16.217 Sinseollo Bingsu

Cycle 16 – Item 217

POST 5,696

10 (Sun) August 2025

Sinseollo Bingsu

3.0

at Samwon Garden

-Sinsa, Gangnam, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with the Family, Mom & Dad

First visit since January 2021, over 4.5 years ago (see most recently 12.005 Mul Naengmyeon).

The new building, consolidating what had been several wood-framed bungalows (see generally 4.053 Mul Naengmyeon) into one modernized behemoth.

Very soon thereafter (presumably to make the most of a fallow period during the pandemic), the restaurant shut down for nearly 1.5 years to undergo extensive renovations.  Upon relaunching in June 2022, the hype was so crazy that the reservation waitlist was reportedly months long, no walk-ins accepted – a situation that seemed to go on indefinitely, to the point that I’d pretty much written off the restaurant as hipped beyond my capacity.

The makeover also eliminated most of the kitschy landscaping, retaining only certain elements of the iconic waterfall and pond on the north end of the property (see for comparison 4.308 Mul Naengmyeon).

When considering where to host a farewell dinner for DJ with Grandpa and Grandma, W looked into Samwon Garden and found that reservations can now be secured mere weeks in advance – coming down closer to the real world.

Glad to see that the tacky rattan chairs and marble tables from the old place have been put back into use, at least on the first floor of the dining hall, where they look kinda ironically fashionable when juxtaposed against the ultra-chic surroundings.

Prices have gone up significantly.  In 2013, the last instance that the restaurant’s menu was documented on GMTD (see 4.214 Taste Test: Hanwoo v American Galbi), the standard galbi (US beef) cost 39,000 for 160 g (24,000/100g), while the premium galbi (hanwoo) cost 55,000 for 150 g (37,000/100g) (price differential = 55%).  12 years later, the standard is 62,000 for 200 g (31,000/100g) (29% increase), premium 110,000 for 200 g (55,000/100g) (49% increase) (price differential = 77%).  Can’t recall what the mul naengmyeon used to cost back then, maybe 12,000(?), but now it’s a whopping 20,000.

In a blind side-by-side taste test pitting the standard vs the premium, we found zero difference between the two, and so we’ve never since hesitated to go with the cheaper option (see generally 4.214 Taste Test: Hanwoo v American Galbi), now branded as the restaurant’s “Signature.”  How quaint to think that the price differential back then was just 16,000, compared to 48,000 today.

6 orders (both plates) x 62,000 = 372,000.

Whereas GMTD was launched at a different restaurant with pork galbi (see generally 1.001 Grilled Pork Galbi), the blog’s first reference to beef galbi was at this restaurant (see generally 2.142 Galbi).

Banchan (3.0): much improved (in my opinion; nobody else seemed that impressed), more namul, rather than salad-type things as before.

In a post featuring Samwon Garden, I had proudly announced securing a full-time staff position at WHO – but more important, the post captures how unbearbly adorable my boys were at the time: IZ was not yet 2, DJ not yet 7 (see 5.083 Mul Naengmyeon).

Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon (2022): Korea’s all-time favorite middle class wine.

The food was good, as ever, at least the galbi (maybe not the naengmyeon, as noted below).  While investing heavily to revamp the facilities, ownership was wise not to attempt upgrades on the recipes.

Samwon Jeontong Yangnyeom Galbi (Samwon’s Signature Marinated Galbi) (3.5): though frankly, I’d be 100% equally satisfied with the marinated American beef galbi at our neighborhood BBQ joint (see for comparison 11.314 So Yangnyeom Galbi), where it costs 33,000 for 300 g (11,000/100g) – nearly 1/3 of the price here.

Whoever came up with the idea to offer 2 versions of mul naengmyeon – full portion at 20,000 and tasting portion (“matbogi” – available only to those who’ve ordered meat) at 11,000 – made a wickedly savvy business decision.  In contrast to the absurdly jacked price point of the full portion – the going rate at the best MNM restaurants in town is 16,000 – the tasting portion suddenly seems reasonable – other restaurants offer matbogi/husik MNM for around 5,000 (see for example 13.231 Husik Mul Naengmyeon).  And because it’s already half-sized, customers are more inclined to get one for themselves, rather than order a full portion and share – tonight, the 6 of us ordered 6 individual tasting portions, amounting to 66,000 (compared to 60,000, had we ordered 3 full portions and shared).

Samwon Naengmyeon (2.5): maybe I was full by this point, maybe because it was the smaller “matbogi” (tasting) version, but it seemed to fall short (see for comparison 5.360 Mul Naengmyeon).

The bingsu, a new addition to the menu, was fine.  Various berries, as well as other fruit (e.g., watermelon, honeydew melon) scooped into spheres, presumably to look like berries, on a bed of shaved ice and sweet red beans, drizzled with condensed milk.  The pièce de résistance: a bit of water is poured down the tube in the center of the serving platter – actually a cooking vessel for simmering the traditional sinseollo hotpot (see for example 2.312 Incheong Sura) – a small block of dry ice at the bottom of the tube reacts with the water to sublimate into a dense fog, which erupts out of the tube and pours over the fruit (see also 13.184 Truffle Snowing Bread) – oohs and aahs ensue.   Fun way to end a meal.

Sinseollo Bingsu (Milked Shaved Ice with Seasonal Berries) (3.0): worth 60,000 only if to impress a first date.

(See RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)

(See GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See HANSIK)

(See MNM)

(See BOOZE)

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