Now that hanwoo has had a chance to settle in, it’s time to survey the most interesting options.
The prized Korean beef already has everything going for it: a rich and intense flavour, without the potential heaviness of wagyu. But, of course, while it may be relatively forgiving, the way it is cooked, and the skill with which it is cooked, do make a difference to the discerning palate.
Here are some restaurants where hanwoo isn’t a novelty gimmick but a solid and well-thought-out menu option.
Hanwoo yukhwe (Photo: Na Oh)
Na Oh, under the auspices of chef Corey Lee of three-Michelin-starred Benu in San Francisco, is for those who appreciate elevated classics, where tradition is upheld with elegance and an eye for detail.
With the current spring menu (S$88 per person), there are two supplementary hanwoo options, and both are splendid. Firstly, the yukhwe (S$28), a tartare with pear and pine nut, for which the freshest meat is used. The traditional eye of round cut has a leanness that lends a good chew. Enjoy it on a crisp cracker of dolgim bugak with fermented oyster jeogal, with the sweetness of the pear providing a perfect contrast.
Charcoal-grilled rib finger (Photo: Na Oh)
Then there’s the charcoal-grilled hanwoo rib finger 1++ (S$38) served with a salad of vegetables grown on the smart farm on the premises. What really makes this dish sing is the intensely-flavoured 10-year aged ssamjang it’s paired with.
The spring menu’s main course options are a spicy beef and leek gomtang, which is hot and comforting; and a Jeju black pork bossam that showcases the flavour of the prized pork simply but very beautifully.
2 Bulim Ave, Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre Level 3, Singapore 649974.
(Photo: Seoul & So)
This new establishment at the National Gallery Singapore by the family behind Seoul Restaurant at Conrad Singapore Orchard offers an eight-course hanwoo tasting menu at S$119 per person (by booking only).
The meal opens with a consomme of ox bone broth and yukhwe or beef tartare, then goes into a smorgasbord of hanwoo 1++ cuts: brisket, flank steak, loin and Gwangyang bulgogi. End off with a doenjang jjigae or soybean stew, and a dessert of seasonal Korean fruits and ice cream.
There are also a la carte hanwoo options on its regular menu, but why not go all the way?
1 St Andrew’s Road, 05-03 National Gallery, Singapore 178957.
The Gu:um Sang "Hanwoo & Namul" set (Photo: Gu:um)
For a fun and hearty meal with friends, Gu:um is a good bet. The casual steakhouse by chef Louis Han of Michelin-starred Nae:um has a new Gu:um Sang Set Menu “Hanwoo & Namul” (S$168 per person) inspired by the culture of Korean temple food, pairing the richness of hanwoo with delicately seasoned vegetables.
The menu includes a Karae Chicken Tart, Leek & Doenjang and Nokcha Guksu, in addition to the main event of 1++ grade hanwoo lower loin, Jeju black pork collar, tiger prawns, chicken skewers, fresh and grilled vegetables, and banchan. Then follows a rice course, galbi soup and a dessert of hwachae or fruit punch.
(Over at Nae:um, hanwoo, simply grilled to showcase its natural beefiness, is also available as a supplement to the tasting menu, served to accompany the rice course.)
29 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089136.
The "Pepper Hanwoo" course (Photo: Asin)
At this new progressive Asian restaurant by chef Ace Tan that takes inspiration from all over Asia, hanwoo’s dimensional flavours are showcased in a supplementary course of Pepper Hanwoo, available as a S$55 add-on option to the tasting menu.
Taste the grilled beef coated in Sarawak white peppercorns, dehydrated mushroom and toasted white sesame, paired with a pepper jus blended with bokbunja or Korean raspberry wine. Also on the plate are black garlic, citrus kosholy bulb and grilled leek for mixing and matching and discovering your favourite flavour combination.
38 Carpenter Street, 01-01, Singapore 059917.
(Photo: Drim Gold)
This restaurant at Weave at Resorts World Sentosa, with its immersive cave-meets-hanok experience, gives you convivial K-barbecue dining. The a la carte menu has hanwoo short rib (S$102/100g) and hanwoo short rib marinated in yangnyeom sauce (S$108/100g). And, there’s also a Korean Beef & Vegetable Hot Pot (S$138, feeds 2 to 3 pax) featuring hanwoo brisket and shank.
But, you can also go for the Drim Hanwoo Beef Set (S$248 per person, minimum 2 pax), which opens with hanwoo tartare and Chef’s Special Porridge, before going into a showcase of meats with side dishes and vegetables. Then there’s a stew course, followed by dessert.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to do your own grilling – servers will make sure the meat is perfectly cooked.
26 Sentosa Gateway, B1-204, Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore 098138.
Hanwoo Beef Bourguignon (Photo: Summer Hill)
Hanwoo beef bourguignon? Why not? Summer Hill presents the opportunity to try the Korean beef as a French-style braise (S$48 as an appetiser, S$88 as a main). The oyster blade is cooked in red wine with mushrooms and pork lardons, and served with mashed potatoes. In terms of flavour and texture, there’s no way this wouldn’t work.
You can also choose to have hanwoo steak grilled over binchotan charcoal and served with either a black truffle, red wine and demi-glace sauce, or a persillade of anchovy, garlic and olive oil. Yum.
442 Orchard Road, 02-17 Claymore Connect, Singapore 238879.
(Photo: 54 Steakhouse)
54 Steakhouse showcases the best beef from all over the world, and hanwoo, available as a special, is given the steakhouse treatment here with chef Andrea De Paola’s expertise in woodfire grilling.
Each 250g hanwoo steak (from S$178) is wet aged for at least 14 days, then dry aged for seven days, resulting in a deep flavour and luscious texture. The meat is seasoned with their secret seven-spice blend, grilled over ironbark wood and finished over binchotan charcoal. It’s presented simply, with nothing to distract from the beauty of the marbling – except the sides, of course, like triple-cooked potato wedges, classic creamed spinach, onion rings and more.
54 Amoy Street, Singapore 069880.
(Photo: Cote)
Another one for lovers of Korean barbecue, but with the sleek precision of a modern American steakhouse – think a really solid Caesar salad to go with your makgeolli. With its premium cuts and curated butchery programme, Cote’s barbecue experience makes for a real night out.
Here, hanwoo 1++ ribeye (S$34/30g, S$162/180g) and striploin (S$32/30g, S$158/180g) can be ordered off the a la carte menu, and if you get the Butcher's Feast (S$138 per person), hanwoo is available as an add-on option for S$30.
Level 3, Como Orchard, 30 Bideford Road, Singapore 229922.
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The prized Korean beef already has everything going for it: a rich and intense flavour, without the potential heaviness of wagyu. But, of course, while it may be relatively forgiving, the way it is cooked, and the skill with which it is cooked, do make a difference to the discerning palate.
Here are some restaurants where hanwoo isn’t a novelty gimmick but a solid and well-thought-out menu option.
NA OH
Hanwoo yukhwe (Photo: Na Oh)
Na Oh, under the auspices of chef Corey Lee of three-Michelin-starred Benu in San Francisco, is for those who appreciate elevated classics, where tradition is upheld with elegance and an eye for detail.
With the current spring menu (S$88 per person), there are two supplementary hanwoo options, and both are splendid. Firstly, the yukhwe (S$28), a tartare with pear and pine nut, for which the freshest meat is used. The traditional eye of round cut has a leanness that lends a good chew. Enjoy it on a crisp cracker of dolgim bugak with fermented oyster jeogal, with the sweetness of the pear providing a perfect contrast.
Charcoal-grilled rib finger (Photo: Na Oh)
Then there’s the charcoal-grilled hanwoo rib finger 1++ (S$38) served with a salad of vegetables grown on the smart farm on the premises. What really makes this dish sing is the intensely-flavoured 10-year aged ssamjang it’s paired with.
The spring menu’s main course options are a spicy beef and leek gomtang, which is hot and comforting; and a Jeju black pork bossam that showcases the flavour of the prized pork simply but very beautifully.
2 Bulim Ave, Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre Level 3, Singapore 649974.
SEOUL & SO
(Photo: Seoul & So)
This new establishment at the National Gallery Singapore by the family behind Seoul Restaurant at Conrad Singapore Orchard offers an eight-course hanwoo tasting menu at S$119 per person (by booking only).
The meal opens with a consomme of ox bone broth and yukhwe or beef tartare, then goes into a smorgasbord of hanwoo 1++ cuts: brisket, flank steak, loin and Gwangyang bulgogi. End off with a doenjang jjigae or soybean stew, and a dessert of seasonal Korean fruits and ice cream.
There are also a la carte hanwoo options on its regular menu, but why not go all the way?
1 St Andrew’s Road, 05-03 National Gallery, Singapore 178957.
GU:UM
The Gu:um Sang "Hanwoo & Namul" set (Photo: Gu:um)
For a fun and hearty meal with friends, Gu:um is a good bet. The casual steakhouse by chef Louis Han of Michelin-starred Nae:um has a new Gu:um Sang Set Menu “Hanwoo & Namul” (S$168 per person) inspired by the culture of Korean temple food, pairing the richness of hanwoo with delicately seasoned vegetables.
The menu includes a Karae Chicken Tart, Leek & Doenjang and Nokcha Guksu, in addition to the main event of 1++ grade hanwoo lower loin, Jeju black pork collar, tiger prawns, chicken skewers, fresh and grilled vegetables, and banchan. Then follows a rice course, galbi soup and a dessert of hwachae or fruit punch.
(Over at Nae:um, hanwoo, simply grilled to showcase its natural beefiness, is also available as a supplement to the tasting menu, served to accompany the rice course.)
29 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089136.
ASIN
The "Pepper Hanwoo" course (Photo: Asin)
At this new progressive Asian restaurant by chef Ace Tan that takes inspiration from all over Asia, hanwoo’s dimensional flavours are showcased in a supplementary course of Pepper Hanwoo, available as a S$55 add-on option to the tasting menu.
Taste the grilled beef coated in Sarawak white peppercorns, dehydrated mushroom and toasted white sesame, paired with a pepper jus blended with bokbunja or Korean raspberry wine. Also on the plate are black garlic, citrus kosholy bulb and grilled leek for mixing and matching and discovering your favourite flavour combination.
38 Carpenter Street, 01-01, Singapore 059917.
DRIM GOLD
(Photo: Drim Gold)
This restaurant at Weave at Resorts World Sentosa, with its immersive cave-meets-hanok experience, gives you convivial K-barbecue dining. The a la carte menu has hanwoo short rib (S$102/100g) and hanwoo short rib marinated in yangnyeom sauce (S$108/100g). And, there’s also a Korean Beef & Vegetable Hot Pot (S$138, feeds 2 to 3 pax) featuring hanwoo brisket and shank.
But, you can also go for the Drim Hanwoo Beef Set (S$248 per person, minimum 2 pax), which opens with hanwoo tartare and Chef’s Special Porridge, before going into a showcase of meats with side dishes and vegetables. Then there’s a stew course, followed by dessert.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to do your own grilling – servers will make sure the meat is perfectly cooked.
26 Sentosa Gateway, B1-204, Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore 098138.
SUMMER HILL
Hanwoo Beef Bourguignon (Photo: Summer Hill)
Hanwoo beef bourguignon? Why not? Summer Hill presents the opportunity to try the Korean beef as a French-style braise (S$48 as an appetiser, S$88 as a main). The oyster blade is cooked in red wine with mushrooms and pork lardons, and served with mashed potatoes. In terms of flavour and texture, there’s no way this wouldn’t work.
You can also choose to have hanwoo steak grilled over binchotan charcoal and served with either a black truffle, red wine and demi-glace sauce, or a persillade of anchovy, garlic and olive oil. Yum.
442 Orchard Road, 02-17 Claymore Connect, Singapore 238879.
54 STEAKHOUSE
(Photo: 54 Steakhouse)
54 Steakhouse showcases the best beef from all over the world, and hanwoo, available as a special, is given the steakhouse treatment here with chef Andrea De Paola’s expertise in woodfire grilling.
Each 250g hanwoo steak (from S$178) is wet aged for at least 14 days, then dry aged for seven days, resulting in a deep flavour and luscious texture. The meat is seasoned with their secret seven-spice blend, grilled over ironbark wood and finished over binchotan charcoal. It’s presented simply, with nothing to distract from the beauty of the marbling – except the sides, of course, like triple-cooked potato wedges, classic creamed spinach, onion rings and more.
54 Amoy Street, Singapore 069880.
COTE
(Photo: Cote)
Another one for lovers of Korean barbecue, but with the sleek precision of a modern American steakhouse – think a really solid Caesar salad to go with your makgeolli. With its premium cuts and curated butchery programme, Cote’s barbecue experience makes for a real night out.
Here, hanwoo 1++ ribeye (S$34/30g, S$162/180g) and striploin (S$32/30g, S$158/180g) can be ordered off the a la carte menu, and if you get the Butcher's Feast (S$138 per person), hanwoo is available as an add-on option for S$30.
Level 3, Como Orchard, 30 Bideford Road, Singapore 229922.
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