Gumi Korean restaurant: rib stew for one and gondre rice at Hanjaechon

The weather suddenly turned cold. Long sleeves in the morning, short sleeves at lunch, a fleece by evening. Am I a sphinx or something? Anyway, on a day like this, don't you just want a spicy stew and freshly cooked rice?

I once had beef stew in Cheongdo, and today I decided to try a well-known Indong Korean restaurant in Gumi called Hanjaechon (한재촌). I'm the kind of person who says it's not tasty when it's not, even if someone else is treating me. ?? Is that obnoxious? Anyway, here's my honest review.

Hanjaechon Gumi Main Branch: hours and parking

Hanjaechon Gumi Main Branch is at 18-5 Indongjungang-ro 3-gil, Gumi-si, and it's open 07:00-21:00 (last order 20:30), with Sundays only 11:00-19:30. Amazingly, there are no closing days. The owners seem young, so I hope they take care of their health while running it!

• Location: 18-5 Indongjungang-ro 3-gil, Gumi-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
• Hours: 07:00-21:00 (last order 20:30) / Sundays only 11:00-19:30
• Parking: park in the nearby alleys or use a public parking lot
• Group reservations available, high chairs, takeout available

There isn't really a dedicated parking lot; you can just slip into the alleys near the restaurant. There are more spots than you'd think, so don't worry.

How long is the dinner wait at Hanjaechon?

I got to Hanjaechon around 6:30 PM, registered on Catch Table (a waiting app) and waited about 10 minutes. There were seats inside, so I wondered why I had to wait, and it turned out a baseball team of students was having a group meal.. Is this a baseball team hangout? Beef is good for recharging, so I get it. There are chairs outside where you can wait.

It's not just me who can only read "구중우.." on that sign, right??? Where did the me who got a Chinese character certificate go? Anyway, I can tell the cow is their secret weapon.

Seated after about a 10-minute wait! Inside Hanjaechon it's spacious and clean like this. The owner was busily preparing for a group reservation.

What we ordered at Hanjaechon

We ordered one serving of hanwoo beef short rib stew (₩15,000), perilla oil gondre (thistle greens) fried rice (₩3,500) and one beef tartare bibimbap (₩12,000). We sat at a spot with a picture of bullfighting. Cows, don't fight, I'll eat you up nicely and peacefully.

These are Hanjaechon's main dishes. I like beef more than pork, so everything looked like something I wanted to eat. Ugh, the agony.

Tasting menu and a mung bean pancake tip

Hanjaechon has small tasting-size dishes, so you can try a variety without pressure! And the mung bean pancake (nokdu bindaetteok) is free if you write a Naver receipt review. Great tip, right?

The beef yukjeon (battered beef pancake) looked good too, but the shrimp and minari (water dropwort) pancake was unusual and I wanted to try it. (But I had a sad feeling I couldn't finish it all, so I didn't order.. pig status revoked T_T)

Is there a kids' menu at Hanjaechon?

Surprisingly, Hanjaechon has a kids' menu. It's hanwoo tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties), so it isn't spicy, and it comes with beef seaweed soup and gim (seaweed), so a little one will be busy eating while the adults eat.

Drinks lineup

As you'd expect from a place on Indong's bar street, Hanjaechon has a very wide range of drinks. Non-alcoholic beer too, which is great~ It's my first time seeing a place with both Cheonnyeon Yaksok and Gosorisul (traditional liquors). That's rare;;

The self-serve banchan bar and the owner's thoughtfulness

The self-serve banchan (side dish) bar at Hanjaechon has so many things I wanted to take that I could finish a bowl of rice with just these. Boss, with this many sides, the kids' menu might not sell well. And the sides are all delicious, by the way!

A kids' fork and kids' cup that show real care. So kawaii haha

The owner gave us two vitamins to take after the meal. Maybe because the owner is young, the thoughtfulness never ends!! I was so touched, but after finishing the meal I forgot them and left them behind. Sob;

How is the beef tartare bibimbap at Hanjaechon?

Hanjaechon's beef tartare bibimbap (₩12,000) looks great, clearly fresh at a glance, and the meat has no off smell. Ah, I was hungry and took a bite before taking the photo. Nicely mixed, right? haha

One-person hanwoo short rib stew: portion and taste

Hanjaechon's signature hanwoo beef short rib stew is one serving (₩15,000), yet it's packed with fresh meat. But this.. is this really one serving?

I want to eat it right now, but you flip the hourglass and wait about 5 minutes for it to be done. The hardest time in the world.

The red broth is enchanting. It's not too spicy, and with tons of garlic the broth is spicy yet refreshing. The crunchy minari makes its presence known too. A good team project with no free riders.

How to eat the perilla oil gondre fried rice

Leave a bit of the beef and broth from the stew and take on the perilla oil gondre fried rice (₩3,500). Just leave the broth a little soupy. Honestly, I think adding noodles like udon to this broth instead of rice would be heaven too. Today's mood was stew with rice.

Thanks to the gondre and perilla oil, it's another level from ordinary fried rice. Delicious.

It was really good. Dishes done.

Can you get Hanjaechon's beef stew to go?

Hanjaechon does takeout, and they have packaged beef stew ready. ₩24,000 for 2.5 servings is a bargain, isn't it? If you enjoyed it, it'd be nice to take one of these home.

Soon the baseball team poured in and we gave up our seats. Boss, you're going to rake it in today. If you need a part-timer, call me.

By the way, you got my name wrong.. I'm upset, boss T_T

Today's lesson: small acts of care are what make a restaurant special.