Siheung shabu-shabu restaurant with steamed beef: Pyeonbaek Hoegwan

Eating out has gotten so expensive lately that I find myself looking for places where I can really enjoy a hearty meal. This time, I visited the newly renovated Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Siheung Janggok Branch!

It is an all-you-can-eat restaurant where you can start with cypress-steamed food, then enjoy beef shabu-shabu and Vietnamese rice-paper wraps, and finish with kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) and juk (rice porridge). If you have been looking for shabu-shabu in Janggok-dong, take note.

• 8 Jinmal 1-ro, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea (경기 시흥시 진말1로 8 장곡에듀타워 3층)
• 10:30 AM–10:00 PM daily; no break time
• 2 hours free parking
• Private rooms, a kids’ play area, and a spacious, tidy dining room

We went with bonito + spicy mushroom.

• Weekday lunch: ₩17,900
• Weekday dinner and weekends: ₩20,900
• Elementary school students: ₩12,900
• Children ages 4–7: ₩7,900

A spacious, clean dining room

The first thing that caught my eye when I walked in was how spacious it was. At about 135 pyeong, the tables were comfortably spaced out, and the large windows made for a relaxed meal.

Since it was recently renovated, the atmosphere was clean and even the area around the self-service bar was nicely organized. There are also private rooms and a kids’ play area, so it seems well suited to eating out with children or gathering with family.

Starting with cypress steaming

First, you get to try the cypress-steamed dish. As soon as the lid was opened, warm steam rose up, and the beef and shrimp were cooked just right for eating.

The beef was clean-tasting with no unpleasant smell, and its texture was tender, so it was easy to eat. The shrimp were plump too, and alternating them with the beef gave me a nice change in texture.

Personally, I liked the cypress-steamed beef better wrapped in Vietnamese rice paper than eaten on its own. Loading the rice paper with vegetables and wrapping in the beef made it crisp and light, so I kept reaching for more.

The all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu selection

After the cypress-steamed dish, it was time for shabu-shabu. One strength of Pyeonbaek Hoegwan is that you can enjoy not only beef but also a range of ingredients according to your own taste.

The self-service bar has everything from vegetables and Vietnamese-wrap ingredients to assorted add-ins, so you can take as much as you want. Rather than piling up a huge plate from the start, I found it easier to try a little of each thing and then go back for the ingredients I liked.

You can eat lots of meat or load up on vegetables, so even people with different tastes can each enjoy it their own way. When eating shabu-shabu, there are times when you run short on vegetables or want more of just one ingredient, and it was convenient to be able to grab it right away.

Two broths: bonito and spicy mushroom

We chose two broths, spicy mushroom and bonito, so we could enjoy both flavors. If you keep eating only one side, you might get a little tired of it toward the end, but alternating between them meant it went down well all the way through.

I put the vegetables in first, and once the broth started boiling, lightly cooked the beef and took it out right away. Not cooking it for too long kept the meat from getting tough and made it tender and easy to eat.

I ate the beef with sauce, then tried it in a Vietnamese rice-paper wrap too, and it felt quite different even though it was the same beef.

Items from the self-service bar

I also liked that there was a self-service bar in addition to the shabu-shabu. It had tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), pasta, gim-mari (seaweed-wrapped glass-noodle fritters), fries, takoyaki, and more, so I think children would like it too.

The muksabal (chilled acorn-jelly soup) was especially good. It had great savory depth, so I refilled it several times.

Finishing with juk

After plenty of shabu-shabu, you are full, but you still have to finish properly, right? I made juk with the broth that had kept simmering with meat and vegetables, and somehow I could still eat more.

It was nutty and warm, and after finishing it, I really felt like I had eaten a proper meal. I wanted to try the corn noodles too, but I will save those for my next visit.

Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Siheung Janggok Branch: final thoughts

At Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Siheung Janggok Branch, I first liked the spacious, clean feel that comes with the renovation. Being able to enjoy cypress steaming and shabu-shabu together, along with Vietnamese rice-paper wraps and the self-service bar, kept the meal from feeling repetitive. With a kids’ play area and private rooms, it also looks useful for visiting with children or for family meals out.

After the meal, they also gave us a cypress cube, so I left in a good mood.

If you are looking for shabu-shabu in Janggok-dong and want a hearty meal from cypress steaming through shabu-shabu in a clean restaurant, give it a visit. If I return, I will definitely make the most of the Vietnamese wraps with the cypress-steamed beef and not miss the corn noodles and juk at the end.