What is Hanwoo beef & what makes it so special?

Hanwoo is a breed of cattle native to Korea, and is a smaller breed compared to other cows. Hanwoo beef is renowned for its exceptional quality, beautiful marbling and rich flavour. The melt-in-your-mouth tenderness and distinct chew is unmatched by other beef. The beef grading system in Korea is based on its marbling content: the highest grade, Grade 1++ has the highest level (22-24%) and Grade 1 (14-16%).

While wagyu entices aficionados with its unparalleled fattiness (approximately 70%) and silky texture, the high fat content can sometimes be too rich. Hanwoo beef comes in around 40-50% fat, allowing it to have a deeper, beefier flavour while not compromising on texture and tenderness.

MiGyeongSan Hanwoo — The Rarest Beef in the World?

MiGyeongSan Hanwoo is an exceptionally rare variety of beef, and for the first time ever is being exported out of Korea, with Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia being its first international destination. This special beef comes from young virgin female cows that have never calved or been milked. This meticulous selection yields exceptionally tender meat with a finer grain and more delicate texture compared to beef from older cows. Even better, the MiGyeongSan Hanwoo beef that is brought into Malaysia is halal-certified so everyone can enjoy this prized meat.

MiGyeongSan Hanwoo Beef is available at Culina KL, Shoppes at Four Seasons Place

This beef is rare even in Korea, making this introduction even more monumental. MiGyeongSan Hanwoo beef is currently only available at Culina Market located in Shoppes at Four Seasons Place, Kuala Lumpur City Centre. You even have the option to have it sent over the Culina Bistro and have expert hands prepare your beef a la minute.

Culina is the latest gourmet market and dining concept in Kuala Lumpur by the COMO Group in Singapore. In recent years, they have noticed a niche but growing demand for gourmet, high-end ingredients in KL. Loosely quoting the COMO representative, more people are having dinner parties in, rather than going out, but they still want to impress their friends and guests.

Taking a quick tour around Culina Market, many a thing caught my attention; some which I have never seen before. Seasonal imported produce like quince pears, truffle pasta, yuzu olive oil, and of course MiGyeongSan Hanwoo beef proudly taking up prime real estate at the butchery counter. There were also various cookbooks available throughout the market, strategically placed by ingredients to inspire the wandering eye.

ABOVE MiGyeongSan Hanwoo available at Culina Market

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MiGyeongSan Hanwoo Beef Tasting Menu — Media-Exclusive Experience at Culina Bistro

We had the pleasure of being invited to an specially-curated one-day-only lunch event hosted by Culina and Chef Olivia, the brains behind the international introduction of MiGyeongSan Hanwoo. The tasting menu at Culina Bistro was a five-course lunch affair exclusive to the media event, each course featuring a cut of MiGyeongSan Hanwoo taken straight from the butchery section at Culina Market. To kick off the lunch event, two off-menu starters in the form of beef skewers and seared beef patties swimming in dashi, both of which were deeply savoury and opened up the palate for the meal to come.

Amuse-Bouche: MiGyeongSan Hanwoo Top Round

The amuse-bouche was a fantastic hand-chopped MiGyeongSan Hanwoo tartare dressed with a touch of mustard and chives, accompanied with a golden stacked potato galette. A fitting start to the meal, we got to savour the beef in its pure untouched form. The dressing seasoned it perfectly, and the tartare had a silky mouthfeel. The perfect bite was a spoonful of that MiGyeongSan Hanwoo tartare on a piece of hot, crispy potato. This was one of my favourites.

Appetiser: MiGyeongSan Hanwoo Outside Round

But the unquestionable star of the meal (in my opinion) was the next course — MiGyeongSan Hanwoo Tataki served with seaweed, grilled rice and smoky soy. Thin slices of seared beef with a rare center were draped across crispy rice, a feast to both the eyes and the palate. I felt that this is the best way to enjoy the beef, look how marbled the meat is!

Entree: MiGyeongSan Hanwoo Round Tip

Taking intercontinental cues, the next course was a beef pot pie with chunks of fork-tender beef that still retain some toothsomeness. The pastry was rich, buttery and flakey — perfect accompaniment to the slow-cooked stew within, which had Asian influences and notes of umami seaweed. Now there’s a creative spot! Try infusing some kombu into your beef stews.

Main: MiGyeongSan Hanwoo Upper Loin

The main course was MiGyeongSan Hanwoo beef served up galbi ssam-style. Coated in a sweet-savoury sticky glaze, the upper loin cut was ultra-tender and melts away in the mouth. Culina has a suite of Mibrasa grills that imparted a smoky char to the beef, adding another dimension of flavour. We DIY-ed the lettuce and perilla leaf wraps with chunks of this heavenly beef.

Dessert: Soft Serve

The vanilla bean and yuzu soft serve dessert was an unexpected hit. Served in an abstract-shaped waffle vessel, the flavours of the ice cream were nuanced yet balanced. The waffle was also very buttery and fragrant. I enjoyed this very much; ending the meal on a high note.

The course menu was quite diverse in terms of flavours and inspirations, but every dish showcased the versatility of MiGyeongSan Hanwoo — who says top-grade meat should not be slow-cooked into stew? Measuring up against the luxe of wagyu, where this beef truly shines is in its superior flavour and complexity.

I got my hands on a couple of beautiful steaks from the Culina Market and can’t wait to try it myself at home.

Culina Bistro
Level B1, Shoppes at Four Seasons Place,
145 Jalan Ampang,
50450 Kuala Lumpur,
W.P. Kuala Lumpur

Operating Hours: 11.00 AM – 10.00 PM (daily)
T: 03-2779 7313
See Culina’s menu here