Hapjeong shabu-shabu tip: order 2 kalguksu servings, Shabu in Seoul

Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch hours and parking

Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch is at 14 Woldeukeop-ro 1-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, on B2 of Delight Square 1, and it's open daily from 11 am to 10 pm. On weekdays there's a break time from 3 pm to 5 pm; weekends and holidays have none.

• Hours: daily 11 am – 10 pm
• Break time: weekdays 3 pm – 5 pm (no break on weekends/holidays)
• Last order: weekdays 2 pm and 9 pm / seems to be none on weekends
• Parking: yes, yes! Just park at Delight Square

How to find Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch in Delight Square

All you need to remember is Delight Square "1". There's a Building 1 and a Building 2, and even though I've been before and the route is easy, I still found it so hard, ugh. Remember 1, then just walk in through any entrance of Building 1. After that the signs are good. There were several entrances, so I went all the way around, which was honestly so silly of me.

There's a menu display outside.

The outside menu board!

This is the entrance. There's a Standby Me-style screen before you go in. I want one too... I looked around a bit and then went in.

Inside Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch

I took a photo of the cashier too, and this is what the inside looks like. Pretty, right? A neat, clean vibe.

Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch menu: what to order

On your first visit, a staff member walks you through the whole menu. Let me snap the menu board.

This is the abalone set, a menu I can't even see (because it's expensive).

The shabu sets! There's pork, beef and hanwoo (Korean beef) too! We ordered the Prime Angus chuck eye shabu-shabu. Is the pork shabu-shabu good too? I haven't tried it, so I just picked something reasonable.

Why I regretted not choosing the half-and-half broth

There's a kids' menu and a half-and-half broth, but attention! If you get the half-and-half broth, the finish is always kalguksu (knife-cut noodles). Ah, I should have gone with that, I regretted it after eating. Because I ordered kalguksu separately and left most of the finishing rice! (Neither of us likes rose sauce and the finish came out as rose, sob, I knew it when I ordered.)

Add-on menu at Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch

There are extras too. Lion's mane mushrooms, panda konjac balls (bunmoja)! The panda bunmoja look so cute.

Fish balls, konjac noodles, rice cake add-ons. Sujebi (hand-pulled dough flakes) and rice paper too. Next time I'll add rice paper, it's so good. Tofu pouches are insanely good~~~ There are also abalone and whole shrimp.

Extra meat options!

Extra vegetables! Of the extra veggies, napa cabbage hearts are the best. There are also extra meatballs and fish balls, and extra noodles? Definitely have the kalguksu. The broth is so good that there's no way not to eat it. And there are other extras too, so many, really...!

There are also I Love Newjin noodles, konjac-wrapped Newjin noodles, and potato glass noodles.

Each broth comes with a different finishing meal

At Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch, the finishing meal differs by broth. We wanted spicy mushroom, but I also wanted the egg porridge for the finish, sob. Still, the broth matters most, so spicy mushroom it was!

Shabu in Seoul sauce: the golden ratio and how to eat

The restaurant's recommended way to eat is wrapped in rice paper, kirimochi (rice cake), fried soy milk skin and so on. For the sauce, mix sesame sauce and chili sauce 1:1, then add chili peppers and garlic. Wow, it was really so good?!!!!!!! I also piled chili and garlic into the soy sauce. The chili and garlic are refillable, so I refilled. Ah, my mouth is watering.

Order: Prime Angus chuck eye shabu set ×2, kalguksu add-on ×1

When you sit down, they bring sauces, chili and garlic, and the broth comes right away. Ugh, at first I didn't read the instructions and put sesame sauce in, then had to share it out; you're supposed to mix it 1:1 with chili. There's a yuzu soy sauce too! Add chili, add garlic!!!

A neat touch... I really want those tongs and scissors. I'm going to buy tongs and scissors like these. I also took a photo of the cute panda bunmoja.

Angus chuck eye in spicy mushroom broth: how does it taste?

Here's the spicy mushroom broth with all the vegetables in...

Eat young radish kimchi pickle, eat mushrooms, eat bean sprouts, eat napa cabbage. Wow, one bite and I nod, one bite and I nod, it was a truly moving taste. A Hapjeong Station favorite.

Eat napa cabbage, eat the panda, photograph the panda's body... how cruel.

Why chuck eye is best wrapped in rice paper

I put the meat in, ate some, then wrapped it in rice paper.

After that I kept wrapping everything in rice paper. Why is it so good!? If you're having shabu-shabu in Hapjeong, you have to go to Shabu in Seoul. Because it was insanely good.

Wrapping it up in rice paper.

How many kalguksu noodle servings should you order?

The kalguksu add-on here is 100g, so for 2 people it's better to order 2. After ordering our meal and slurping the broth, I thought we needed more and ordered a kalguksu add-on. We finished it, and at 100g it was gone in two or three bites each. Order 2, please.

Finishing with risotto and omija tea

For the finish, they make risotto for you. Four shrimp, wow~~~ made with an expert's touch. They add oil, is this truffle oil? (It seemed like it, because I don't like truffle.) Then pepper, shake shake shake.

The omija tea (five-flavor berry tea) really soothes my stomach~~~ so good, so good. I downed it in one shot and called it a day.

Who to bring to Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch

It was a really, truly high-quality shabu-shabu place, and it made me think of my parents. It looked like a good place to visit with parents or on a date! For shabu-shabu in Hapjeong, Shabu in Seoul is the one.