Jeongja Café Street pho dinner: crispy fried chicken wings at Kkamon

I went to Kkamon Bundang Jeongja Direct Store (까몬 분당정자직영점), a pho place near Jeongja Station in Bundang with a properly local Vietnamese feel. I ate hot wings along with the pho this time.

Where is Kkamon Bundang Jeongja Direct Store, and what are the hours and parking?

Kkamon Bundang Jeongja Direct Store is at 121 Jeongja-il-ro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, South Korea (1st floor, Unit C-02), on Jeongja Café Street. It is open 10:00-23:00 on weekdays and 11:00-23:00 on weekends, with last order at 22:40. For parking, you can register 2 hours at The Sharp Star Park shopping arcade parking lot.

It's on Jeongja Café Street, so it's easy to walk to, and the 2 hours of parking are covered for free. Parking is always the problem on Jeongja Café Street, but you can come by car without worrying.

What is the atmosphere at Kkamon Bundang Jeongja Direct Store like?

Thanks to the staff and the music, Kkamon felt like a real Vietnamese restaurant. It was dinner time, so I called to reserve, and I think everyone who works here is genuinely Vietnamese. Their Korean was a little halting, which made it even better, haha. The songs playing in the restaurant all seem to be Vietnamese too. It really feels trustworthy.

What did we order at Kkamon, and the water spinach sold-out story

This day at Kkamon we ordered Kkamon pho, suyuk (boiled pork) pho, and fried chicken wings.

Last time the water spinach (gongsimchae, stir-fried morning glory) was seriously delicious, so I planned to order it again, but maybe because it was dinner time, it was sold out... T_T So sad that I ordered the fried chicken wings instead. Guys, if you go to Kkamon, please get the water spinach. It's really good.

What's at the Kkamon self-serve bar?

Here's the self-serve bar at Kkamon Bundang Jeongja Direct Store. Things come out by default, but if you want extra, you can grab it here. Scissors, tongs, kids' dishes, dental floss, everything is there.

I took a photo with some famous person, though I have no idea who, haha. After ordering everything, I noticed the cold pho, and that looked really good too. I bet eating it in summer has a different charm from Chinese cold noodles. Sadly I spotted it after I'd ordered everything, so I couldn't try it.

Kkamon pho vs suyuk pho: what's the difference?

Kkamon pho and suyuk pho are built the same, only the meat differs. Kkamon pho has softer, thinner slices of meat, while the suyuk pho has thick meat.

Thick but not tough: the suyuk pho

The meat in the suyuk pho is super thick but not tough at all. I was surprised by how easily it bit through the moment I put it in my mouth. This one was my husband's, and honestly, this meat was a little tastier, haha.

Compared with the meat in the standard Kkamon pho, the suyuk pho felt meatier, and I don't know if it's just my imagination, but the broth seemed richer too. Something I notice every time I come to Kkamon: the noodle portion is huge!! Women who eat a little might leave some. But I finished it all.

Standard Kkamon pho: take the chilies out halfway

This is the standard Kkamon pho. There are plenty of bean sprouts underneath too. Personally I like my pho spicy, so I put in lots of chilies. But those chilies are really hot, so you have to take them out partway through, haha. Otherwise you're in big trouble.

Maybe because I went late in the evening, the broth was a bit richer and saltier. Maybe it's the broth from the bottom of the pot? Haha. I still enjoyed it.

I also like salty food, so I dipped generously in the sauce. I think I'm addicted to pho because of that sauce (I don't know its name). Dip an onion piece in it, put it on the noodles, and your whole mouth reminds you of Vietnam. I've never been to Vietnam.

How are Kkamon's fried chicken wings as a side?

The fried chicken wings at Kkamon Bundang Jeongja Direct Store came as 5 pieces with chili sauce, crispy outside and juicy inside. With no water spinach, I ordered them without thinking, and they were seriously amazing, hahaha. The outside is really crispy!! The kind of taste you can't stop eating. The chicken meat was totally juicy and the frying was really good.

They taste better dunked deep in the chili sauce. The meat also comes off the bone easily, more than I expected, so it's easy to eat, and a bite between spoonfuls of pho is a nice change of pace (?). If the water spinach had been available, I'd never have tried these, so thanks to it being sold out (?), I got to. That's how good a side they are. If I'm being greedy, ordering pho plus water spinach plus fried wings seems fine too. We can eat that much, right..?

Why I recommend Kkamon for pho near Jeongja

At Kkamon Bundang Jeongja Direct Store I cleaned the bowl down to the bottom, hahaha. Whenever I come to Kkamon, I remember eating a really hearty meal. If you're looking for tasty pho near Jeongja, I recommend Kkamon. (And don't forget the water spinach~)