Raon 라온 @ Seoul

After a long day exploring Namsan, we were looking for a nice Korean BBQ restaurant for dinner. We decided to try our luck at Myeongdong as the free shuttle bus from N.tower (a.k.a. Namsan Tower) stopped there.

Arguably Seoul’s most famous neighbourhood and undoubtedly one of its most popular, Myeongdong 明洞 takes shopping and eating to new heights, with hundreds of shops, restaurants, and cafes all stacked on top of one another. The rise in popularity of Korean cosmetics, fashion, and more has made this area a
must-see for visitors who come and marvel at Myeongdong’s often frenetic pace and energy.

Raon, meaning “happy” in Korean, is a speciality Korean BBQ restaurant located near the Myeongdong subway station and offer high quality and value-for-money hanwoo (Korean beef). The kitchen manager is a veteran who has worked in Korean BBQ shops and restaurants for more than 20 years, and his taste and quality are guaranteed the highest. There’s a minimum of two persons to order BBQ.

For those who want to taste authentic Korean hanwoo, package A, which came with three cuts of beef, was the best choice. Deungsim 등심 sirloin, galbikkochsal 갈비꽃살 boneless short ribs, and yangnyeomgalbi 양념갈비 seasoned short ribs are all selected cuts from Korean beef with grade 1+.

Not only is the meat excellent, but the charcoal has also been carefully selected, which is most suitable for barbecue. The best charcoal is matched with top meat to achieve the best taste.

The beef and pork used by the store are specially selected for their quality and taste. The fresh beef is placed in a special dry age facility for 3 to 5 days at the specified temperature and humidity. Dry aged beef is more flavourful, softer and more tender. All the beef offered in Raon are Hanwoo of grade 1+ minimum.

As part of the package, you get to choose between gimchijeon 김치전 kimchi pancake or haemulpajeon 해문파전 seafood and green onion pancake. We picked the haemulpajeon which was made with three main ingredients – squid, shrimp and clams – and was delicious.

And another choice that you have to make is the main meal, between naengmyeon 냉면 cold buckwheat noodles and dolsot bibimbap 돌솥비빔밥 hot stone pot bibimbap. We picked the bibimbap, which came with five different kinds of vegetables and topped with a raw egg yolk. Just put as much of the bibimbap chilli as you want and mix well. Because it came in a sizzling hot stone pot, you will have a fantastically browned burnt rice in the bottom.

As long as you order a set meal or barbecue menu, the restaurant will provide 5-6 kinds of banchan (side dishes) such as salad, kimchi, etc. There will be some changes according to the season.

Yangnyeomgalbi 양념갈비 seasoned short ribs is a favourite among foreigners for its sweet and savoury marinade. The short ribs were done in the “king cut”, i.e. the short ribs have be sliced to spread out the beef for even marination.

From Exit 9·10 of Myeongdong Station of Seoul Metro Line 4, it is just a 2-minute walk away. Because it is very close to the bustling street of Myeongdong, it is most suitable for a delicious meal after shopping.

The service was really good, worrying that we would over order and recommended that we got the set. The beef was very good, and the grilling was experienced resulting in juicy meat for each cut. If you are in Myeongdong, this would be a good alternative to the very popular Wangbijib,

Korean BBQ House Raon 라온
56 Myeongdong 2-gil Chungmuro 1-ga, Seoul South Korea
서울특별시 중구 충무로2가 62-20
Tel : +82 2-757-7896

Visited Nov 2022

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