Hi everyone!
I recently had the chance
to visit Seoldam
in Magok.
I’ve always been a big fan of hanwoo,
so when I heard Seoldam serves it
as a full course meal,
I was excited before I even arrived.
Unlike a typical Korean barbecue spot,
this place lets you try
a variety of hanwoo dishes
in a course format,
so I was genuinely curious
to see how everything would be served.
While looking up Magok restaurants,
this kind of hanwoo course dining
definitely stands out,
and getting to try each dish
one by one in person
Basic Info
Place: Seoldam Magok
Address: 11F, NY Tower, 6 Magokdong-ro 3-gil, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Phone: 0507-1469-0533
Hours:
11:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Break time: 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Last order: 8:30 p.m.
Parking: Available in the building
What makes it special:
A Korean dining restaurant centered around hanwoo,
where you can enjoy a variety of dishes
in a course meal format.
It also highlights Korean flavors with dishes
like sea bream pot rice.
There are private rooms available,
which makes it a great choice for family gatherings
or business meals.
It also works well for special occasions
like anniversaries, dates, or formal family meetings.
with a nice view.
Seoldam Magok
11F, 6 Magokdong-ro 3-gil,
Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Conveniently located between Magok Station and Balsan Station
Seoldam Magok is
set between Magok Station and Balsan Station,
so it’s easy to reach
by public transportation.
If you’re driving,
you can use the parking garage
in NY Tower,
which definitely makes things easier.
A lot of people head to Magok by car
when going out for a nice meal,
so having on-site parking
was a real plus.
An upscale Korean dining vibe from the entrance
From the outside,
the restaurant didn’t feel
overly flashy or dramatic.
But starting with the Seoldam logo
at the entrance,
the overall mood
gave off that refined,
upscale Korean dining feel.
It wasn’t trying too hard.
Instead, it felt calm,
clean, and well put together.
For a place you’d visit
for an anniversary
or an important meal,
that kind of atmosphere fit perfectly.
A private dining space that felt more spacious than expected
Once I stepped inside,
the restaurant felt
much larger and more comfortable
than I expected.
The overall mood was calm
and polished,
and the tables were spaced out nicely.
There’s a main dining area,
but there are also
several private rooms
for a more intimate meal.
Having separate quiet spaces
made the whole place
feel especially well suited
for special occasions.
I wasn’t there
for an anniversary or a formal family meeting,
but after seeing the layout myself,
I could easily picture it working well
for anniversaries, dates,
and even sanggyeonrye,
the formal meeting between two families before a wedding.
Among Magok restaurants,
if you’re looking for somewhere
with a calmer atmosphere,
this space would probably
leave a good impression.
A Seoldam menu built around a hanwoo course
Once we sat down,
I started by looking over the menu.
As you’d expect from a hanwoo omakase-style restaurant,
the main options were
lunch and dinner course meals.
Each course differed a bit
in composition
and the amount of hanwoo,
so you could choose
based on your preference.
There were also à la carte add-ons
like grilled hanwoo
and yukhoe, Korean beef tartare.
We visited for dinner as a party of two,
and ordered the Seoldam A Course,
switching the set meal
to sea bream pot rice.
I usually prefer trying
several dishes in sequence
rather than focusing on just one,
so I was really looking forward
to seeing what would come out next.
A light start with cauliflower tarakjuk
After we ordered and waited a bit,
the first course arrived:
tarakjuk.
That day’s version
was a smooth porridge
made with cauliflower,
and it was a nice gentle way
to begin the meal.
Instead of opening
with something heavy,
it eased you in softly
and got your palate ready
for the rest of the course.
As a first bite,
it felt simple
and well chosen.
Shrimp jeon with a crisp bite and bouncy texture
The second dish
was shrimp jeon.
It was made with lotus root
stuffed with shrimp,
then pan-fried like a Korean jeon.
The lotus root stayed crisp,
while the shrimp inside
had that springy, bouncy texture.
When people think of jeon,
they usually imagine
something soft first,
but this one was more interesting
because you got both
the crunch of lotus root
and the snap of shrimp.
The contrast in texture
made it a fun dish to eat.
Hanwoo tenderloin pyeonchae made even better with cheese
The third course
was hanwoo tenderloin pyeonchae.
It came with burrata
and Grana Padano,
plus a tangy soy jelly-style sauce
on the side.
The first thing
that stood out to me
was how tender the beef was.
The sliced tenderloin
wasn’t chewy at all,
and it went down easily.
Adding the cheese
gave it an extra rich,
nutty layer,
and the combination worked really well.
I liked that the hanwoo
wasn’t just served as grilled meat,
but presented in different styles.
That’s part of what makes
a course meal so enjoyable.
Three bite-sized dishes that were fun to try one by one
Next up
was a plate of
three bite-sized items:
truffle choux,
zucchini tart,
and beef bulgogi arancini.
The truffle choux
had a gentle truffle aroma
that wasn’t overpowering,
which I personally appreciated.
The zucchini tart
was savory and nutty at the same time.
And the beef bulgogi arancini
felt a little like
a familiar croquette,
but with its own twist.
Since all three had
slightly different styles,
it was fun to go around the plate
and try them one by one.
It fit nicely into the middle of the course,
letting us sample
a few different flavors at once.
Seasonal noodles and sea bream pot rice that kept things light
The next dish
was seasonal noodles.
Around the same time,
they also showed us
the sea bream pot rice
that would be served later
as part of the set meal.
Seeing the sea bream
laid over the pot rice
made it look delicious
before I even tasted it,
so I was already excited
for the next round.
That day, the seasonal noodles
were buckwheat noodles
topped with sliced arong-satae,
a lean beef shank cut,
and baekkimchi, mild white kimchi.
Flavor-wise,
it reminded me
of a mild Pyongyang naengmyeon.
After several dishes before it,
that clean, understated flavor
actually worked really well.
It wasn’t a bold or spicy noodle dish,
but more of a palate reset
before the richer courses ahead.
A generous hanwoo grilled set meal served with a brazier
The next course
was the one I’d been waiting for:
grilled hanwoo with a full set meal.
First, they set
a small brazier on the table
so we could grill the beef ourselves.
Then the dishes
started arriving one by one:
hanwoo, pot rice, soup,
and a variety of side dishes.
Once everything was on the table,
it felt surprisingly generous.
Up to that point,
the course had been
more about tasting smaller plates,
but from here on,
it started to feel like
a full proper meal.
The neat presentation
also matched
the upscale Korean dining concept.
My honest take on the sirloin strip I grilled myself
The cut of hanwoo
served that day
was sirloin strip.
We placed the beef
and vegetables
on the heated stone plate
and grilled them ourselves.
The meat itself
tasted fresh and clean,
with no off flavors at all,
and the hanwoo flavor
was nicely straightforward.
That said,
this was the one part
I felt a little mixed about.
Personally,
I tend to prefer
softer, more tender cuts
over beef with more chew,
so the slightly firmer texture
of sirloin strip
wasn’t exactly my favorite.
It wasn’t that the quality
felt lacking at all—
it was more about
my personal preference in texture.
If you usually prefer
tender cuts like tenderloin,
that’s something worth noting.
Still, it was clean-tasting,
enjoyable,
and there’s definitely something satisfying
about grilling hanwoo fresh
over a brazier
and eating it hot right away.
A beautifully balanced set meal with sea bream pot rice and banchan
The set meal also included
the sea bream pot rice
they had shown us earlier.
We upgraded to that option,
and it came with
miyeok-guk, Korean seaweed soup,
plus a neat spread of side dishes
like pickled garlic leaves,
gat kimchi,
stir-fried anchovies,
and pickled stem lettuce.
Once I mixed
the sea bream into the rice
and took a bite,
I got this warm nutty aroma
from the perilla seed,
and the fish and rice
worked really well together.
The pot rice was good on its own,
but it was also delicious
with the side dishes.
Topping it with
stronger-flavored banchan
like pickled garlic leaves
or gat kimchi
made for a great combination.
Overall, it wasn’t a loud
or heavily seasoned meal.
It felt clean,
balanced,
and carefully composed.
After finishing the grilled hanwoo
and the sea bream pot rice,
I was definitely full.
This kind of polished Korean meal
would work not only
for an anniversary dinner,
but also for a meal with parents
or a formal family meeting.
A sweet-tart sherbet to finish the meal
After the set meal,
dessert came out last.
It was a sherbet
topped with dried kiwi.
Since we’d already had
a pretty substantial meal
with hanwoo and pot rice,
a light, refreshing dessert
felt much more fitting
than something heavy.
The sherbet itself
was sweet and tangy,
so it did a great job
refreshing my palate
after all the different dishes.
Starting with tarakjuk,
then shrimp jeon,
hanwoo tenderloin pyeonchae,
the three bite-sized dishes,
seasonal noodles,
grilled hanwoo,
sea bream pot rice,
and finally sherbet,
the course felt
genuinely well rounded.
That’s how we wrapped up
our meal at Seoldam,
one of the more memorable
Magok restaurants I’ve tried,
and left feeling completely satisfied.
Overall, Seoldam Magok
was a satisfying experience
from the atmosphere
to the flow of the meal.