Dongtan Station shabu buffet date, chuck flap & porridge: Pyeonbaek

Who else loves shabu-shabu? I do, because you can eat as many veggies and as much meat as you like. This time I went to Dongtan with my boyfriend for dinner at Pyeonbaek Hoegwan (편백회관), where cypress steam, shabu-shabu, kalguksu (knife-cut noodles), porridge and a salad bar are all unlimited.

You start with cypress steam, then move on to shabu-shabu, rice paper wraps and porridge to finish, so it really felt like a proper full meal. It's near Dongtan Station and Lotte Department Store, so it's easy to reach and works for a family meal or a date.

Where is Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch?

Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch is on the 2nd floor of Granvia Star at Dongtan Station, a 10-minute walk from Lotte Department Store, so it's a good stop after shopping. It's also about 10 minutes by car from Dongtan Lake Park, so you could take a walk first. Easy to get to by public transport or by car.

Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch interior and atmosphere

The restaurant is on the 2nd floor of Granvia Star in Dongtan. The clean interior caught my eye the moment I stepped in, and the entrance already felt neat and tidy.

The 110-pyeong space (about 360 m²) was impressive. It's big enough for family meals, company gatherings or group dinners, and with so much room we could eat in comfort.

Which shabu-shabu broths did we choose?

There were plenty of broths to choose from, and we went with katsuo (bonito) and spicy. Personally, I liked the katsuo broth better~

How Pyeonbaek Hoegwan works: salad bar during the 10-minute cypress steam

The instructions were printed kindly on the table, and a staff member walked us through them once more. We checked the guide and started our meal in earnest.

The cypress steam just needs a 10-minute timer. While you wait, it's perfect to head to the salad bar and grab rice paper wrap ingredients and shabu-shabu veggies. Don't forget a disposable apron each, and

I brought back ingredients and side dishes from the salad bar.

The veggies for the wraps and the shabu-shabu were fresh too. Mushrooms, napa cabbage and more were refilled constantly so nothing ran out.

One look at the meat fridge and the "unlimited refills" part really sank in. My hands got busy piling wrap veggies onto my plate, haha. I loved that you can take as much as you want from the self-serve bar.

We waited for the timer to ring and kept to the cooking time. While the cypress steam cooks, you can just eat salad.

I also brought rice paper for the wraps and some warm water.

How was the cypress steam at Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch?

Waiting 10 minutes~

When time was up and I lifted the lid, the beef, bean sprouts, sweet pumpkin and shrimp were steamed just right.

The cypress steam is said to be made with 12 kinds of herbal ingredients. The meat had no gamey smell and tasted light and clean. The bean sprouts soaked up the meat juices, so eating them together was a nice combination.

Made my own rice paper wraps and they were so yummy~

Dipping everything in the 3 special sauces that come with it was great~ There are so many sauces that you never get tired of it.

Beef brisket and chuck flap shabu-shabu, then kalguksu and egg porridge

After finishing the cypress steam, we started the shabu-shabu.

We added napa cabbage, mushrooms and dumplings from the self-serve bar and ate thin-sliced beef brisket and chuck flap together. Since you can take as much meat as you like, it seemed especially good for meat lovers.

We finished with kalguksu and porridge! We boiled the noodles in the broth, then made porridge from the leftover broth with rice, egg, seaweed flakes and sesame oil, and it ended the meal on a satisfyingly full note.

How much is weekday lunch at Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch?

At Pyeonbaek Hoegwan Dongtan Branch, you can get the same spread for ₩16,900 on weekday lunches if you arrive before 3 p.m., which makes it decent value.

After the meal I finished with a cup of misutgaru (roasted grain drink), a nice palate cleanser on the way out after eating so much.