Induction-boiled tteokbokki for two in Yeouido: Hyeonseonine IFC

Meokgildong's food trip to every corner of Korea! Today it's Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch, a famous tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) spot in Yeouido, Seoul. This chain already has plenty of well-known locations, but I went to the IFC Mall branch of Hyeonseonine Premium.

Where Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch is, and its hours

Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch is on the basement 2nd floor of IFC Mall, 10 Gukjegeumyung-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It's open daily from 11:00 to 21:00, with last order at 20:40.

After shopping myself out, I went looking for a snack spot near The Hyundai and ended up at Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch. I know they have a flagship location in Yongsan, but this one has already become famous as a Yeouido tteokbokki spot in its own right.

Menu and prices: what comes in the 22,000-won set for two

Regular tteokbokki is ₩6,000 and comes in three spice levels: mild, medium, and spicy. Sundae (blood sausage) is ₩6,500, mini gimbap (4 pieces) is ₩5,000, assorted fritters (5 pieces) are ₩6,000, Busan fish cake (4 pieces) is ₩4,000, tuna mayo rice bowl is ₩6,000, chicken mayo rice bowl is ₩7,000, ramyeon is ₩4,500, spicy ramyeon is ₩5,000, and cheese ramyeon is ₩5,500. There are also set menus.

Instead of the regular tteokbokki, we went with the instant set for two at ₩22,000. It comes with fish cake, vegetables, jjolmyeon noodles, yaki-mandu dumplings, and egg as the base, and adding a third person costs an extra ₩11,000.

The menu board has nice photos, easy to read. You order at the entrance and then take a seat. Interestingly they even have Pikachu-katsu on the menu, very nostalgic haha.

What's at the self-serve bar

After ordering, there's a corner of the restaurant set up with tissues, cutlery, paper cups, water, bowls and utensils, pickled radish, salt, and soy sauce. Just grab what you need.

Boiling the tteokbokki for two on the table induction burner

The instant tteokbokki for two comes out really fast — you boil it at your table on an induction burner. It's loaded with two eggs and a generous amount of cabbage. There were four yaki-mandu dumplings total, so a pretty generous portion.

Adding a bong-eomuk skewer for fish cake broth

We also ordered a bong-eomuk (fish cake skewer) to go with it, and the broth with a dusting of fried batter crumbs was great. Good to eat alongside — thumbs up.

Dip it in soy sauce and the seasoning is just right. A lot of other places' fish cake broths are too salty, but this one was mellow and I liked that.

Hyeonseonine starting to bubble beautifully. I'd already tried the regular tteokbokki at a different branch before, so this time I ordered the instant version — and it's hearty, so hearty.

Bubbling away. The vegetables cook fast so eat those first. The staff mentioned when serving that the jjolmyeon noodles are sitting at the bottom, so stir from the bottom once in a while — I listened well haha.

It's an unwritten rule that these yaki-mandu dumplings taste best soaked soggy in the broth. Suck up the broth and it soaks right through the fried skin haha, so good.

How spicy is the mild option at Hyeonseonine Premium?

Like the regular tteokbokki, the instant version also lets you pick a spice level. We went with mild. It's just slightly spicy, about the level of Shin Ramyeon. It might even be a bit less spicy than the regular tteokbokki's mild option.

The jjolmyeon noodles help loosen the starchiness, and mixing in the egg like this also cuts the spice a bit. If you want it seriously spicy, go for the spicy option. And by the way, you don't need me to explain the tteokbokki-and-boiled-egg combo, right haha.

How chewy were the rice cakes?

True to its reputation as a Yeouido tteokbokki spot, the rice cakes were really impressive — chewy and springy with none of that hard, stiff texture.

Bouncy and soft. With the instant version, the rice cakes don't harden up, so it stays delicious to the very end.

The free mayonnaise rice ball for a Google review

Oh, and one more thing — the rice ball you get for leaving a Google review. It's a mayonnaise rice ball, so make sure to leave a review and get one. It's genuinely delicious, I polished it off in no time. Another satisfying meal at Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall, a Yeouido tteokbokki spot.

Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall one-line review 📝 A solid Yeouido tteokbokki spot, and it looked like a perfect lunch option at IFC too.