Sadang Vietnamese spot, Saigon beer & wings: Bangbaedong Ssalguksu

Zzio and I love Vietnamese food. Pho is our favorite of all, because the meaty depth is great but it's also easy on the stomach, so we crave it a lot haha. Then we heard there's a totally local-style pho place in Sadang and ran straight over. The result: a huge success! Hahaha We had a properly rich bowl of pho. Today's place is a pho spot that's also great for a Sadang Station lunch: Bangbaedong Ssalguksu (방배동쌀국수)!

Where is Bangbaedong Ssalguksu near Sadang Station, and how long is the wait?

Bangbaedong Ssalguksu is at 34 Bangbaecheon-ro 8-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 1st floor, about a 9-minute walk from Exit 11 of Sadang Station. It's open 11:00 to 22:00. The storefront already feels like Vietnam, hahaha

There's usually a bit of a wait. We came around 6 pm on a weekend and two parties were ahead of us! Inside there's a sheet of paper to write your name on, so just add it and wait haha.

What is the atmosphere like inside Bangbaedong Ssalguksu?

The inside is Vietnam through and through. If you've been to a local eatery on a trip to Vietnam, especially in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi, you'll know the feeling: a little bustling, a little cramped. Exactly like being there hahaha

Even the posters on the wall have that vibe.

Bangbaedong Ssalguksu menu, prices and Vietnamese beer

The menu is divided into pho, fried rice and side dishes. Prices aren't high either!

The drinks include Tiger beer and Saigon beer, which reminded us of Vietnam, so we ordered some. In Vietnam they usually serve lukewarm beer, but thankfully they didn't copy the locals that far. It came out nice and cold hahaha

Then the food arrived! The portions were way bigger than expected, and we worried we'd ordered too much. It's cheap and the portions are really generous. But that means nothing if it doesn't taste good. Let's dig in!

How are the broth and meat in the combination pho?

The combination pho at Bangbaedong Ssalguksu comes with a variety of toppings all in one bowl. There was no cilantro mixed in, and the bowl was quite a bit bigger than expected, filled to the brim.

The broth is clean yet rich, a proper meaty stock. There's no off-putting gaminess at all; it's clean, but the beefy aroma and savory depth are very strong, with a touch of pepper on top. The broth is seriously, seriously good hahaha

The brisket is mild and clean, while the thin-sliced beef belly (usamgyeopsal) is rich and nutty. A big plus was the generous amount of meat, and the flavor holds up too. Quite delicious.

The noodles and bean sprouts soak up the broth, so the savoriness and seasoning feel just right! I don't know how they cook the noodles, but pho noodles usually swell up and break as you eat, getting hard to pick up with chopsticks. Not here: they stayed chewy and soft to the very end.

How does the pineapple fried rice taste, and how big is it?

The pineapple fried rice is stir-fried with meat, onion and pineapple, and it comes with small pieces of fresh pineapple on the side.

The sauce is the real kick hahaha It really tastes local. Yet it also feels a little Koreanized, which is hard to put into words... you can taste both countries. Probably it's even more so because the rice is chewy Korean rice rather than crumbly Vietnamese rice.

It's good topped with a piece of pineapple, and the portion is huge too;; I'd say at least 1.5 bowls of rice, so light eaters, keep that in mind when ordering.

Does the cha gio (4 pcs) taste like it does in Vietnam?

The four cha gio (Vietnamese fried spring rolls) come with chili sauce. Hahaha It's funny that they're served just like in Vietnam.

They're fried crispy on the outside, so they're insanely hot. There's lava inside, so if you bite in right when they arrive you'll scorch your mouth. Blow on them carefully first.

The taste is amazing!!! It's really what I ate in Vietnam, and not a tourist restaurant but a local one. Rich meaty juices, a hint of vegetable fragrance, and a chewy wrapper beneath the crispy shell. If you're used to Koreanized cha gio it may feel unfamiliar, but I really enjoyed it hahaha

Are the chicken wings (4 pcs) worth ordering with beer?

We also ordered four chicken wings. Honestly, we ordered them before knowing how huge the pho and fried rice portions would be, so at first I thought we'd ordered too much, but

I didn't regret it after one bite. These are really good. They're not Vietnamese in flavor, just the wings we all know, but with no chicken smell, salty, savory and with chewy skin. Anyway, delicious hahaha Zzio really loved them.

Verdict: Bangbaedong Ssalguksu for a weekend dinner in Sadang

At first I wondered how we'd finish all this, but it was so good that we ended up eating a ton at this Sadang pho place, Bangbaedong Ssalguksu! I've hardly been to a pho spot with this local Vietnamese feel lately, so it was a great experience, and it'll probably become a place we visit often. If you're looking for a good pho place or Vietnamese restaurant in Sadang, I recommend Bangbaedong Ssalguksu.