Bone-broth seafood jjampong at Omokgyo Chinese restaurant Yugwanjang

A drizzly day. I heard a new Chinese restaurant had opened near Omokgyo Station, so I went to check it out. Yugwanjang Banjeom Omokgyo Station Branch, at 256 Mokdongdong-ro, 2nd floor, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, is open 24 hours every day.

Where to park at Yugwanjang Banjeom Omokgyo Station Branch

Yugwanjang Banjeom Omokgyo Station Branch has free parking — there are 3 spots beside the building.

If it's full, you can use the paid Mokdong public parking lot, a 6-minute walk away.

Yugwanjang Banjeom: exterior and interior

Maybe because it's newly opened, the sign was spotless.

The shining entrance sign of Yugwanjang Banjeom Omokgyo Station Branch. I stepped in with some excitement.

The interior was really clean and well organized.

The self-serve bar was very hygienic too. They clearly pay a lot of attention to upkeep.

Menu and what we ordered

Yugwanjang's menu is packed haha. The food photos were so good that my mouth was watering just scrolling.

What I ordered was the bone-broth seafood jjampong (large) and a small tangsuyuk.

Why is there seasoned salt on every table?

The basic table setting. There's one item here I don't usually see elsewhere.

Right — table salt! I'll show you exactly how this gets used soon...

A shot of everything I ordered. This must be what the word 'appetizing' was invented for.

What does the large bone-broth seafood jjampong taste like?

When I first heard it was bone-broth based, I was a little puzzled. Bone broth in a seafood jjampong? I wondered if it might end up tasting like neither one thing nor the other.

A really well-made jjampong. True to the 'large' size, the portion was overflowing!

The noodles are heavy haha. Could I really finish all this? Let's take a look at Yugwanjang's bone-broth seafood jjampong, packed with seafood and meat.

Seafood jjampong plus a bone-broth base — how would that work? The moment I took a bite, it made sense.

Behind the spiciness sits a thick, heavy bone-broth flavor, and then the clean, deep finish of the seafood.

Beef brisket, or maybe thin-sliced pork belly? Whatever it is, that meat is definitely contributing to the depth of flavor.

Yugwanjang's bone-broth seafood jjampong is spicy in a delicious way — even I, who can't handle much spice, enjoyed it.

The toppings are so generous they come up tangled with every bite of noodles. Noodles that just keep coming no matter how much you eat haha. Did they give me the double-large size because of my build or something?

Whew... such a rich, savory broth. Even I, who's not much of a drinker, found myself thinking about soju haha.

Along with the meat and vegetables, the seafood toppings are generous too. Squid, shrimp and clams, no expense spared.

Noodles swaying and dancing. Honestly, I was dancing too because it was so good.

Eating it with danmuji (pickled radish) like this is really good too. It gives the heavy jjampong a refreshing finish. Yugwanjang's bone-broth seafood jjampong stayed loaded with toppings all the way to the last spoonful.

Small tangsuyuk dipped in seasoned salt

Now let's look at the tangsuyuk. Clearly well fried, anyone could tell. The crispness you can see just from the photo. A visual almost good enough to be a tangsuyuk textbook.

That crunchy sound the moment you bite in. Wow... how can it be this crispy and delicious without a hint of gamey smell? Truly flawlessly fried tangsuyuk.

I tried dipping it fully in the sauce too. A very familiar taste, and a scary one. Tangsuyuk feels like a dish that packs in every trick in the book.

Even full from the large jjampong, why does it keep going in without a problem... that's the scary thing about tangsuyuk haha. Maximum addictiveness!

And today's highlight: the table salt and tangsuyuk. Some old-school Chinese restaurants serve a fried meat dish called tenpura that's meant to be dipped in salt. A Chinese restaurant that offers a tenpura-style item is usually proof that its fried meat is high quality, so seeing this table salt told me Yugwanjang Banjeom Omokgyo Station Branch's chef is confident in the tangsuyuk.

Dr. Gom's nutrition check

Bone-broth seafood jjampong

The beef in the jjampong broth is relatively rich in protein and iron. With good iron absorption, it can help prevent anemia and support energy metabolism.

Squid is rich in taurine, and some studies suggest it may support liver function and help with fatigue recovery.

The chili-based broth contains capsaicin, which may help promote blood circulation.

That said, the sodium content is relatively high, so it's wiser to focus on the toppings rather than drinking all the broth.

Tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork)

Pork is relatively rich in protein and vitamin B1, which can help with energy metabolism and fatigue recovery.

The vegetables in the tangsuyuk sauce help supplement dietary fiber and antioxidants.

That said, due to the deep-frying, the calorie count is relatively high, so when eating it alongside jjampong, it's best to keep the small size and moderate your portion.

Is Yugwanjang Banjeom worth a visit?

True to a newly opened spot, the restaurant was clean and well organized, and the food overall had solid fundamentals. Generous portions, rich flavor, crispy fried food — everything was satisfying. With 24-hour hours and free parking, accessibility is good too. This is a place I'd like to come back to whenever I want a hearty Chinese meal near Omokgyo.