Yangju Korean restaurant for spicy budae-bokkeum: Choi Budae Jjigae

Choi Budae Jjigae in Okjeong New Town

I had to go to Yangju last weekend, so I needed to stop for lunch along the way. As I was heading to Okjeong New Town, I heard there was a newly rising budae-jjigae (army stew) spot and decided to check it out~~ It was Choi Budae Jjigae. It is in a quiet spot rather than among a cluster of tightly packed buildings, so it is easy to get to.

You can park behind the restaurant. It looks like there are roughly five or six spaces. On weekends, it seems you may be able to park in the vacant lot too.

At Choi Budae Jjigae, you can order naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) as well as budae-jjigae. Naengmyeon in summer and budae-jjigae in winter would be a good way to go.

Along with budae-jjigae, they also serve kimchi jjigae and budae-bokkeum (stir-fried army stew). It is nice to be able to eat according to your taste.

The Self-Service Suratgan and Side Dishes

The side dishes you have to get are the egg roll and grilled Spam. I heard the egg roll was good, so there was no way I could skip it, haha. The big plus at Choi Budae Jjigae is the self-service Suratgan station. You can get unlimited refills of rice and pick up tasty side dishes too. There is even plum tea for dessert~ I do not think there is anywhere like this even in Uijeongbu's budae-jjigae alley, so compared with that, this is a really nice point, haha.

The side dishes are simple: fish cake and musaengchae (seasoned shredded radish). I especially liked the fish cake, so I kept getting refills. Fish cake at other budae-jjigae places can feel a little soulless? Here, it is properly cooked so the seasoning gets all the way in. The dongchimi (chilled radish-water kimchi) was tangy and refreshing too~ Just ask the owner and they will give you more. It goes wonderfully with spicy food such as budae-jjigae or budae-bokkeum. Once you try it, you will refill it at least once.

Spicy Budae-bokkeum That Keeps You Eating

This time, I ordered budae-bokkeum. Budae-jjigae is good too, but because the weather was still hot, I went for the simpler budae-bokkeum. Since it is spicy, I worried whether my wife would be able to eat it, but when you are hungry, you have no choice but to eat, haha.

It had all sorts of ingredients, including big chunks of ham, bacon, minced meat, and Spam. There was quite a lot of red pepper powder. Looking at that, I thought, this is going to be very spicy. I even wondered whether I would have to eat it all if my wife could not, haha.

Just as expected, it was spicy. But it was deliciously spicy, so I kept eating it. The sauce had soaked properly into the Spam and ham.

There was this much minced meat in it. Choi Budae Jjigae does not skimp on ingredients. This is totally made for soju~~ Sadly, I had driven there, so I had no choice but to eat it with rice.

I mixed it nicely into my rice and ate it. My wife said it was spicy too, but she still enjoyed it with some cider, haha.

Egg Roll That Softened the Heat

Then the egg roll side dish arrived. It had plenty of ketchup drizzled over it. You could tell at a glance that this fluffy egg roll had just been cooked.

Once I tried it, it really was a warm, plump egg roll made just moments ago. It was so soft that it was almost jelly-like, haha. When the budae-bokkeum feels spicy, eating it with the egg helps take the heat down.

I finished the meal with plum tea. Cool plum tea pairs better with spicy budae-jjigae than hot coffee does. The whole meal had a perfect beginning, middle, and end :) With kind service, a neatly maintained restaurant, and tasty budae-bokkeum and egg roll, all three pieces come together here. I think it is even tastier than Uijeongbu budae-jjigae.