As Culina closes on 31 October, halal-certified MiGyeongSan Hanwoo finds its retail home at Mercato TRX, with a seat at the table at Kung Jung and The RuMa’s GU:UM residency.

Hanwoo is Korea’s native cattle breed, a smaller animal prized for its delicate marbling, its tenderness and a rich, full-bodied flavour, and traditionally reserved for the country’s premium dining and special occasions. Korea grades its beef by marbling, and the highest grade, 1++, carries 40 to 50 per cent intramuscular fat.

MiGyeongSan Hanwoo is the cremè de la cremè of Hanwoo, where the beef comes from young heifers that have never calved or been milked, a selection that yields a finer grain and a more delicate texture than meat from older cows, and one that is rare even in Korea. It is also halal-certified, which opens a beef long associated with Korean celebratory tables to Malaysia’s wider community of food lovers.

From One Counter to Another

Its first home in Kuala Lumpur, in late 2024, was a single butchery counter at Culina in Shoppes at Four Seasons Place, where we tasted it over a five-course lunch at the bistro.

Culina has since announced on Instagram that it will close its doors on 31 October, which makes Mercato TRX, a premium grocer where the beef is available 4 September onwards, the place to buy it, with BeefK by Olivia Lee still behind its introduction.

The introduction of MiGyeongSan Hanwoo is backed by K-Food, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and aT Centre, the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, all supporting the Mercato launch, as the Hanwoo Board Korea and the ministry did when Malaysia became the first country outside Korea to receive the prized halal beef in 2024.

Against & Along the Grain

At the launch, Korean meat masters Lim Chiho and Kim Soonkwon showed how Hanwoo is handled at home, and the first lesson was that Koreans rarely eat their beef the way a steakhouse serves it, preferring it marinated and grilled to a thick steak. Because they enjoy a variety of textures, they cut the beef in every direction, against the grain for soft and tender, along the grain for chewier and meatier, so the flavour stays the same while the eating experience changes.

Striploin is a Korean favourite, sliced thin because its fat cap is substantial and crisps up on the grill, whether cut by hand or on a meat slicer while frozen for extra-thin slices. Chadolbaegi carries both intramuscular and extramuscular fat for two distinct richnesses, and is rolled in super thin slices to be grilled on the pan, typically stir-fried with bean sprouts and a touch of teriyaki, though it has lately gained a following eaten raw for its distinctive flavour. Koreans also love a mixed platter of cuts, from specialty cuts like upper loin, short plate and chuck flap to the everyday favourites.

Between Angus and Wagyu

Angus is widely loved for its straightforward, beefy flavour and a firmer bite, while wagyu wins devotees with extravagant marbling that melts on the tongue, though its fat, at roughly 70 per cent by our earlier reckoning, can become too rich before the plate is finished.

Hanwoo is somewhere between the two, which lets it keep a deeper, beefier flavour without giving up tenderness. Set against wagyu, Lim is confident that Hanwoo tastes much, much better and meatier. We found the same at our own outdoor barbecue, where we let the flames lick the unctuous steaks in the most unadulterated way. MiGyeongSan Hanwoo is the perfect middle ground between a beefy Angus and a fatty wagyu, the best of both worlds.

From Shelf to Table

Beyond the butcher’s counter, this highly sought-after beef is served at select premium restaurants across Kuala Lumpur, among them Kung Jung Korean Restaurant and the ongoing ATAS x GU:UM Singapore collaboration at The RuMa Hotel, where the modern Korean steakhouse of MICHELIN-starred Chef Louis Han is in residence for dinner until 30 November 2026.

For the chef at home, MiGyeongSan Hanwoo is available at Mercato TRX, with 10% off the range until 29 November 2026, across cuts that include loin, short plate, bulgogi, shabu shabu, galbi, brisket and chadolbaegi. We are very excited for more Malaysians to experience this rare Korean produce.

Learn more about MiGyeongSan Hanwoo on beefk.com.

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From the table to the world beyond, Nacre brings you dining, travel, and lifestyle experiences worth savouring. Explore more with us on Instagram (@nacre.asia).