Seohyeon rib stew: mild pork for 3 with macaroni salad, Gimcheongja

Can a spice wimp handle mild at Gimcheongja Maeun Galbijjim?

The mild spicy pork rib stew at Gimcheongja Maeun Galbijjim Seohyeon Station Branch (김청자매운갈비찜) was a little hotter than Shin Ramyun. Even a spice wimp who can't eat Yeopgi Tteokbokki could get through it without rice, as long as there was macaroni salad on the side.

A friend who loves spicy food told me it was delicious, so we went together: one spice-lover and two spice wimps. I'm a wimp, but I can handle Shin Ramyun, so I went in saying, "How spicy could rib stew be, it can't be worse than Yeopgi Tteokbokki, Shin Ramyun level is fine."

But it is spicy, hahaha! I had the mild, and it felt hotter than Shin Ramyun! So you can guess how much hotter medium and hot must be! I really can't eat truly spicy food because my hands and feet go numb and my ears ring. That's what Yeopgi Tteokbokki does to me. Since this was mild, it wasn't that bad. With macaroni salad, I could eat it even without rice.

Waiting and atmosphere at Gimcheongja Seohyeon Station Branch

Gimcheongja Seohyeon Station Branch is a good spot for lunch or dinner near Seohyeon Station, so it's always crowded. Even though it's on the 2nd floor one block behind Rodeo Street, there was a wait on weekdays at both lunch and dinner.

Seohyeon Station hadn't changed much since my last visit, though there were some empty storefronts, which made me think running a small business must be hard. Still, popular places are really popular. The crowds seem to be concentrating even more.

Gimcheongja is a place people flock to. Even one block behind Rodeo Street and up on the 2nd floor, there was a wait at both weekday lunch and dinner, wow. My friend said it's always this busy.

The interior is fairly spacious and clean. Women tend to love spicy food, and maybe that's why there were a lot of women there.

Menu and order: mild spicy pork rib stew for 3

Gimcheongja has beef rib stew and pork rib stew, and the spicy pork version seemed more popular. So we ordered it for 3 people.

Mild, of course!! Spice wimps go mild. On weekday lunch there's a spicy pork rib stew set, so it seems like a great lunch spot near Seohyeon Station.

First bite of mild: a bit hotter than Shin Ramyun

It's here at last! At first it didn't look that fiery. They said mild is about Shin Ramyun level, and I'm a wimp but Shin Ramyun is no problem for me.

But after one bite... it's a little hotter than Shin Ramyun, hahaha!

Bean sprouts and macaroni salad to tame the heat

We added bean sprouts too. And the macaroni is seriously so good. I'm so sorry, but I got four macaroni refills. The best.

The staff cook everything for you, which is convenient, and there are aprons so nothing splashes on your clothes. As a review from two spice wimps: well, it is spicy, hahahaha!

How was the meat at Gimcheongja?

The pork ribs were so tender that the meat slid right off the bone. My spice-loving friend had tried the medium before and said it was a bit too hot to enjoy because she was pregnant at the time. But everyone except us seemed to be eating it just fine. The meat was so soft that we ate it marveling.

Wow, there are so many people who can handle spicy food?! If you love spicy food, you'll adore this. Even as a total spice wimp, I found it delicious. It wasn't brutally spicy but deliciously spicy. There are glass noodle and rice cake add-ons, and although they said it was only a small amount, they filled us up plenty. We were really full.

Portion size and fried rice to finish

The 3 servings of spicy pork rib stew looked small at first, but turned out to be plenty as we ate. Even though everyone was full, we insisted we had to have fried rice and ordered one. We only meant to taste it, but we scraped the pan clean.

Why Gimcheongja is a good lunch near Seohyeon Station

Spicy right in its name, Gimcheongja was an especially good lunch spot near Seohyeon Station. Definitely aim for the lunch special. There may be a wait on weekday lunch or dinner, but you can sit outside while you wait and your turn comes quickly. It was tasty enough to be worth the wait.