Yangjae noodle restaurant with ₩4,000 soju after work: Seonbawi

Yangjae Citizens' Forest restaurant for lunch: Seonbawi Memil Jangteo, a hearty meal of 100% buckwheat makguksu and suyuk

Why did I leave the car behind at Seonbawi Memil Jangteo Yangjae Branch?

Seonbawi Memil Jangteo Yangjae Branch (선바위메밀장터 양재점) is a new makguksu place near my husband's office. Soju was only ₩4,000 with the pollack hoe suyuk (boiled sliced pork), so there was no way we weren't having a drink, and we ended up taking the subway home without the car.

The plan was to run an errand at Sinsa Station, ride the Shinbundang Line to my husband's office, eat dinner there and then drive home comfortably. But he said pollack hoe suyuk with ₩4,000 soju means you can't not drink, so we skipped the designated driver and took the subway home.

The original Memil Jangteo is a famous place with waits near Seonbawi Station, close to the Gwacheon Children's Grand Park, and this seems to be the first franchise branch. I was so happy with the makguksu and suyuk here that I now want to visit the Seonbawi flagship too.

Getting to Seonbawi Memil Jangteo from Yangjaesiminuisup Station, and parking

Seonbawi Memil Jangteo Yangjae Branch is within walking distance of Exit 2 of Yangjaesiminuisup Station, and there is a parking lot at the entrance.

From Exit 2 of Yangjaesiminuisup Station, walk a little toward Yangjae Station and you'll see a Twosome Place. Turn into the Twosome alley, take the second alley and go left, and after a couple of eel restaurants you'll reach Memil Jangteo.

Both the 1st and 2nd floors are Memil Jangteo. My husband told me it used to be an expensive seafood restaurant where he once had a meal with clients.

The "100% buckwheat" sign catches your eye.

Seonbawi Memil Jangteo hours, lunch waits and group reservations

Seonbawi Memil Jangteo Yangjae Branch is open daily from 9:00 to 21:00. At lunch, I hear there's a wait from about 11:40 until around 1:00.

For lunch group dinners, they reportedly only take reservations for 11:30. My husband's department only does its team meals at lunch, and since it's near his office, he asked in detail.

Inside Seonbawi Memil Jangteo Yangjae Branch and the seating

The 1st floor of Seonbawi Memil Jangteo Yangjae Branch has 4- and 6-person tables, plus self-serve buckwheat tea and a high chair.

As you walk in, the 4- and 6-person tables sit side by side on the left of the 1st floor,

and near the stairs inside there's a kettle of self-serve buckwheat tea, with a high chair at the stair entrance.

A sign says they put the spirit of the Memil Jangteo in Gwacheon Seonbawi into this branch.

At the 2nd-floor entrance there's a scene from a TV broadcast, and inside there are rooms. My husband said he ate with clients in a 2nd-floor room before, but right now only the 1st floor is open.

Seonbawi Memil Jangteo menu and prices

Buckwheat makguksu is the main dish at Seonbawi Memil Jangteo Yangjae Branch: perilla oil makguksu is ₩12,000, pollack hoe suyuk ₩23,000 and soju ₩4,000.

• Perilla oil makguksu ₩12,000
• Pollack hoe makguksu ₩13,000
• Dongchimi (radish water kimchi) makguksu ₩11,000
• Buckwheat soba ₩11,000
• Pollack hoe suyuk ₩23,000, a good side to order
• Dakbaeksuk (chicken soup), seafood jjimdak (braised chicken), siraegi spicy chicken stew

Seeing soju at ₩4,000 on the Memil Jangteo drinks menu put me in a great mood.

What we ordered that day

• Pollack hoe suyuk ₩23,000
• Perilla oil makguksu ₩12,000
• Dongchimi makguksu ₩11,000
• Saero (soju) 1 bottle ₩4,000

How were the pollack hoe suyuk and makguksu?

At Seonbawi Memil Jangteo Yangjae Branch, the pollack hoe suyuk and makguksu came out fast right after we ordered, and the perilla oil makguksu was clean-tasting with no seaweed flakes. The suyuk with pollack hoe and cool kimchi was a perfect drinking snack.

The table comes set with mustard, vinegar, small plates and paper cups, and while I went to get buckwheat tea, the staff brought over a bottle of water.

The pollack hoe suyuk came out like fast food. My husband likes hoe naengmyeon (spicy cold noodles with raw-style fish) with pollack hoe, so I thought he'd order the pollack hoe makguksu, but he went with the pollack hoe suyuk.

The kimchi was as cool and refreshing as water kimchi.

Dongchimi broth came out with the suyuk too, and we each had a light drink with the meal!

Just as I was about to start on the suyuk, the makguksu arrived too. The place only just opened, but the food comes out fast, fast, fast~

Perilla oil makguksu and dongchimi makguksu

The perilla oil makguksu isn't topped with seaweed flakes like at other places. It has perilla oil, fine perilla powder and dongchimi broth, so it tasted cleaner.

And then the dongchimi makguksu.

The pollack hoe pieces were big, so I asked for scissors to cut them up and make the most of them. The 100% buckwheat noodles with the cool dongchimi broth were refreshing.

The suyuk is good on its own, but it's even better topped with pollack hoe and dried radish strips (mumallaengi).

I don't really like dried radish itself, so I ate the suyuk with the cool kimchi instead and loved it. Maybe because buckwheat has more protein than other noodles, my weight hadn't changed the next morning, which made me happy.

A meal near Yangjae Citizens' Forest and the aT Center: how about Seonbawi Memil Jangteo?

There aren't many good lunch spots near the Yangjae Citizens' Forest aT Center, so my husband says he's glad Seonbawi Memil Jangteo Yangjae Branch opened.

My husband these days eats lunch at the buffet in his company's basement and rarely goes outside (?). He says he's happy a good lunch place has opened this season. Since we enjoyed it so much, next time we're in Gwacheon I'll visit the flagship too.