Hongdae Korean restaurant: soft tofu potato stew with Spam, Bap Jangin

What kind of place is Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch?

Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch (밥장인 홍대점) is a Korean rice restaurant on Yanghwa-ro 18an-gil, near Hongik Univ. Station. It's famous for jjageuli-style stews (thick, simmered-down stews) that you mix into your rice. If you have a big appetite, this is a pork kimchi stew spot in Hongdae worth visiting.

This looks like a place a lot of students must come to. There's plenty of tasty stuff like bulgogi and sundubu (soft tofu stew), but the best Korean food of all is kimchi stew, right? Adding stew on top of kimchi... our ancestors were so wise.

Bap Jangin is known for jjageuli: stews simmered down until they're just barely soupy, plus Spam, a perfect rice side dish, that they either grill for you or put into the stew. I once went to Bap Jangin while waiting for a bus at Express Bus Terminal, and I had the squid stir-fry there, remember? It was good, so I stopped by the Hongdae branch too.

I walked in thinking, maybe lots of celebrities have been here, and sure enough, some celebrity was filming at the Olive Young visible from the window over there, and the area was packed with people. I guess this is where they come when they get hungry after filming.

Does Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch have a break time?

No break time, so even though I arrived close to 3pm, I could sit down and eat right away. It's a pretty spacious kimchi stew restaurant for Hongdae, so there's no need to wait even at busy times, and it's roomy enough to come alone without feeling awkward. Any time of day works.

A cute water bottle and all-you-can-eat seasoned seaweed flakes. I really love seaweed flakes, and at Bap Jangin the whole container just sits on the table, so I felt so happy the moment I saw it.

There's a Naver review QR code and a Wi-Fi QR code too. This place must have quite a lot of regulars. Kimchi stew, sundubu, bulgogi, ramen: I could eat any of those every other day.

Single dishes or a full set meal: which should you order?

The single dishes are good, but the set meals come with side dishes, so you get a more generous meal. Especially since grilled Spam is among the sides, a total rice thief of a side dish!

What's at the self-serve bar?

At the self-serve bar you can help yourself to as much bean sprouts, kimchi and pickled chili peppers as you like. This place is known for stews you mix into rice, so I grabbed as many bean sprouts as I wanted.

Food comes out only 7–8 minutes after you order, so it suits busy modern people too. The potato sundubu stew, steamed egg and kimchi stew all arrived in really under 10 minutes.

Does extra Spam in the stew come grilled?

No. When I added Spam to the sundubu stew at Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch, it wasn't grilled; the Spam was simply in the stew.. Next time I'll just order the grilled Spam as a side dish!

If you want your Spam grilled, don't add it to the stew; be sure to order it as a separate single item.

I love steamed egg, and it's been such a long time since I had it. I make it at home all the time, but somehow it tastes better when you eat it out. Is it because I didn't make it? Like how ramen someone else cooks for you always tastes better, right?

Ramen noodles in the pork kimchi stew: only half a block

For the pork kimchi stew at Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch, you can only add half a block of ramen noodles. A whole block would be too much, so being able to add just half made the ratio perfect.

For basic side dishes, pickled chili peppers and seaweed flakes from the self-serve bar. I have no idea how many times I scooped up seaweed flakes. Everyone's a seaweed flake monster, so whatever you set out vanishes in a flash.

I also brought a generous heap of bean sprouts, but they ran out quickly, so I went back to the self-serve bar for a refill. The upside of a self-serve bar is that you can help yourself without feeling awkward.

The noodles are cooked chewy, and as you eat they soften just right, turning into ramen noodles soaked in tasty kimchi stew broth.

How does the soft tofu potato stew with Spam taste?

Unlike other places, the soft tofu potato stew with extra Spam at Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch comes thick and simmered down (jjageul), so it's great for mixing into rice.

Two big chunks of Spam are in it, so the broth is deep, and even though there's no seafood in it, it tasted as if it were packed with clams.

Silky soft tofu is always good. It's great with seasoning sauce drizzled on top, great as the fried soft tofu you get at izakayas, and seafood sundubu stew is a total yes.

How much rice do you get in the big bowl?

Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch gives you a brimming metal bowl (yanpun) of rice for mixing, almost two bowls' worth. Cheap but generous, an amazing value spread! Maybe because the rice is cooked well and tastes good, my friend finished that whole pile of rice, a full bowl.

Pork kimchi stew: ingredients and broth

The pork kimchi stew at Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch is packed with pork. Exactly the cut that goes into kimchi stew, tender rather than tough. And two big pieces of tofu. Kimchi stew without tofu would be a letdown.

The broth is thick, isn't it? A broth that's great for mixing into rice. This isn't soup; it's stew of stews.

The kimchi has soaked up the meat fat so the savory flavor comes alive, and the kimchi still has its crunch, so this seems like a moderately simmered stew rather than one boiled for a long time.

Steamed egg is always welcome. Welcome when you're hungry, welcome even when you're not. If I could bring only one ingredient to a desert island, I think I'd pick eggs!! Egg love.

How to mix your rice at Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch

Put lots of bean sprouts into the rice they piled in the big bowl, scoop in an even mix of broth and ingredients from the stew you like, and start mixing hard. I spooned some of my friend's rice onto a small plate, added bean sprouts, stew and seaweed flakes, and mixed it to my own taste.

Is Bap Jangin Hongdae Branch worth recommending?

Bap Jangin was a Hongdae kimchi stew spot where the stew isn't soupy but just barely saucy, so it's great mixed with rice. I recommend it when you want a reliable Korean meal. I sat in my favorite window seat and had a relaxed lunch watching people walk by.