Siheung buffet restaurant with takoyaki and japchae: Pyeonbaek Hoegwan

I've suddenly been craving cypress-steamed pork lately. I wanted shabu-shabu too, and Vietnamese spring rolls on top of that, so I looked up restaurants in Janggok-dong and ended up at Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Siheung Janggok Branch. I only wanted one thing, but once I got there there was so much to eat that I left completely stuffed haha.

Where is Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Siheung Janggok Branch, and where do you park?

Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Siheung Janggok Branch is on the 3rd floor of Janggok Edu Tower at 8 Jinmal1-ro, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, open daily from 10:30 to 22:00. You can use both the Janggok Edu Tower parking lot and the Yuseung Hannaedeul commercial parking lot, with 2 hours free.

Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Siheung Janggok Branch takes up the whole 3rd floor of Janggok Edu Tower, so even on a first visit it wasn't hard to find.

The parking lot is fairly spacious, which made driving there much less of a hassle. Being able to use the nearby commercial parking lot too was convenient. Once inside, the space was bigger than I expected and had a clean overall feel.

After a recent renovation, the interior and food-station layout changed, and the self-serve bar now sits in the center, easy to reach from any table. At an all-you-can-eat place you end up going back and forth to the self-serve bar a lot, so that layout actually matters haha. The big windows kept things from feeling cramped, and there was group seating too, which seemed good for family meals or gatherings.

What comes with the all-you-can-eat set

That day I ordered the all-you-can-eat set at Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Siheung Janggok Branch. It came with cypress-steamed pork, shabu-shabu, Vietnamese spring rolls, and beef, plus you could pick from the salad bar too.

And at the end, a course of kalguksu and porridge! I figured if I ate too much from the start I wouldn't have room for the finish, so I tried pacing myself. That plan didn't last long haha.

First stop: a lap around the salad bar

After ordering, the first thing I did was check out the salad bar.

There was japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), chicken, takoyaki, dumplings — several easy sides to go with the meal. With options kids would like alongside things adults could pick at casually, it seemed like there'd be less debate over what to eat on a family outing.

Even though I only took small portions, the plate filled up fast. A full plate from the salad bar before the main dishes even arrived haha. But that's exactly the charm of all-you-can-eat, right?

Cypress-steamed pork, straight from the steamer

While I was still browsing the salad bar, the cypress steamer got set up at the table.

With the lid on, I couldn't help but wonder what and how much was inside. Once it had steamed and the lid came off, steam poured out and revealed meat, bean sprouts, and vegetables packed in.

It looked moist and tender just from the sight of it! I picked up a piece of meat with some bean sprouts and dipped it lightly in the sauce.

The meat was soft and the bean sprouts still had a crisp bite, and the two together worked really well.

It wasn't greasy at all, more light and clean, so my chopsticks kept going back for more. Eating the cypress-steamed pork naturally meant eating a lot of vegetables too, and I really liked that combination.

The main event: shabu-shabu in the hot pot

Once I'd worked through most of the cypress-steamed pork, it was shabu-shabu's turn. There was a wide variety of vegetables and ingredients ready to go into the broth, and you could take as much beef as you wanted.

With so many vegetable options, I picked mostly what I felt like — bean sprouts, napa cabbage, mushrooms.

Rather than grabbing a huge pile of meat at once, it was easier to bring just enough to cook and eat as I went. Once the vegetables went into the broth and it started bubbling, the whole place smelled properly like shabu-shabu.

Swishing thin slices of beef briefly in the broth and eating them with the vegetables was soft and light, so I kept going. Eating crisp vegetables alongside the meat rather than just meat alone made the texture much more interesting too.

Rolling Vietnamese rice-paper rolls at the table

It would be a shame to skip Vietnamese spring rolls while eating shabu-shabu. I dipped rice paper in warm water to soften it, then piled on vegetables and meat.

A light dip in the sauce and the roll was ready to pop in your mouth! Crisp vegetables and tender meat together made for a nice texture, and the sauce kept it tasting clean. Eating this way instead of just meat over and over kept switching things up, which I liked.

A Siheung buffet that's fun for trying a bit of everything

What made Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Siheung Janggok Branch the most fun wasn't any single dish — it was working through cypress-steamed pork, shabu-shabu, Vietnamese rolls, beef, kalguksu, and porridge, one after another.

With the salad bar on top of all that, it seemed like a good spot for days when it's hard to settle on just one thing, letting everyone pick what they're in the mood for. Especially for a family visit — someone likes meat, someone likes vegetables, kids like the salad bar — being able to eat according to each person's taste at the same table felt pretty convenient.

When you're craving shabu-shabu in Janggok-dong

I went for cypress-steamed pork and ended up thoroughly enjoying shabu-shabu too. The restaurant is spacious and parking is easy, so it seemed like a good fit for family meals or gatherings with a group.

Above all, being able to enjoy cypress-steamed pork and shabu-shabu in one visit was great. If you're looking for shabu-shabu in Janggok-dong, or want cypress-steamed pork alongside it, Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Siheung Janggok Branch is worth a visit. If you're someone who, like me, enjoys sampling a little of everything, you'll have an even better time.