We’d heard a lot about Korea’s famous Han Woo beef. Hardly exported outside of Korea, the beef is - according to some - even better than Wagyu from Japan; yet, it's hard to get, and can only be access mostly within Korea.
Our friends highly recommended that we try Born & Bred when they found out we were going to Korea.
Born and Bred is one of the most famous Korean barbecue places in Seoul, having been ranked in San Pellegrino’s top 50 list as well as being mentioned in the Michelin guide. The company moved to a larger location last year due to the popularity of its restaurant.
The new building is divided into multiple floors. The first floor is the butcher as well as the waiting area for the other two restaurants. The second floor is a casual restaurant where you can order beef à la carte.
The third floor is the private dining space where you can enjoy the alternate beef experience: a 13 course tasting of many different cuts of beef as well as some special appetizers. I knew Bryan would want to order the ultimate beef tasting. (Our friend also recommended as such.)
In general, it's not easy to secure a reservation at Seoul's top restaurants, especially during peak season like Easter weekend. Almost all Korean high-end restaurants use the same booking app (CATCHTABLE), which typically requires up front credit card deposits and come with strict cancellation policies. On the app, I was able to secure an 8:30PM reservation during Easter weekend, booking about 2-3 weeks before the actual date.
The Ultimate Hanwoo Tasting at Born & Bred
A tasting of meat
One by one, our "private" chef helped us cook each different portion of meat, always giving us instruction on how to enjoy each piece.
SASEUL-JEOK was an unique dish made by grilling a layered cod "finger meat" marinated in white miso paste wrapped in paper on the grill. After opening up the paper, the chef gave the dish a final "char."
A Lesson in Kimchi
Three Kinds of Special Hanwoo Cuts with Three Types of Garnish
Yes! The Korean version of my beloved "Sando"
Palate Cleansing Tea
The Most Amazing Bi Bim Bap
The Born & Bred Signature Pho blew us away
Finally, I had the best pho I'd ever had in my life at a Korean restaurant. (!)
Dessert
General Thoughts -Born & Bred Seoul
What can I say? The beef experience here is very, very special. The beef was top notch, the other dishes (like the pho, bibimbap) were all really great. We really enjoyed experiencing some of Korea's best beef here. Having said that, the private dining experience (for just two people) felt a bit too formal for my preference. Even though our chef was great, I still felt a bit guilty not being able to converse with him (I have ZERO Korean skills). I also felt slightly bad ignoring our chef, e.g., if I just chatted with Bryan the whole meal (even though that is what we eventually did).
Perhaps the Private Dining Room would be amazing for larger families or a group of friends. If I came back, I think I would be really curious to try out the food at one of the other floors. Now that I've tried many cuts, I may be ready to try ordering a la carte downstairs!
Definitely worth trying this place, at least once! Make sure to book early!
Born & Bred Seoul
1, 42-gil, Majang-ro, Sungdong-gu, Seoul
