Goyang noodle restaurant: perilla soup at Bongpyeong Gohyang Makguksu

After a weekend outing to a small zoo, I stopped at Bongpyeong Gohyang Makguksu (봉평고향막국수) for lunch with my child. I prefer spacious restaurants with easy parking, and its standalone building caught my eye. We arrived right at the 11 a.m. opening.

How were parking and dining with a child?

There was plenty of parking both in front of and behind the building. It was convenient to drive there and head inside without worrying about finding a space.

The dining room was spacious and comfortable, too. There was enough room between tables to make eating with my child easy. I also remember high chairs being available.

What did I order to share with my child?

I ordered my favorite, mul makguksu (cold buckwheat noodles in broth), along with deulkkae memil kalguksu (buckwheat knife-cut noodles in perilla seed soup) and memil buchimgae (buckwheat pancake) to share with my child. I ordered extra-large portions, so there was plenty to eat. I haven't tried the regular size, so I can't compare the portions.

Looking around after ordering, I found memil-cha (buckwheat tea), made from the noodle cooking water, set out to one side. It was warm and nutty, a pleasant drink while we waited for the food.

Was the buckwheat pancake easy for my child to eat?

The memil buchimgae arrived first. It was thin like a jeonbyeong (a thin Korean pancake), rather than a thick jeon (savory pancake). It was soft to chew, with the earthy, nutty flavor of buckwheat.

It had a lovely earthy flavor on its own, and dipping it in seasoned soy sauce made the flavors more distinct. My child ate it happily, perhaps because of its soft texture.

How were the perilla broth and buckwheat noodles?

The deulkkae memil kalguksu was the most memorable dish that day. It came topped with plenty of ground perilla seeds, and there were perilla seeds in the broth as well, giving it a deeply nutty flavor.

The broth was slightly thick, and the distinctive nuttiness of perilla lingered in my mouth. It felt quite different from kalguksu served in a clear broth.

I could taste the earthy buckwheat in the kalguksu noodles, too. I shared them with my child, who enjoyed both the noodles and the pancake.

As I ate, I also found pieces that looked like ongsimi (small potato dumplings). I'm not sure exactly what they were made of, but I liked their chewy texture enough to pick them out to eat.

How did adding sauce change the mul makguksu?

The mul makguksu came in a large bowl with cold broth. The broth tasted clean with a subtle savoriness that went well with the chewy buckwheat noodles.

I also ate it with the yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi) that came as a side dish. The nutty buckwheat flavor in the makguksu was particularly pronounced, and I felt it was a taste I'd remember.

Partway through the meal, someone brought over a separate seasoning sauce and suggested adding it. I added the sauce and a little sesame oil from the table, which gave the noodles a sweet, tangy, spicy flavor with a nutty aroma. It was a different way to enjoy the initially clean-tasting mul makguksu.

The rich perilla broth and the buckwheat pancake my child enjoyed were my favorites from this meal. With ample parking and room between tables, it's somewhere I'd like to return after another outing with my child.