Suwon Wang Galbi

When King Jeongjo built Hwaseong fortress at Suwon in the 1790s he also established a cattle market to supply the new town, and it became one of the largest in the country - which is the reason beef became Suwon's dish. Wang galbi means king rib, referring to the size: the ribs are cut long and butterflied out flat so a single piece can be the width of a plate. The other distinction is the seasoning. Most Korean galbi is marinated in soy, pear and garlic; the Suwon style is seasoned mainly with salt, which lets the beef itself carry the flavour and produces a paler, less caramelised surface on the charcoal. It is expensive - beef in Korea is - and priced by weight with a minimum order. The restaurants that claim the tradition date from the 1940s and 50s and cluster near the fortress, so it combines with a Hwaseong walk.

What you actually see

• The butterflied ribs - cut long and opened flat, plate-wide.
• The salt seasoning - the Suwon style, not the usual soy marinade.
• The charcoal grill - cooked at the table over coals.
• The fortress link - the cattle market that came with Hwaseong.

When to go

Any time; dinner is the meal. Book at weekends. It pairs naturally with an afternoon on the Hwaseong walls.

Honest expectations

Beef galbi is expensive and sold by weight with a minimum - a table for two adds up quickly. The salt seasoning is subtler than soy-marinated galbi and some visitors prefer the sweeter version.

Nearby

Hwaseong fortress and the Suwon Haenggung palace are in the city.