Cheongna kalguksu restaurant: after-work refills and beer at Singanae

One midsummer evening on my way home from work... I stopped by Singanae Kalguksuyuk (신가네 칼국수육) in Cheongna, which just opened recently.

As the name suggests, you can enjoy kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) and bossam (boiled pork) together, and it's all-you-can-eat, which made me even more curious. With unlimited refills, the quantity is usually fine but the quality is often a letdown, right? So I went to find out for myself =3=3=3

Singanae Kalguksuyuk Cheongna: location, hours and parking

• Address: 14 Boseok-ro 18beon-an-gil, Seo-gu, Incheon, South Korea (1st floor)
• Hours: 10:30–22:00 (last order 21:00)
• Closed: every Monday
• Parking: available in front of the restaurant

What is Singanae Kalguksuyuk like at 7:30 pm on a weeknight?

It made a clean first impression, as a new place should. I arrived around 7:30 pm after work. There's parking in front, so parking was easy. The exterior is tidy, and the inside was even more pleasant than I expected. Soft lighting and modern decor made it much brighter and more comfortable than your typical kalguksu place.

When I first walked in there were almost no customers, and I wondered, "Maybe it's not well known yet?" But not long after I started eating, the mood changed completely. Office workers coming off work, couples, and people dropping by for a casual drink started trickling in, and before I knew it a good number of tables were full. I could see why people come for dinner as well as lunch.

Ordering unlimited refills by tablet at the table

At Singanae Kalguksuyuk I ordered the unlimited bossam and kalguksu without a second thought. Each table has a tablet, so ordering was easy, and you can request refills on it too, so there was no need to keep calling the staff.

Free gondre rice (thistle rice) and a review event were also on offer, and the kimchi pancake had good reviews, so I added one. Before long, the bossam and kalguksu came out almost at the same time.

The kalguksu arrives already cooked, and you only need to simmer it about one more minute on the tabletop induction burner, so there's no long wait.

Suyuk (boiled pork) that impressed from the first plate

My chopsticks went straight for the bossam first~ It was neatly plated and looked moist.

I tried a piece and there was no gamey smell at all; the moist, tender texture was impressive. My wife took a bite and said, "This is so soft. No smell, and it's perfect with beer, isn't it?" and immediately ordered a bottle haha

It was definitely the kind of bossam you keep reaching for without feeling weighed down.

Eating it with the homemade mumallaengi (seasoned dried radish strips) made the texture better and seemed to bring out more savoriness.

Lettuce, bossam, mumallaengi and ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste) in one bite is a wonderful combination haha

Kalguksu with a truly rich broth

As a self-proclaimed noodle lover, I naturally reached for the kalguksu more. The broth at Singanae Kalguksuyuk was far richer than I expected. It wasn't a clear, light style; it was thick, with real depth.

Even though I was full, I kept going, slurping the noodles and even drinking down the broth ;; The noodles were chewy and springy, so I could enjoy them to the very end.

And of course, kimchi matters at a kalguksu place. Eating the kalguksu with their homemade geotjeori (fresh, unfermented kimchi) made it taste even better.

They sell the geotjeori separately too. I thought it would go great with ramyeon at home.

Do the refills match the first serving?

With all-you-can-eat, isn't refill quality the thing you most want to know? haha Plenty of places serve the first round well and disappoint after that...

But this place was different. When I requested a refill on the tablet, it arrived quickly without a long wait, and it was the same bossam as the first plate.

In the end, after the first serving I refilled twice more. Even with unlimited refills, it kept the same quality to the very end, and I have to give them credit for that.

Kimchi pancake and free gondre rice

The kimchi pancake I ordered extra was better than expected. Crispy outside, moist inside, with the kimchi texture still alive in every bite, so it worked well as a side dish.

Kalguksu and bossam are plenty on their own, but adding the kimchi pancake made the table feel even fuller.

The free gondre rice was satisfying too. The gondre aroma was so strong that it hardly felt like a freebie, and mixed with the seasoned soy sauce it went well with the bossam.

An after-work beer with suyuk and kalguksu

With bossam this good, it's harder not to drink beer.

It was hot out and I'd just finished work, so I ordered a cold bottle of beer. A piece of tender bossam, a sip of beer. I could feel the day's tiredness slowly melting away.

Free coffee after the meal

As I paid and was about to leave, I found freshly brewed coffee set out, so I finished with a cold cup and wrapped up a thoroughly satisfying dinner.

When to visit Singanae Kalguksuyuk in Cheongna

Because it said all-you-can-eat, I went with slightly lowered expectations, but it kept the same quality right through the last refill!!

What I'll remember about the kalguksu is the rich broth and chewy noodles, and the bossam was tender with no gamey smell.

Add the homemade geotjeori and mumallaengi plus the free gondre rice, and it was a great meal.

If you want a hearty meal in Cheongna, or an evening when bossam and a beer sound just right, it's worth a visit.