Sangam hot pot noodle restaurant, clear broth and potatoes: Deungchon

A cool autumn breeze in September. This week it suddenly turned chilly, even cold enough to make me shiver. It hadn't been long since the scorching heat of July and August, and now this? I found myself craving shabu-shabu (hot pot) — cooking vegetables and meat fresh in hot broth and eating it warm. So I went to "Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Sangam Branch," a shabu kalguksu spot in Sangam.

Where is Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Sangam Branch? Parking and hours

Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Sangam Branch is on the 2nd floor of the Woori Technology Building, at 9 World Cup buk-ro 56-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Being on the 2nd floor of an office building makes it easy to find, and it offers 1 hour of free parking — extended to 3 hours after 18:30 on weekdays and all day on weekends and holidays.

• Hours: Mon–Fri 11:00–21:30, Sat–Sun 11:00–21:00
• Break time: weekdays 15:30–17:00, weekends 16:00–17:00
• Last order: 1 hour before closing

Clear broth shabu kalguksu: read the table-order instructions first

Clear shabu kalguksu

The table-order tablet has instructions for enjoying Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu the right way. I figured you'd just boil it and go, but I was glad I read it first — following the steps exactly is what keeps things from going wrong and makes it taste its best.

Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Sangam Branch, a shabu kalguksu spot in Sangam where the minimum order is for 2 people. Between the spicy and clear broths, I ordered the clear shabu kalguksu.

Turn the flame to 5 once it boils: minari and potatoes

True to Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu form, the pot was piled high with minari (water dropwort), and my mouth was watering just looking at it. I was a bit puzzled to see potato slices lining the pot too. You start on high heat, and once it starts boiling, the instructions say to turn the flame down to 5 so the broth doesn't overflow — and it really was exactly as described. If I hadn't turned it down to 5 right away, the delicious broth and ingredients would have nearly escaped the pot.

Mixing soy sauce and wasabi sauce to taste and dipping the minari, vegetables, and mushrooms in it hit exactly the right seasoning, and the potato was as fluffy as Gangwon-do potatoes — really delicious. My earlier confusion about why potato goes into shabu kalguksu was solved the moment I tasted it, haha. The broth wasn't heavy or murky either, so honestly, they could add even more potato~~

Is the extra beef worth adding?

Sangam shabu kalguksu with added beef

Shabu kalguksu is good on its own, but since I was already there, I added beef. The meat wasn't tough at all, and combined with the minari and mushrooms it made the whole Sangam shabu kalguksu experience richer — an excellent menu choice.

When to drop in the kalguksu noodles

While eating the vegetables and mushrooms shabu-style, once it's boiling hard like this, you should pull out all the vegetables and add the kalguksu noodles, boiling them at heat 5 for 5 minutes. If you finish all the vegetables first and then add the noodles, the eating flow gets cut off, haha. If eating matters to you, the flow matters too — so pull out all the vegetables and mushrooms first, then add the noodles!!

Once the noodles are cooked nicely, scoop some into your own bowl right away and ask the staff for the fried rice. That's the real point of enjoying Sangam shabu kalguksu!! Even while you're still eating, request the noodles cooked, porridge made, or fried rice prepared so the next course doesn't have a gap. At Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Sangam Branch, I strongly recommend the fried rice over the porridge. Why? Read on.

Fried rice cooked at the table by the staff

Fried rice cooked by the staff themselves ♡ Fried until slightly chewy and separated, the rice grains stay firm, and it's so~~ nutty, almost like nurungji (scorched rice). They said it's fried Chinese-restaurant style, but nothing compares to having someone else fry it for you instead of doing it yourself — so having Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Sangam Branch's staff cook it makes it taste even better. The fried rice is the highlight of the shabu kalguksu at Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Sangam Branch~!!

Verdict on Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Sangam Branch

A great menu for the whole family to eat together, good for office workers' lunch and also for a relaxed dinner — that's Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Sangam Branch, a shabu kalguksu spot in Sangam!! The air conditioning was blasting, making it the perfect spot to enjoy hot shabu kalguksu. Recommended!! And the fried rice — highly recommended!!