For December, Asian Palate’s From the Concierge consults with Stefano Di Salvo, Executive Chef of Park Hyatt Seoul. Park Hyatt Seoul is a five star luxury hotel located in the heart of modern city of Seoul. To find out more about Park Hyatt Seoul, click here. The focus is on restaurants that serve the best galbi, barbecued beef short ribs in Seoul. Galbi is generally made with beef ribs marinated in a sauce of soy sauce, garlic and sugar, and features widely in modern Korean cuisine.
Jeannie Cho Lee MW recommends in her award-winning book, Asian Palate, full-bodied red wines with a strong fruit profile key to stand up to the tasty meats, since very few whites wines would pair well since they lack the necessary tannins to balance the proteins and weight of the dishes. Fruity, mature, full-bodied red wines with firm tannins would work very well with their smoother tannin profile without the aggressiveness, which can work against the high salt content. She recommends “mature Rhône wines from Côte-Rotie, Hermitage or Châteauneuf-du-Pape; right bank Bordeaux; mature Tuscan reds such as Brunello di Montalcino or IGTs; mature, New World, cool climate Shiraz or Cabernet blends.”
1) WOORAEOK (우래옥)
OPEN HOURS: 11:30 ~ 22:00
LOCATION: 983-13 Daechi 3-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
TELEPHONE : 02-561-6121
Chef Stefano’s Comment: It is a famous Korean restaurant well known for bulgogi, galbi and cold noodles.
2) BAMBOO HOUSE (뱀부 하우스)
OPEN HOURS: 11:30 ~ 14:30 / 17:30 ~ 22:00
LOCATION: 658-10 Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
TELEPHONE: 02-555-6390
Chef Stefano’s Comment: “Bamboo House specialises in a variety of high quality Korean barbecue and seafood.”
3) BYEOK JE GALBI (벽제갈비, 도곡점)
OPEN HOURS: 11:30 ~ 14:30 / 17:30 ~ 22:00
LOCATION: 467-29 Dogok-1dong Gangnam-Gu, Seoul
TELEPHONE : 02-2058-3535
Chef Stefano’s Comment: “A traditional Korean restaurant that specialises in charcoal-grilled galbi. Painstakingly chosen cooking techniques and spices are used to make the meat soft and tender for excellent taste.”
4) GAE HWA OK (개화옥)
OPEN HOURS: 24 hrs
LOCATION: 661-18 Sinsa-dong Gangnam-gu Seoul
TELEPHONE: 02-549-1459
Chef Stefano’s Comment: “Gae Hwa Ok is a Korean restaurant serves organic food with fresh natural ingredients. All dishes are prepared on traditional antique plates.”
5) SAMWON GARDEN (신사점)
OPEN HOURS: 11:40~22:00
LOCATION: 623-5, Sinsa Dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea
TELEPHONE: 02-548-3030
Chef Stefano’s Comment: “Samwon Garden is the one of the largest Korean barbecue restaurants which can host about 1,200 guests simultaneously. Very famous for its history in hosting various international VIPs and events, not to mention its high quality meats and Korean dishes.”
