamy and nutty, with a spicy note as well. After eating shabu-shabu in the spicy mushroom broth, the flavor flowed naturally into it, yet it felt as though I was getting a completely different dish at the end. It was definitely unlike the usual rice-porridge finish, and that made it feel quite special to me. I liked the progression from meat to shrimp balls to rosé risotto.

Finishing with a dessert drink

After the rosé risotto, I was quite full, but there was a dessert drink ready as well. Ending with a dessert drink after shabu-shabu and risotto made the meal feel neatly complete. The way everything unfolded one by one, almost like a course meal, was impressive.

A meal remembered for its meat and rosé risotto

The things I remembered most after trying Shabu in Seoul Seongsu were, of course, the meat and the final rosé risotto. The chuck flap looked great from the start, while the 1++ Korean beef boseopsal was tender and light. Then there was the spicy mushroom broth, which was peppery and light rather than simply hot, plus the fresh shrimp balls with their distinct shrimp texture. Finishing with creamy, nutty, spicy rosé risotto instead of rice porridge made it feel like a slightly different shabu-shabu meal from the usual.

The restaurant was spacious and comfortable, so if you are looking for a Seongsu restaurant or somewhere near Seongsu Station where you can enjoy shabu-shabu at a more relaxed pace, it could be worth comparing. If I return, I would choose the spicy mushroom broth and fresh shrimp balls again—and definitely have the rosé risotto at the end again.