Seongnam Korean restaurant for perilla sujebi: Gangnam Gyoja

A warm bowl in Seohyeon Station’s dining alley

It suddenly got chilly lately, so I’ve been craving something warm. Hot soup dishes are just perfect on days like this, so let me introduce Gangnam Gyoja, which I visited with my husband. It’s in the Seohyeon Station dining alley, and you can get there within a three-minute walk from the station.

There are lots of people around this area, so it can be a little hectic; we walked there, but I think most people will be visiting this neighborhood favorite from nearby. I recommend taking public transit.

It’s on the second floor of the building, so head up one level! We visited just after the lunch rush. The entrance looks a bit like a grand old house (?) so it’s easy to spot.

There were surprisingly many customers inside. The weather had suddenly turned from hot to chilly, and it seemed like lots of people, just like us, were looking for soup dishes. It was around 1 p.m., yet it was nearly full.

The dining room has tables for two and four, so there were people dining alone too! Since it was the weekend, there were lots of families as well. There’s a self-service bar by the entrance where you can get extra rice, and disposable aprons are hanging there too.

Ordering perilla sujebi, dakgaejang, and gyoja dumplings

The signature dishes are kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) and gyoja mandu (dumplings)! Since the restaurant is called Gangnam Gyoja, every table had a plate of dumplings, haha. We joined in: gyoja dumplings to share, deulkkae sujebi (perilla seed hand-torn noodle soup) for me because I’m a perilla fanatic, and dakgaejang (spicy chicken soup) for my husband because he wanted something spicy.

There’s one seasonal menu item at a time, so if you still feel hot, kongguksu (cold noodles in soy milk) or chogye guksu (cold chicken noodle soup) would be nice! There are plenty of other choices too, including bibim guksu and bibimbap, so I think it would be great for a group lunch.

Since we were eating a lot, we ordered a Fanta too, to help us digest as we ate, hehe. Even with all of this, it was the generous price of ₩36,000... With three dishes, there was seriously so much food. One menu item each would be more than enough!!

Nutty, thick perilla sujebi

Then my perilla sujebi arrived first—ta-da. You can tell at a glance how thick it is, hehe.

The sujebi pieces were neither too thick nor too thin—just the right thickness to slurp right up. And the broth goes without saying: incredibly nutty.

Hearty, spicy dakgaejang with plenty of chicken

And then, the dakgaejang my husband ordered! Since my perilla sujebi didn’t have protein, I stole some of the chicken from his soup. The broth isn’t fiercely spicy; it has more of a warming kick. If you’re stopping by for a hangover lunch, I recommend the dakgaejang!

The chicken pieces were big and there was lots of them, too. They barely seemed to run out even as he finished the broth. My husband practically inhaled the whole bowl, broth included. The kind of flavor that could easily take two bowls of rice.

Cool down the generously filled gyoja dumplings first

And finally, the long-awaited gyoja~☆♤♡ There are ten pieces on one plate! For two adult men, two main dishes plus one order of dumplings would probably be just right, while for a date it’s incredibly abundant, lol. I ate almost all of my perilla sujebi and about three dumplings, then had to give up because I was so full.

The dumplings may look cute in size, but they’re packed with filling. When they first arrive, they can burn the roof of your mouth, so it’s best to poke one hole in every dumpling, eat your main dish while they cool, and then dig in.

One bite reveals a generous ratio of meat and plenty of vegetables. Soy sauce is already set on the table, so dip away. Also, the kimchi here is so good ^_^ A bite of dumpling, a bite of kimchi... I feel like restaurants that serve soup-and-rice dishes always have amazingly delicious kimchi.

There are so many great restaurants around Seohyeon, but it had been hard to find a place for a warm, comforting meal. We visited as autumn was beginning, so I think I’ll remember it again when the nose-tingling cold season comes. If you’re craving gyoja and warm kalguksu this weekend, I recommend Gangnam Gyoja Bundang Seohyeon Branch =)