Dongtan hot pot restaurant with perilla broth refills: Deungchon

Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Gran Passage Branch -

I heard colds were going around again lately, and sure enough, one day my throat felt scratchy and then boom, I was hit hard 🥴 I rested at home all day, but by evening I had no appetite and my whole body felt drained... The only thing I wanted was something hot and not spicy. So that's how I ended up at Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Gran Passage Branch.

📍 Where is Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Gran Passage Branch in Dongtan?

Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Gran Passage Branch is located on the 2nd floor of Gran Passage's Green Zone.

It's right there as soon as you ride up the escalator, so it wasn't hard to find even on my first visit. The exterior has a clean wood-tone look, and there was a sign outside so you could check the menu and prices before going in.

🌿 Inside Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu: clean and comfortable

Stepping inside, it's the same clean wood-tone vibe as the exterior 🙂

The tables and chairs were spaced out generously, so even eating hot shabu-shabu didn't feel cramped or stuffy.

Every table has a tablet, so picking your menu and ordering is easy.

What stuck with me most from this visit was how kind the owner was. They explained how to cook and eat the food along the way, and kept checking in to see if we needed anything — really easy to feel comfortable even as a first-time visitor.

🥘 What we ordered: perilla shabu kalguksu, 30,000 won for two

Deungchon's shabu kalguksu comes in three broth options: spicy, clear, or perilla. I usually go for spicy or clear, but that day, with how rough I felt, something a little nuttier and softer sounded better. So for the first time, I ordered the perilla shabu kalguksu.

The price: ₩30,000 for two!

A little while later, a pot arrived, piled high with minari (water dropwort), bean sprouts, potatoes, mushrooms and more vegetables in perilla broth.

On a separate plate came beef, kalguksu noodles and dumplings, plus the ingredients ready for fried rice at the end.

The tablet also shows how to cook everything properly, so just following along isn't hard. Though the owner did tell us that with perilla broth, the perilla powder can settle at the bottom of the pot, so it's good to stir it now and then.

👀 How does perilla shabu kalguksu broth taste the first time?

I'd had the spicy and clear broths at other Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu locations before, but this was my first time with perilla, so I was a bit worried. But one spoonful in — worry, no! It was genuinely delicious 😋 The nutty, thick perilla broth combined with the clean flavors from the minari and bean sprouts, and it wasn't heavy at all.

Best of all, as the hot broth went down my throat, I could feel my body warming up and my stomach filling with something solid. It really felt like the right choice for a day when I felt awful and had no appetite.

🥩 Beef and vegetables together in the perilla broth

The fun of shabu-shabu is really the meat. I dipped the beef in the broth, and once it was cooked, pulled it out with minari and bean sprouts and dunked it in soy sauce. Eating the nutty broth, vegetables and beef together in one bite was pretty filling. Especially on a day when I craved warm food over spicy food, this hit the spot even more.

🍜 Adding the kalguksu noodles — and the broth refill

Once you've eaten some of the vegetables and beef, it's time to add the kalguksu noodles and dumplings. As I was about to add the noodles, the broth looked a bit low — and before I could even ask, the owner, passing by, noticed and refilled the broth right away. What a thoughtful, kind owner 😙

With the broth topped back up, I put in the noodles and dumplings and stirred so the noodles wouldn't stick to the bottom, and before long the broth got a bit thicker. Scooping up the well-cooked kalguksu noodles with that nutty perilla broth was a treat of its own.

🍚 Finishing with fried rice at Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu

After the kalguksu, it's time for the final course — fried rice, haha. I asked the staff for fried rice, and they scooped the remaining broth and noodles into a big bowl and took the pot away.

A little later they brought out the finished fried rice, and the moment I tasted it, I could feel that crispy texture. It was so crispy it was almost like eating a snack — Bo was mesmerized and kept scooping it up spoonful after spoonful, lol.

I, meanwhile, still couldn't escape the charm of the perilla broth, so I poured a bit into my fried rice to make it more like a porridge. Eating it this way let me finish the meal warm right to the end.

😊 Verdict: a satisfying meal on a sick day in Dongtan

Right up until I walked into the restaurant, I had no appetite and no energy — but after the warm shabu-shabu, kalguksu and fried rice, I definitely felt full and solid.

Maybe it was thanks to that? I actually started recovering from my cold after this and am now pretty much fully better 🙂 If you want a warm, non-spicy meal on a day when you're feeling under the weather, this is the best choice! They even give 3 hours of free parking in the Gran Passage basement, and apparently they've partnered with a nearby café so you get a discount by showing your Deungchon Kalguksu receipt — dessert course sorted too! 😙

Above all, thanks to the clean interior, tasty food, and the owner's attentive, kind care throughout, I left feeling pretty good.

Worth a visit if you're looking for shabu-shabu in Dongtan. If, like me, you're craving something hot and nutty, give the perilla shabu kalguksu a try too. 😊