Bongdam steak grill restaurant in Hwaseong with parking: Sindong Lab

A second visit to Sindong Lab Hwaseong Bongdam Branch

Today I'm posting my second visit to Sindong Lab, a Japanese restaurant in Bongdam, Hwaseong~ My first kid went to a friend's birthday party and had dinner there, so it was just me, my second kid, and my husband today.

I think this is almost the first time we've eaten out without our first kid... My second one gets to play the only child for a day too ^^

Where to park at Sindong Lab: the public lot behind, free for 90 minutes

There's a parking lot in front of the store, but since it was dinner time it was completely full, so we parked at the public lot behind it. Just so you know, it's free up to 1 hour 30 minutes.

The public lot is actually pretty spacious and close to the restaurant, so parking there ended up being more convenient anyway.

Inside Sindong Lab: the room and our table for three

We were hungry, so in we went~ Even on our first visit the interior had such a warm, cozy feeling, and it was just as nice this time.

We'd reserved the 6:30 slot for 3 people, but since we had a kid with us, they assigned us a 6-seat table. There was a baby chair too, but my second kid hasn't been sitting well in baby chairs lately, so we put them in a regular chair.

The three dishes we ordered, plus the kids' service set

Time to pick from the menu. My husband said let's try steak today, so we ordered steak hwaro-gui (grilled on a personal brazier) + ricotta cheese salad, a sukiyaki set, and the traffic light cream udon nabe that I'd been wanting — three dishes total.

If you go into the kids' service category, there's a lot the owner has prepared — baby dishes, baby rice, side dishes, candy, juice, and more, so keep that in mind. I really love this kind of warm thoughtfulness 😀

The appetizer soup and drink that come with every order

Before the food comes out, soup and a drink arrive as an appetizer — the soup has that sweet-and-salty balance that really wakes up your appetite! The drink is on the sweet side and tasty too.

We did a little toast as a family without the big kid, and my second one looked so excited..

While we were eating, all our ordered dishes arrived ♥ It all looked so delicious ㅠㅠ Truly overwhelming visuals. A Hwaseong Japanese restaurant favorite where you eat with your eyes first and then your mouth — Sindong Lab!

Sukiyaki set at Sindong Lab: broth seasoned just right

First up, here's my review of trying the sukiyaki set at Sindong Lab, a Bongdam Japanese restaurant in Hwaseong. The top tier holds meat, udon noodles, and vegetables, and the bottom tier has furikake(?)-seasoned rice.

On the side there's broth you heat up as you eat, plus a raw egg — you dip the ingredients in like shabu-shabu style, then dip them in raw egg ^^

Add the vegetables, then drop in the meat! Look at the size of that meat lol Wow, the broth seasoning is so spot on — dip the meat in with the raw egg sauce and it's savory and salty, so delicious ㅠㅠ I worried it might be tough going in, but it wasn't tough at all, and wrapping it with rice was the icing on the cake.

We finished it off by adding the udon at the end too. We'd ordered this on our first visit as well, but it's just as good the second time around. I feel like this is a must-order as a base dish!

Steak hwaro-gui with ricotta cheese salad: grilling on your own brazier

Second up is the steak hwaro-gui + ricotta cheese salad that my husband had been looking forward to ordering~ This dish is grilled fresh on a personal brazier as you eat, and comes with soup stock and rice on the side.

Let's grill the meat. That sizzling smell is so good! We melted the butter first, then put the meat on and salted it. Since we'd be eating with my second kid, we skipped the pepper.

My second kid tried it first~ Must have been tasty because they ate over 8 pieces I think. They've been going through a picky-eating phase with teething lately, so it was great to see them eat so well. Feels like more than half went into my second kid's tummy hahaha. If you eat well, mom feels full too~ Felt like I fed them a really healthy meal, so proud.

Mom and dad had to try some too. Meat really is best popped straight into your mouth right off the grill. The rice is seasoned enough that wrapping meat and wasabi in it like a sushi roll was so good. It just melts!!

Traffic light cream udon nabe: barely spicy at all

Last up, the traffic light cream udon nabe. This one wins on visuals by a landslide I think. I wondered what 'traffic light' meant, and it turns out the decoration in the middle is green, yellow, and red — traffic light colors. They said it's chicken thigh cooked twice, with mentaiko (pollock roe) and pepper seeds added to a cream udon for savoriness plus a bit of heat.

It looked thick and rich, so good... When I tried it, there was barely any spice, so I think even kids could eat it. Even though it's a cream udon, the mentaiko and pepper seeds keep it from feeling too rich in your mouth — such an appealing touch. The chicken thigh was savory and plump too, so tasty!!

Final thoughts on dinner at Sindong Lab Bongdam

We walked out after a delicious dinner and it was already dark outside. Full belly, nice night air~ This might be what healing feels like. Every time I come to Sindong Lab, a Bongdam Japanese restaurant favorite in Hwaseong, I leave warm and full~ I'll be back again.

My second kid is really enjoying the only-child role even back home. Ate a lot of meat today, so that's some iron charged up right? Let's go to bed early.