Yongin kalguksu restaurant with an hourglass timer: Yubok Kalguksu

I'm writing this because I think it'll help anyone looking for a kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) place near the Korean Folk Village. It's "Yubok Kalguksu Yongin Korean Folk Village Branch" in Giheung-gu, Yongin.

I went in thinking it was just a kalguksu place. Turns out they also serve grilled jjukkumi (webfoot octopus) stir-fry and jjukkumi seafood chive pancake. The sign out front even has the jjukkumi stir-fry and seafood pancake written on it.

Parking at Yubok Kalguksu: no need to worry

The whole area in front of Yubok Kalguksu Yongin Korean Folk Village Branch is basically parking. I went on a weekday lunch and there was still plenty of space. If you're driving here after a day out at the Korean Folk Village, you don't need to worry about this part!

The restaurant is pretty big. There were at least twenty-five or so four-person tables. I went around 12:30pm on a weekday and it was quite busy. It wasn't waiting-line busy, but there was a waiting machine there — which probably means there are times when you do have to wait.

Read the how-to sign by the kiosk before you order

Yubok Kalguksu Yongin Korean Folk Village Branch has a how-to sign posted above the kiosk. This feels like the most important thing about this place, so let me just translate it as-is.

How to eat the kalguksu and jjukkumi set

• One, turn the hourglass, and once it's done, adjust the heat as you eat (for 3-4 servings, let it simmer about 1 more minute)
• Two, don't stir too much — skim off the foam lightly for a cleaner broth
• Three, mix the barley rice with the yuzu radish salad and jjukkumi
• *We don't use spicy paste since it masks the broth's flavor. We recommend tasting it as it is, but feel free to add pepper or hot chili to taste

How to eat the dinner-only chive jjukkumi hot plate

Right next to it is the how-to sign for the chive jjukkumi, which is a dinner-only menu.

• One, eat the raw chives together with the jjukkumi
• Two, after 3 minutes, lower to a gentle heat and slowly mix, eating the wilted chives together with the jjukkumi
• Three, adding flying fish roe is also delicious — wrap it in perilla leaves with the yuzu radish salad and bean sprouts
• Four, finish with added fried rice for a K-dessert

If you're going in the evening, look at this side. It's a menu you eat along with a mixed noodle side and fried rice.

Oh, and the jjukkumi set can only be ordered for two people or more. It'll show up as a notice on the kiosk, so solo diners should keep that in mind.

There's soy sauce, pepper, and hot chili at the table, all labeled really neatly. Seeing things like this puts me at ease.

The hourglass that times your kalguksu

The kalguksu comes out first in the set. Once it arrives, you turn on the burner and flip the hourglass. Once the sand runs out, that's when you eat.

There are two kinds of kimchi: napa cabbage kimchi and yuzu radish salad. The napa cabbage kimchi went perfectly with the kalguksu. It said they only use domestic freshly-made geotjeori (fresh cabbage kimchi) made every morning — maybe that's why it tasted even better.

The broth is apparently made by simmering wild pufferfish for a long time. Then live clams, oysters, and small conch shipped in that day go in. With pufferfish broth plus generous seafood, it was so refreshing! Great savory depth.

Jjukkumi seafood chive pancake with no floury taste

This is the jjukkumi seafood chive pancake. It felt like almost no flour was used. I think they might use frying powder instead — it was crispy without any floury taste, so it was really delicious. The seafood was generous too, with shrimp, scallop, and jjukkumi all in there.

The portion was big, but I finished it without leaving a single bite. I'll definitely order this again next time!

Jjukkumi mixed into barley rice resets your palate

Barley rice comes out, and you mix the jjukkumi stir-fry into it. It's a little spicy and a little sweet. After eating the kalguksu and chive pancake, eating this felt like resetting my palate — I liked it.

There's a self-serve bar, so you can freely scoop out side dishes.

At the self-serve bar, they had separate kids' spoons and forks set out too. Seeing this made me think, ah, this place really puts in the effort.

Above the kitchen there's a sign that says "Yubok Kalguksu's Promise."

From the broth and noodles to the side dishes, we make everything ourselves, one by one, and promise a proper table set with the same care as feeding our own family.

Yubok Kalguksu Yongin Korean Folk Village Branch: info and tips

• Location: 24 Minsokchon-ro, Ga-dong 1F, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours: 11:00–22:00, last order 21:30
• Break time: None
• Regular closed days: None
• Parking: Parking available in front of the restaurant, plenty of space even on weekday lunch

• The jjukkumi set can only be ordered for two or more. If you're going solo, go for the kalguksu single dish.
• Once the kalguksu arrives, turn the hourglass and wait. For 3-4 servings, the sign says to let it simmer 1 more minute.
• There's a separate dinner-only menu. It's the chive jjukkumi hot plate, with its own how-to sign posted. If you're going in the evening, check that out.

I went during the day, so I couldn't try the dinner-only chive jjukkumi hot plate. Next time I want to go back for that with a drink. If anyone's tried it, let me know in the comments how it was!