Majang Meat Market — Attraction in Seoul

Apparently I was told all the beef in Seoul passed through this market. As I walked towards this market, from three streets away I started seeing chiller rooms businesses and lots of chiller trucks businesses to and fro. Once I walked in, all doubts were gone. Literally rows and rows of beef stores. The stores function differently. Some are true wholesalers that couldn't be bothered with a retail client or tourist and wouldn't even cast you one look. Others deal with parts and innards, so they are busy craving, cutting and washing. Plenty of blood and parts everywhere. Lastly there are those artisan vendors that display prized Han Woo Beef platters for wholesale or retail, even have affiliated restaurants that they can let you charcoal grill immediately and even provide you with banchan and drinks. I was recommended to a prized Han Woo 1+++ only vendor (Best Korean quality). He is friendly and spoke some English. For my preference of Charcoal grill, he promptly recommended the fattiest marbled loin slices I had ever set eyes upon. Promptly paid him and just wanna eat. He threw in another platter of pork belly and told me it's free for me. He led me to a nice no-frills Korean grill restaurant, and I was promptly tendered to. When the grilling started, magic happened. The tantalising smell alone is enough to whet your appetite. As the beef slices were very fatty, even just a quick grill on the hot charcoal the fats were already dripping into the charcoal and small fires burnt on turn smoked the meat slices and brings about a heavenly aroma in the whole room. Long story short, while you can wrap the meat with lettuce, perilla leaves, with any of the provided toppings from onions slices, cucumber slices, green onion strips, Kim chi, garlic, green chilli and gochujang etc My take is simply pop it in your mouth as it is and don't tinkle with the delicate taste. The texture and taste is superb. Succulent and flavourful, as you bite into soft gelatinous beef fats with a little smoky char that oozes more hot, liquid fats that fills up all your palate and coats your tongue. Though not much of a chew as it literally melts in your mouth, you wanna play with it around your mouth to enjoy the sensation a little longer as you savour every drop of that decadent flavour. Bang! Seriously good food comatose seyo! Deliciously good marbled Han...

We did our research before deciding going here and was already sold by a tour guide recommendation. To spend the most out of your pocket money, go here instead of going to a fancy restaurant especially if you're a beef-guy like me. This is a wet market so please check your expectations. Here's the gist: you pick a butcher stall, select the cut and quality of meat you would like, then have it cooked on nearby 'eateries'. A very nice guy helped us select our meat and even gave us a discount and extra gyudon slices! His shop is on the right side when you enter the Majang Meat Market arc (second stall from the arc/entrance). Then we were introduced to this modest BBQ restaurant. The owner and staff are very friendly and patient with us as we try communicate with them using a translator app. They accept card payment and offer free coffee after your meal! I am posting picture of the restaurant here.

Now the meat experience. My mind was telling me that I will just be dealing with 'slabs of fat with a bit of meat' due to the marbling. We were surprised that wasn't the case at all. It still has the 'beefy' flavour albeit USDA beef is still superior when it comes to taste. We tried grilling the 'Korean way', what I mean by that is grilling the meat first then just sprinkle some salt afterwards. I'd admit that seasoning the meat first works better for me. You can do both! Overall a very nice...

Came to this Majang Market to have one of the best beef experience! Hanwoo beef, a beef that was so buttery and tender. You have to purchase the beef and bring it up to the restaurant to be cooked. We bought our beef from Born & Bred. Reason was they were said to be the first to introduce the concept of buying the meat from the butchery stall and then you bring it to the restaurant upstairs to cook the beautiful meat.

Do note that you have to pay a fee for the restaurant to prep the table for you. And you get to purchase other dishes and EVEN additional Hanwoo beef if you don’t feel like going down to run through the purchasing process over again. You have to do your own cooking thus come prepared to just have fun and enjoy this experience. Take note not to overcook the beef. Go slow on the fire for a start and when you get a hang of it, increase the fire if needed.

We tried the wet aging meats, another form of treating the beef for days (other than dry aging) to tenderize it but we feel that the beef set that we purchased was much better thus I would say give the wet aging meats a skip and keep to the set.

Be prepared to have ahjummas calling out to you to buy their beef. Just kindly decline them politely as they are still doing their job in meat selling. Other than that, enjoy Hanwoo…only available in Korea (and some said Hongkong which I’m...