13.127 Bone-In Strip Loin

Cycle 13 – Item 127

12 (Thu) May 2022

Bone-In Strip Loin

3.0

at GOO STK 733

-Hannam, Yongsan, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with W, Mom + Dad

GOO STK 733 is an American restaurant. Specializes in steaks: bone-in, wet/dry-aged, high-priced. Sides are ordered à la carte, like at fancy steakhouses in the States. Established 2009.

Located a few blocks south of the Grand Hyatt, specifically at 733-70 Hannam-dong (hence the name).

A while back (before I’d given up red meat), HSK and I were discussing steakhouses in Korea. He recommended GOO STK 733, recounting how a colleague of his, visiting from the US, who supposedly makes a habit of eating at famous steakhouses when traveling, had proclaimed GOO STK 733 to be the best in his experience across the world.

The occasion was to celebrate my parents’ Golden Wedding Anniversary: the big 50. We don’t usually do anything for them on their anniversary (we don’t do anything on our own anniversary), but this one seemed to call for a celebration, even if just dinner.

Classic Dry Martini = 33,000 won – *really?*

They nearly didn’t get married – or so I’ve been told many times throughout my life, just to let me know how grateful I should be to exist.

House Bread (3.5): soft and chewy, served with silky whipped butter, perhaps the best dish of the night – seriously.

Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer: 15,000 won! – my father couldn’t stop grumbling throughout the meal about the absurd mark-up (i.e., rip-off) – “Pabst is supposed to be a cheap beer!!”

Caprese Salad (3.0): a reimagination with buratta cheese, prosciutto, and lots of rucola – I liked the rucola.

Primus The Blend (Apalta-Colchagua Valley): the house red, the cheapest wine on the menu at 90,000 won – not bad.

The steaks were pre-cut into varying sizes and sold by weight, as listed in the menu above. The Bone-In Strip Loin, for me, weighed 540 grams and cost 216,000 won (40,000 won per 100 grams). The 670-gram Bone-In Ribeye, shared by the rest, cost 288,100 won (43,000 won per 100 grams). I should’ve asked what was the priciest piece on offer that evening, probably a porterhouse.