Gangseo shabu-shabu restaurant with spicy broth: Yangcheon Shabu

I was looking for food that would be good for the body, so I visited Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu (양천샤브손칼국수), Magok Main Branch, near Seoul Botanic Park.

First, look at this spread. It already looks so neat and delicious, right? At Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu in Magok, you can enjoy shabu-shabu with spicy, perilla-seed, clear, and other broths depending on your mood that day. There are also potato pancakes, minari (water celery) pancakes loaded with seafood, rolled dumplings, and plenty of other options, so it is easy to pick what you feel like eating!

The meal verdict first

The spicy-broth shabu-shabu was refreshing and had much less of that seasoning-heavy taste, which I liked.

The kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) and five-color fried rice also felt easy on the stomach, which was nice. The potato pancake was crisp and delicious too—great as a drinking snack!

Between Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station and Seoul Botanic Park

Exterior

It was located near Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station, between the station and Seoul Botanic Park.

Spacious seating inside

The dining area was roomy with lots of seats, so it seemed good for get-togethers with family, friends, or coworkers, right? There were lots of office workers, groups of friends, and family diners—I got the feeling that guests of every age came by.

There was plenty of seating farther inside too, so it seemed like a comfortable place for families or couples to eat. (There were so many customers that I could not photograph the whole interior!)

Ordering Bohyang black garlic shabu-kalguksu and potato pancake

• Bohyang black garlic shabu-kalguksu for 2 (₩10,000 per serving)
• Extra shabu meat, 200 g (₩11,000)
• Crispy potato pancake (₩6,900)

We first ordered two servings of the signature Bohyang black garlic shabu-kalguksu, plus 200 g of extra shabu meat.

A ttukbaegi (earthenware pot) packed with minari came out first!

There were so many vegetables that I turned them over—and it was great to find a huge amount of bean sprouts underneath too!

The 200 g of shabu-shabu meat came out too. The portion was better than I expected, and we enjoyed it!

Maybe because the kalguksu uses black garlic, it definitely felt gentle and satisfying on the stomach. I later learned that the broth is made by simmering Korean beef bone stock with eight medicinal herbs.

This perilla-oil five-color rice for fried rice also comes out like this. It was not just pretty in color—the flavor was clean and nice too.

Dipping the shabu-shabu into that spicy broth was so refreshing and tasty!

After we had finished the rest, we ate the kalguksu. It was easy on the stomach, springy, and delicious!

Of course, you have to finish with fried rice, right? They say it tastes even better if you make it somewhere between juk (rice porridge) and fried rice! And because the food was so good, I just did not want the meal to end..!

We also ordered a crispy potato pancake. We were already full, but its chewy texture made it a special treat!

The basic table setting and hovenia fruit tea

They first serve fresh geotjeori kimchi. I do not know whether they make it themselves, but it was delicious, so I had more a few times!

They even serve hovenia fruit tea instead of water, which made it seem like a place that is truly serious about nourishing food.

With a nourishing broth like this, plus shabu-shabu, kalguksu, and fried rice, it seems like you can have a healthy, filling lunch all in one go! If you are near Seoul Botanic Park or Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station and want a generous meal of shabu meat and kalguksu in spicy, clear, or perilla-seed broth—or simply want to eat your fill at a reasonable price—try Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu, Magok Main Branch, near Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station and Seoul Botanic Park..!