Spice levels 3 and 4 at Sinbang-dong, Cheonan jjamppong spot: Bultina

A Sinbang-dong, Cheonan Chinese restaurant with no break time

I run a lot of classes, and lunchtime often overlaps with the instructors coming to class. Usually break time makes it hard to visit places, but Bultina Kkomak Jjamppong, a Sinbang-dong favorite, is open any time you like, and best of all, the parking lot is huge!!

A lot of students ask to hit up a good Cheonan restaurant before class. Many students come to Cheonan for the first time, so I always enjoy exploring good places with them — and who knew there'd be such a convenient-to-park jjamppong spot nearby!

• Name: Bultina Kkomak Jjamppong Sinbang Branch
• Address: 285 Seobu-daero, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea
• Signature cockle jjamppong: ₩11,000
• Sweet and sour pork: Small ₩17,000 / Medium ₩22,000 / Large ₩27,000
• Parking: Above-ground and underground parking available behind the building

How wide is the parking at Bultina Kkomak Jjamppong?

Bultina Kkomak Jjamppong Sinbang Branch has parking both above and below ground, and both are seriously spacious. It wasn't hard to find either — it's close to the Ssangyong-dong E-Mart restaurant area.

With both above-ground and underground parking, and both being huge, it's a great spot if you're a nervous driver or heading there with a big group or work dinner. If you're looking for a group meeting spot or lunch place in Sinbang-dong, this is a great option. Now I'm hungry just thinking about it — I'm coming back here!

Inside Bultina Kkomak Jjamppong: seating and table spacing for families

We parked and went in through the back door. I already knew this Cheonan cockle jjamppong place has waiting lines!!! When we arrived it was full... haha. I took some interior shots once seats opened up while we ate.

The tables are well spaced and there's a variety of chairs, so it seemed comfortable for families to visit. Since I have two kids myself, from very young to older, once they're past needing a baby chair, I still find myself checking out the chair styles whenever I look for a good Sinbang-dong restaurant.

Ordering cockle jjamppong at spice level 3 and spice level 4

At Bultina Kkomak Jjamppong Sinbang Branch you order via tablet at the table, and you can choose the spice level for the jjamppong. The student who came with me picked the spiciest level 4, while I went one level down, level 3.

You just order through the tablet, and you can pick the jjamppong spice level step by step. Spice selection possible!! Yay — on a first visit I tend to pick one step below the spiciest level rather than going all in.

We ordered jjamppong and sweet and sour pork. If you need more onion or pickled radish, you can just use the self-serve bar.

Bultina Kkomak Jjamppong Sinbang Branch feels like a place where the name itself tells you what to order. We each ordered a bowl of the signature cockle jjamppong. Ordering just two bowls of jjamppong felt a bit lacking, so we added sweet and sour pork too. On days you eat something spicy, it's nice to have another dish to take a bite of in between.

What does Bultina's signature cockle jjamppong broth taste like?

Cockles packed into red broth~ First off, I was happy the broth wasn't thin! Seafood jjamppong broth can be refreshing but sometimes ends up being just light and watery, but I was impressed by how rich and deep this broth tasted~

I guess I'm greedy — I wanted the seafood to be piled even higher, since I love a heavy, rich broth flavor. Definitely order the sweet and sour pork alongside it.

Sweet and sour pork at Bultina: crisp batter, not hard

I thought this place was just a jjamppong spot in Cheonan, you know? Turns out it's also a sweet and sour pork spot. Why do I say that? These days, batter is often so hard it hurts your teeth, or it separates, or goes soggy. It can stick to your teeth in a gummy way — but here, the batter's color is different from the start, if that makes sense?

It doesn't come across well in photos, but unlike typical Cheonan Chinese restaurants, the batter color is... how do I put it... hmm... I can't quite explain it haha. I've never seen this before — like it's the pure, no-frills batter your mom would fry at home.

I just dipped it in plain soy sauce first, and it was crisp, warm, and delicious. Crispy batter, but it doesn't hurt your teeth. My teeth are weak so I often struggle to cut or chew sweet and sour pork, but this was soft and crisp without being hard, so I enjoyed it a lot. Sometimes 'crispy outside, tender inside' just means the outside is hard, but this one is exactly right to eat. Great for kids and elderly folks too!! I'd highly recommend it.

Is the spice level 4 jjamppong too hot to handle?

First off!! I love spicy food. Though of course I don't like artificial spice flavors. The instructor who came for class said she really loves and enjoys spicy food too. Both her and I agreed the spiciness here wasn't harsh at all — we both felt the same way.

Chewy noodles, deep broth, cockles galore~ We also had a bite of sweet and sour pork and chatted — such an enjoyable time. It was a meal to enjoy good food, but also a comfortable time to talk shop with each other.

We really finished it all in no time. Seeing how much she enjoyed it made me, the one who recommended this Cheonan restaurant, feel really proud~~ Top pick for cockle jjamppong in Cheonan!! Confirmed!! I often miss mealtimes, but I'm planning to come back here from now on.

Parking registration is self-service!! There aren't many places in Cheonan where you can eat well without worrying about parking. Save this one and be sure to visit. Director Yoon highly recommends it!!