Dongtan shabu-shabu restaurant, half-and-half broth: Pyeonbaek Hoegwan

Today I visited Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch, a well-known hinoki steam and shabu-shabu restaurant, with my sister and niece. Oh my goodness~ my sister said it had been a whole 10 years since she last had shabu-shabu!! Total shock..! ! So we went together to show her how much the flavor has changed in a decade.

Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch hours and how to find it

Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch is on the 2nd floor of Grand Vians Star near Dongtan Station, open 11:00–22:00. Last order is 20:30, and it's closed for one day on September 25, Chuseok.

What is the dining room like? Wide, well-spaced tables

There are really so many tables inside Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch, and they're spaced out generously, so the whole meal felt really comfortable. The tables themselves are big too, so it's great for a large family group or even a company dinner — plenty of room. Seeing so many families with young kids and elderly parents enjoying their meal, I felt proud that we'd found the right place.

Can you bring kids? Inside the Pyeonbaek Hoegwan kids' playroom

Another great thing: there's a separate playroom where kids can play, so parents with young children can come and actually enjoy the meal too. These days, places with good kids' facilities like this definitely seem more popular! No worries at all bringing little ones ~ no worries~ ~ my niece even wanted to hurry up and eat so she could go play there~

Choosing the hinoki steam and the shabu-shabu broth

The hinoki steam (편백찜) at Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch isn't just plain steamed food — apparently it's made with a full 12 herbal ingredients, so it's a truly healthy dish. Eat meat and take care of your health at the same time — two birds, one stone! Love that. There are also so many kinds of shabu-shabu broth that you can pick whatever suits your taste. We went with basic mild broth and spicy mushroom broth, but I was curious about the other flavors too~ Guess I'll have to come back and try again...! ! I'm curious about the mala broth and tomato broth too.

Ordering by kiosk and what is on the self-serve side dish bar

You order by number of diners using the kiosk at your table, and they set up the hinoki steam right away — while you wait about 10 minutes, you can go pick out the side dishes and vegetables you want! There were so many kinds of side dishes, which I loved~ There's even tteokbokki, and jjolmyeon and acorn jelly salad too — wait, what..? These are all things I love..? There's enough variety to fill up on side dishes alone, and they're honestly delicious too. A taste of the city you just can't get in the countryside! ! The city really is great ~ (sad news for those of us living in North Chungcheong)

I'm a vegetable person, so I brought back a huge pile of bean sprouts and dumped it all in. My niece ate three whole pieces of fish cake (huh?) and my sister ate well too — everyone ate until we were all patting our full bellies. Good thing I wore elastic-waist pants. Why is shabu-shabu so incredibly delicious? You never get sick of it. You can keep eating telling yourself it's protein~ so there's less guilt, and I love that about this dish.

Spring rolls, knife-cut noodles and egg porridge to finish

The vegetables in the fresh spring rolls (월남쌈) were so crisp they kept going in one after another. Skipping the knife-cut noodles and egg porridge would just feel wrong, so of course we had those too. So nutty and savory~ carbs really are the right way to finish, and we ate them enthusiastically. Shabu-shabu always takes so long to eat — it seems like we always end up spending a solid hour on it. Is it just me..? It's a place where you can eat plenty of vegetables and still satisfy the meat lovers, so there's really nothing to dislike — it's a win every time we go.

Just looking at it makes your mouth water ~ ! Being able to enjoy a spicy, tingly broth and a clean, savory broth side by side is what makes half-and-half shabu-shabu so great! And when the fish cake simmers until it's practically falling apart, and you eat it at the very end..! Absolute perfection ! ! Completely my kind of dish.

Dessert at Pyeonbaek Hoegwan: icy misutgaru

The finishing touch at Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch is, of course, misutgaru (roasted grain drink) topped with shaved ice. It has just the right sweetness, perfect as a dessert. It was such a delicious meal that I'd strongly recommend this place. If you're ever in Dongtan, try the hinoki steam and shabu-shabu at Pyeonbaek Hoegwan! It's a proven favorite that's been validated countless times already — totally recommend it!

Ate well again today!