Yangpyeong hanjeongsik with acorn jelly mustard salad: Ochan Hoedong

I wanted a slightly special meal in Yangpyeong, so this time I went to Ochan Hoedong (오찬회동) :)

I'd heard the food here is a bit different from the usual hanjeongsik, using fermented vinegar and aged sauces, so I was curious. The vibe turned out nicer than expected and the food was really neat and tidy, so let me walk you through it slowly!

Where is Ochan Hoedong, and is there parking?

Ochan Hoedong is located in the Gangsang-myeon area of Yangpyeong.

There's a private parking space right in front of the building, so it was convenient to visit by car. The exterior is clean, and the entrance is decorated with plants, giving it a surprisingly nice atmosphere haha

Above all, the inside is quiet and calm, so I thought it'd be good for a family meal or an important occasion.

Inside Ochan Hoedong: window seats and the private room

Stepping inside, everything felt warm! The wood-tone tables matched the clean interior nicely, and the window side had a view of the surrounding scenery, so it was a relaxed spot to spend time over a meal.

On one side there were earthenware jars and vinegar-related products on display, which gave off a real 'this place takes fermentation seriously' feeling.

There's also a private space for dining, which looked good for family gatherings, meals with parents, or even a meeting-the-in-laws occasion :)

The Ochan Hoedong course, dish by dish

We tried the Ochan Hoedong course.

Rosemary fermented vinegar drink and gim-bugak

First to arrive was the rosemary fermented vinegar drink and gim-bugak (crispy fried seaweed chips). It's better to sip the fermented vinegar drink slowly rather than gulp it down. A subtle tang came through and it felt like it cleared out my mouth.

The gim-bugak was crispy, and it went surprisingly well with the vinegar drink haha

Peanut and chestnut porridge, then salad with fermented vinegar dressing

Next came the peanut chestnut porridge! It was nutty yet soft, and felt like it gently warmed my stomach before the meal started. Not heavy at all, quite plain — I personally like when a course opens with something like this.

A salad came alongside it, and it wasn't just an ordinary salad. It had a house-made fermented vinegar dressing, giving it a tangy, clean flavor. The vegetables were crisp and pretty to look at too — good for photos haha

Fermented-vinegar acorn jelly with mustard greens

And then a slightly unusual dish! The fermented-vinegar acorn jelly mustard salad.

Unlike regular acorn jelly, this one came in a dried form, so the texture was surprising. The sharp bite of the mustard salad combined with the tang of the fermented vinegar really woke up my appetite.

Yangpyeong mushroom japchae

Then came the japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), made with Yangpyeong mushrooms.

The glass noodles were cut into manageable lengths, easy to eat, and the mushroom texture really came through. It felt a bit different from the japchae I usually eat, and I enjoyed this one too :)

The main dish: seed soy sauce hanwoo tteokgalbi

The main dish, seed soy sauce hanwoo tteokgalbi (Korean beef patty)! The plating was gorgeous, so I ended up taking way too many photos lol

One bite in, I could taste the meat's own juiciness along with the deep, subtle flavor of the seed soy sauce. Rather than being sharply salty, the seed soy sauce flavor rose gently and it was genuinely delicious haha

10-year-aged doenjang stew with lotus leaf rice

Then came doenjang (soybean paste) stew, lotus leaf rice, and side dishes — a Korean meal wouldn't feel complete without these!

They use doenjang aged for 10 years here, and it came out bubbling in a stone pot with a rich, savory aroma rising right away.

The broth was rich with the deep flavor unique to doenjang, and it paired perfectly with the lotus leaf rice.

The rice, wrapped and steamed in a lotus leaf, had a subtle lotus fragrance too. Eating it with the doenjang stew really made it feel like a proper hanjeongsik meal haha

Dessert: strawberry vinegar tea and Korean sweets

We finished off with strawberry vinegar tea and gwajil (dried fruit snack) for dessert! The sweet-and-tangy flavor cleared my palate nicely after the course. From start to finish, the food overall leaned into the flavor of the ingredients and fermented products rather than anything sharp or strong, which made for a leisurely meal.

Seed soy sauce and fermented vinegar you can buy at Ochan Hoedong

Before leaving after the meal, I browsed the products in the store's fridge. They sell house-made seed soy sauce and fermented vinegar, among other things. There's quite a variety, so if you're into fermented foods it's fun to look around, and they'd make good gifts too :)

Is Ochan Hoedong right for a family gathering or meeting the in-laws?

If you're looking for a hanjeongsik restaurant in Yangpyeong, Ochan Hoedong is worth a visit at least once. Rather than simply serving lots of side dishes like a typical hanjeongsik, it uses fermented vinegar and aged sauces to give each course a slightly different flavor.

Above all, the calm and tidy atmosphere makes it a good fit for occasions like:

• A meal with parents
• A family gathering
• Meeting the in-laws
• A quiet date
• A meal for a special day

If you're out on a Yangpyeong drive and want a proper, unhurried meal, keep Ochan Hoedong in mind :)