Published : Aug. 2, 2013 - 19:47
The owners of Sopung, Yang Se-yol and Choi Hyun, seem to perfectly understand the hard-to-resist pull of fresh-off-the-grill, flame-kissed meat, and the beauty of barbecue done to juicy perfection.
These veterans are three years deep into the business of beef, a journey that began when they opened a barbecue restaurant called Sopung in Seoul’s Nonhyeon-dong in the winter of 2010. And they are still going strong.
“We instituted a corkage-free policy and put out thick cuts of beef,” said Yang, 43.
Chadol Sopung’s hand-cut beef brisket, called “chadolbagi” in Korean, turns into a molten, buttery, juicy morsel after a brief stint on the charcoal-fired grill pan. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)
The combination of wet-aged, steak-like cuts of tenderloin and sirloin and no extra charge for bringing in wine or whiskey worked, to say the least.
Now, Yang and Choi have branched out with a second establishment, Chadol Sopung, which opened in Seocho-dong on July 22.
“All beef at Sopung and Chadol Sopung is grade 1++ hanwoo,” the top-rated meat, stated Choi, 49. “It is a matter of pride for our business.”
Chadol also adheres to a corkage-free policy but deviates from Sopung by specializing in less pricey cuts of brisket, referred to as “chadolbagi” in Korean, and boneless ribs as well as prized morsels of outside skirt steak.
“We used to serve thin cuts of beef brisket at Sopung and customers liked it,” Yang said of how the whole enterprise came about.
Now, fans of those fat-flanked, superthin wafers of meat can come to Chadol for brisket.
“‘Chadolbagi’ is part brisket and part fat, and if you get the right balance of fat to meat, it tastes good,” said Choi.
Because of the amount of fat in each cut of “chadolbagi,” Choi and Yang opted for a domed grill pan to prevent flare-ups, which can mar the taste of the meat.
The pan sports a hollowed-out rim, where customers can grill complementary vegetables and pour and cook a delicious on-the-house, green onion-studded egg custard.
Of course, the beef still takes center stage, be it Chadol Sopung’s succulent, buttery chunks of boneless rib (called “galbisal” in Korean) or those nutty, impossibly juicy slices of brisket, which Yang stressed is cut extra thick.
Though a dipping sauce is provided for the brisket, it tastes just as good dipped in Chadol Sopung’s salt.
“It is sweet and not bitter,” said Choi of the salt, which he and Yang explained is an “asado” salt from the Andes.
Choi’s and Yang’s attention to detail seems to be paying off.
Though Chadol Sopung is only into its second week of business, Yang is busy fielding weekday reservations and the restaurant is already fully booked for dinner, which means that though Yang recommends making reservations on the weekends, it might be wise to call in and nab a table during weekday peak hours as well, just in case.
Chadol Sopung
- 1341-9 Seocho 2-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul/ (02) 587-5692
- Open 5 p.m. to midnight weekdays, noon to midnight weekends, reservations recommended for weekends
- “Chadolbagi” brisket costs 15,000 won per 100 grams, “galbisal” boneless ribs cost 22,000 won per 100 grams, outside skirt steak “anchangsal” costs 35,000 won per 100 grams, minimum order for one specific cut is 300 grams, minimum order for a mix of cuts is 200 grams
By Jean Oh (
oh_jean@heraldcorp.com)