Dongtan Station restaurant, rice-paper wraps in 100 minutes: Pyeonbaek

If you're looking for hinoki-steamed pork or shabu-shabu in Dongtan, a place where you can enjoy several different things beats somewhere with just one menu item, right? This time I visited Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch in Dongtan.

I originally went for shabu-shabu, but wrapping the hinoki-steamed pork in rice paper like a Vietnamese spring roll was so good that I ended up eating way more than planned. After finishing the steamed dish, I said, "I'm too full for shabu-shabu now."

But once the warm shabu-shabu broth started bubbling, my chopsticks naturally went for it again, haha. In the end I properly enjoyed the hinoki steam as round one and kept going with shabu-shabu as round two. Since I really love Vietnamese-style wraps normally, the combo of hinoki-steamed pork in rice paper was right up my alley.

Ordering at Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch starts with the broth

At Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch, once you're seated you order by choosing a broth on the ordering screen. After picking the broth and completing the order, the screen said the hinoki-steamed dish takes about 10 minutes to cook.

As you can see in the photo, the ordering screen offers several broth options, so whether you like spicy or mild soup, there's something to pick for your taste. Just waiting at the table is fine, but browsing the self-serve bar and prepping your ingredients during this time makes it fly by.

What's on the self-serve bar during the 10-minute wait?

Another fun part of Pyeonbaek Hoegwan was the self-serve bar. There were plenty of vegetables perfect for shabu-shabu, so I could grab whatever I liked.

There was everything from napa cabbage, bean sprouts, and bok choy to several kinds of mushrooms, so it was easy to prep for the shabu-shabu that would come after the hinoki steam dish. On one side there were also onions, carrots, red cabbage, and various other vegetables and side ingredients.

Grabbing a little of this and that, my plate got surprisingly full before I knew it. If you're someone who likes loading up on veggies with shabu-shabu, this self-serve bar setup will be a welcome sight.

Is the cypress scent strong in Pyeonbaek Hoegwan's hinoki-steamed pork?

After a short wait, it was time for the hinoki-steamed pork. Since it's meat and vegetables steamed together, it looked hearty just sitting on the table.

What I liked most about eating it was that the distinctive smell wasn't overwhelming at all. Some people might assume hinoki-steamed dishes have a strong cypress scent, but for me, it didn't overpower the food's flavor and I could enjoy it comfortably.

The meat was cooked tender, and pairing it with napa cabbage, bok choy, mushrooms, and sweet pumpkin gave me a range of textures. It was much tastier eating the meat together with vegetables than eating it alone.

Wrapping hinoki-steamed pork in rice paper, Vietnamese-roll style

My favorite way to eat at Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch was wrapping the hinoki-steamed pork in rice paper like a Vietnamese spring roll. Just place the meat on the rice paper, add whatever vegetables you grabbed from the self-serve bar, roll it up, and dip it in sauce.

Since I already love Vietnamese wraps, I tried wrapping the hinoki-steamed pork instead of just eating it plain, and the combination worked way better than expected. The tender meat, crunchy vegetables, and the chewy texture of the rice paper all came together, so I kept making roll after roll.

Adding crunchy vegetables like carrot or red cabbage really brought out the texture, and leafy greens or mushrooms gave a different feel each time. Because I love this style of eating so much, I ended up eating way more of the hinoki-steamed pork than I intended. I'd told myself "I'll save room for shabu-shabu too," but before I knew it, I was completely full. Haha.

Round two: shabu-shabu after the hinoki steam course

After eating my fill of the hinoki-steamed pork, I genuinely thought I was too full for shabu-shabu. But the broth I'd already ordered was bubbling away on the table, and my mind changed again.

Even though it's the same meat, the hinoki steam dish and shabu-shabu feel completely different, so despite being full, once I started dropping ingredients into the broth, I wanted more. Adding vegetables, lightly cooking the meat, and eating it with the warm broth tasted completely different from the steamed version.

So if the hinoki steam was round one, shabu-shabu was round two. Seeing myself go from "I'm too full to eat" to spooning up broth was pretty funny, haha.

Choosing your shabu-shabu broth at Pyeonbaek Hoegwan

Being able to pick a broth that suited my taste was another thing I liked about Pyeonbaek Hoegwan. When I visited, the ordering screen showed several options including spicy broth, mild broth, and bone-marrow mala broth.

Since the whole mood of shabu-shabu changes depending on the broth, it'd be fun to pick your favorites with friends if you're visiting as a group. And being able to add as much of the self-serve bar vegetables as you like meant I could build a pot around the ingredients I personally love.

Loading up on napa cabbage and mushrooms made the broth richer, and lightly cooking the meat kept it light. I'd already eaten the hinoki-steamed pork first and was quite full, but somehow, thanks to the warm broth, I ended up enjoying the shabu-shabu too.

Hinoki steam, shabu-shabu and sides in one sitting

One thing I appreciated about eating at Pyeonbaek Hoegwan was that it's not a place focused on just one menu item. Eating the hinoki-steamed pork, then wrapping it in rice paper like a Vietnamese spring roll, then moving on to shabu-shabu meant the way I was eating kept changing throughout the meal.

Being able to pick and choose my own vegetables at the self-serve bar was also nice. The photos show not just shabu-shabu ingredients but a variety of side dishes too. Familiar items like tteokbokki (stir-fried rice cakes) and fried snacks were there, great for when you crave something different while eating the meat and vegetables.

Picking vegetables and sides like a salad bar

Another thing I noticed browsing the vegetable section was how colorful it was. White napa cabbage and bean sprouts, green leafy vegetables, orange carrots, and purple red cabbage — with so many ingredients on offer, even a plate you fill at random ends up looking pretty.

Wrapped in rice paper for the hinoki steam dish, or cooked in the broth for shabu-shabu — the same vegetables felt totally different depending on how you ate them. That's what made being able to enjoy both the hinoki steam and shabu-shabu in one visit even more fun.

A 110-pyeong dining room that works for family meals

Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch is a fairly large restaurant. Based on the restaurant's own info, it's about 110 pyeong, so the space between tables felt comfortably roomy, and it seemed like a good spot for families or group gatherings.

What especially caught my eye was the separate play zone for kids. When eating out with children, it can be stressful worrying that they'll get bored after finishing their meal, so having a dedicated play space is probably a relief for parents.

That made me think this place would genuinely be popular with families. For anyone looking for a place to eat out with kids, this kind of space matters just as much as the food.

Is 100 minutes enough for both courses?

Pyeonbaek Hoegwan lists a total dining time of 100 minutes. Between sitting down, choosing a broth and ordering, using the self-serve bar during the roughly 10-minute wait for the hinoki-steamed dish, and then moving from that into shabu-shabu, I honestly lost track of time.

100 minutes might sound long at first, but going through the hinoki steam and shabu-shabu in order while also using the self-serve bar, the time passes more comfortably than you'd expect.

That said, if you want to properly enjoy both the hinoki steam dish and shabu-shabu, it's better not to rush at the start — just take as much as you'll actually eat. Like me, if you go all in on the rice-paper wraps early on, you might end up too full by the second half. Haha, just watch out for that.

Finishing the meal with misugaru

After finishing the meal completely full, there was one more thing I liked before heading out: the misugaru (roasted grain drink).

These days a lot of restaurants offer coffee or other drinks after a meal, but it had been a while since I'd had misugaru, and it turned out to be quite good. After eating heartily through the hinoki steam and shabu-shabu, finishing with a nutty, smooth cup of misugaru was a nice way to cleanse the palate.

Personally, this felt more welcome than coffee. Maybe because it's the familiar taste from childhood, having it again after a long time felt oddly nostalgic. Finishing off a big meal this comfortably left a lasting impression.

A full day of eating at Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch

What stuck with me most from this visit to Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch was going through the hinoki steam dish and shabu-shabu in sequence. At first I wondered if I could really eat both, but I got carried away wrapping the hinoki-steamed pork in rice paper like a Vietnamese spring roll and ate way more than planned. I'd said I was too full for shabu-shabu, but once the warm broth started bubbling, I dug in anyway. Haha.

The hinoki-steamed dish had a mild, unobtrusive scent, and eating the meat together with vegetables made it light yet delicious. If you love Vietnamese-style wraps, I'd especially recommend trying the hinoki-steamed pork and vegetables in rice paper. The shabu-shabu, where you pick your own broth and load up on whatever you like from the self-serve bar, offered a completely different kind of fun from the steamed dish.

The restaurant is also fairly spacious at about 110 pyeong, with a separate play zone for kids, making it convenient for dining with children. Finishing with a cup of misugaru after such a long time gave the meal a clean, satisfying ending.

If you're in Dongtan and want to enjoy hinoki-steamed pork and shabu-shabu together in one sitting, or you're looking for a comfortable place to eat with family, going through the hinoki steam and shabu-shabu in order at Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch is worth trying. The location is also close to Lotte Department Store, not far from Dongtan Station, with Traders Wholesale Club just across the street, and the building has various sports facilities too, so you can do a lot in one place.

Just one thing to remember: wrapping the hinoki-steamed pork in rice paper tends to make you eat more than you'd expect. Haha. If you're planning to have shabu-shabu too, it helps not to go too hard at the start.

Frequently asked questions

How do you order on a first visit to Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch?

After sitting down, you choose your broth on a tablet and complete the order. The hinoki-steamed dish took about 10 minutes to prepare, and the self-serve bar was available in the meantime.

Can you have hinoki steam and shabu-shabu in one visit?

On my visit, I ate the hinoki-steamed dish first and then moved on to shabu-shabu. It felt like the hinoki steam was round one and the shabu-shabu was round two, letting me enjoy both menu items in one sitting.

What's the best way to eat the hinoki-steamed pork?

I liked it best wrapped in rice paper with a variety of vegetables, like a Vietnamese spring roll. If you already like that style of wrap, this will suit you especially well.

Is the cypress scent in the hinoki steam dish too strong?

When I ate it, the distinctive scent wasn't overpowering at all. I could enjoy the flavor of the meat and vegetables comfortably.

Can you choose the shabu-shabu broth?

On the ordering screen during my visit, I saw several options including spicy broth, mild broth, and bone-marrow mala broth. Being able to pick according to your taste was a nice touch.

How long can you stay at Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch?

The restaurant states a total dining time of 100 minutes. If you're eating the hinoki-steamed dish followed by shabu-shabu, it's good to keep an eye on the time as you go.

Is Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch good with kids?

The restaurant is fairly large at about 110 pyeong and has a separate play zone for children. Families eating out with kids will likely find this space convenient.

Is there a drink to have after the meal?

On my visit, misugaru was available. I had a cup before leaving — it was nutty and smooth, great for cleansing the palate, and felt more welcome than coffee since it had been a while.

Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch location

2nd floor, Grandvia Star, 446 Dongtan-daero, Dongtan-gu, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.