Suwon Korean restaurant lunch with octopus noodles and pork: Daseon

My husband and I were wondering what to have for lunch, and since I’d been craving kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) for the first time in a while, we went to Daseon Kalguksu :)

I came across it while looking for a good kalguksu place in Suwon, and it seemed perfect for lunch for two because we could have suyuk (boiled pork) as well as noodles!! That day, we ordered two portions of kalnakji + one plate of suyuk! I wondered whether it would be enough for us, but to give away the ending, we left feeling very full 😋

Barley rice before the noodles

Barley rice is a must at a kalguksu restaurant 🌿 It came out first while we waited for our order. I had it simply with the side dishes, and it was just right for whetting my appetite before the main meal. Having a little barley rice before the kalguksu was surprisingly filling, haha. The kimchi also went really well with the noodles, so I had them together 🫶🏻

Tender plate of suyuk

The plate of suyuk came out first! It was laid over chives, which made it nice to eat together. The pork was tender rather than dry, and it was delicious with saeujeot (salted shrimp) or kimchi.

Since the kalnakji was a spicy dish, I was especially glad we ordered the suyuk too, haha. A bite of spicy kalguksu followed by a piece of pork was a nice combination 👍🏻 It was also an easy side dish for the two of us to share.

Two portions of spicy kalnakji

And then came the kalnakji we ordered as our main! It was generously filled with kalguksu noodles and octopus, so it looked satisfying just at a glance. The broth was spicy and peppery, which suited my husband and me since we both like spicy soups.

The noodles had soaked up the broth, making them easy to slurp, and having octopus here and there made it taste different from regular kalguksu. The octopus was nicely chewy and went well with the noodles 🤤 It was a great choice for a day when I wanted spicy broth without anything too heavy.

Having kalnakji and suyuk together

The two of us considered having only kalnakji, but we ordered the suyuk too, and the pairing was better than I expected. Eating the spicy kalnakji and then adding some pork changed things up enough that we didn’t get tired of it.

In the end, we finished both the noodles and pork without leaving any behind, haha. It was quite a generous amount for lunch for two, and we finished our meal completely full 😊

A satisfying lunch for just the two of us in Suwon

It was lovely to have lunch with just my husband for the first time in a while—eating something delicious and chatting at our leisure. It was a good place to visit when craving spicy kalguksu in Suwon, and if you’re visiting as a pair like us, I’d recommend the combination of two portions of kalnakji and a plate of suyuk.

Especially if noodles alone feel a little lacking, or you enjoy sharing several dishes, adding suyuk would be a good idea :) If you’re looking for lunch near Suwon Station, it’s a place worth stopping by at least once! It was even nicer because I got to spend some long-overdue time alone with my husband over a delicious lunch 💕

That day, we had a hearty lunch of kalnakji and suyuk and left in a great mood 🤍