Finally you can also get Hanwoo in Singapore but it’s still better to eat it in Korea. This KBBQ place is just next to Four Points Seoul Station filled with locals and not jammed with tourists.
Seongwon 성연 serves chamsuchbulgalbi 참숯불갈비, or charcoal grilled ribs, using Hanwoo 한우. Hanwoo is the name for the breed of the cow that is indigenous to Korea. Only until recently, this rare beef is not available outside of Korea because the supply is not enough for the demand in the country. (Some very high-end Korean restaurant in Hong Kong have very limited supply at exorbitant prices.)
One of the challenge in this restaurant is ordering. The staff does not speak English and even though it has been translated, the menu does not represent all the cuts of meat that they have. (The beef and pork choices are written on the wall.) And if you do not have Google Translate or do not speak Korean, there’s still the assorted cuts platter (right).
Once you have placed the order, the charcoal stove will be placed in the your table with the non-stick grill. And then, the banchan would be placed around the grill. This is what we ordered over two nights at the restaurant.
Banchan 반찬 is an essential part of any good Korean meal, because they are delicious and they provide variety to the main course.
한우 1+등급 등심 Korean Beef Sirloin 1+ Grade
Korean Beef Sirloin 1+ Grade is a premium cut of hanwoo, just below the top 1++ grade, offering an excellent balance of intense beefy flavour, tenderness, and rich marbling, making it ideal for grilling (hanwoo gui 한우구이) where its unique nutty taste and juicy texture shine, often enjoyed simply with salt to appreciate its quality.
소갈비살 Beef Ribs
So 소 means “beef” in Korean and galbisal 갈비살 refers to the meat from the short ribs, often the boneless “rib fingers”. The marbling for their galbisal wasn’t that fantastic, but the tenderness and flavours were outstanding.
살치살 Chuck Flap Tail
새우살 Ribeye Cap
This is a very interesting cut from the ribeye that is literally called saeusal 새우 or “the shrimp meat” because of the shape. Saeusal is a limited part that only comes with a small amount of about 1 kg per cow. I love this part because of its flavourful meat yet in small portion.
生 삼겹살 Raw Pork Belly
Samgyeopsal 삼겹살 is a beloved Korean dish of thick, juicy pork belly, named for its “three layers” of fat and meat, grilled at the table.
At this point, you will need some ice cold beer to wash down the bbq meat.
계란찜 Steamed Eggs
Gyeran-jjim 계란찜, or Korean steamed eggs, is a popular Korean savoury egg custard side dish known for its soft, fluffy, and silky texture. It is a comforting, warm dish typically cooked in a pot (often a Korean earthenware pot called a ttukbaegi) and usually included as a banchan. Here, however, is an add-on.
물냉면 Cold Buckwheat Noodles
After all the grilled beef, you will need something refreshing to finish the meal. Naengmyeon or North Korean style cold noodles come to mind. The two main varieties of naengmyeon are mul naengmyeon (물 냉면) and bibim naengmyeon (비빔 냉면). The cold version is made with a refreshing stock made from the pickling juice of chikin-mul 치킨무 pickled radish.
Korean Hanwoo BBQ is a must-do itinerary for Seoul. This place had great service and good hanwoo and wonderful local atmosphere – nobody was speaking a foreign language when we were there! Good price, not the cheapest but the quality of the beef is good.
Seongwon Cham Charcoal Grilled Ribs 성원참숯불갈비
8 Hangang-daero 104-gil, Yongsan District, Seoul, South Korea
Tel : +82 2777 8070
Visited Oct 2025
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