Jjajang tteokbokki in Ansan: Yum Bbokki’s chewy glass noodles

There are so many balance-game, what-if games these days, right? Back in my day, the biggest question was whether you were team wheat-rice-cake tteokbokki or team rice-cake tteokbokki. But instead of spending time worrying, just have one more. Haha... let’s nom nom.

Yum Bbokki location and parking

This is between 25 Si and Neoville, right in the middle of the apartment complexes and the busy area. It’s such a populated neighborhood that you’ve probably spotted it while passing by. How about a great tteokbokki spot with parking?

Clean indoor seating

Back in my day, tteokbokki shops meant standing in front of a pojangmacha (street-food tent) until your legs hurt and all that... Yum Bbokki is seriously clean. Isn’t this practically a stylish snack bar? Plenty of people eat alone here, and tables turn over so quickly that seats open up fast.

Tteokbokki menu and spice levels

• Tteokbokki ₩3,900
• Jjajang tteokbokki ₩4,000
• Rosé tteokbokki ₩4,900
• Cream tteokbokki ₩5,000
• Sweet cheese fries ₩4,500
• Sweet cheese boneless chicken: small ₩6,500 / large ₩7,500

They sell tteokbokki in one-person and three-person portions. You can also choose mild, medium, spicy, or extra spicy.

There are set menus too, so I recommend one if you come in a group. Silsogiyam is for solo diners or couples, while Pujimiyam is for social butterflies with lots of friends—or families.

They say they use only freshly made wheat rice cakes, with no preservatives. Oh, are the rice-cake fans feeling left out? They also have cute, round rice cakes..~

This isn’t tteokbokki made ahead of time—they boil it fresh when you order. It takes about 10 minutes, but it comes out quickly while you pick up this and that at the self-service bar. Freshly made, piping-hot tteokbokki..!

Everything you need at the self-service bar

Spoons, chopsticks, forks, scissors, tongs; soy sauce, danmuji (pickled radish), broth; plastic gloves, side plates, and tissues. The self-service bar has everything you need.

Water is self-service, and so is the water purifier. For a total introvert, this kind of self-service is so convenient..ㅠ It feels awkward to ask for more of something, and I’m very shy and bashful. Yum Bbokki is the best, seriously.

Jjajang tteokbokki with Chinese glass noodles

Yum yum. They bring the food right to your table. The owner looked really busy but was super kind.

Silsogiyam + jjajang tteokbokki + added Chinese glass noodles—that was our menu. Ah, when there are two of us, we should each get our own tteokbokki, but now fried snacks and sundae are the default... How can you resist jjajang tteokbokki? ㅠㅠ

My pick: medium-spicy tteokbokki with added Chinese glass noodles. It wasn’t heavy or sweet; it had a clean feel with lots of pepper, if you know what I mean? They say medium is about Shin Ramyun level, and yep, that’s about the heat. Nicely, pleasantly spicy.

Can you see that hot steam? Add the Chinese glass noodles to the regular tteokbokki, no question. They went so well with the pleasantly spicy sauce and were delicious.

Honestly, jjajang is my favorite kind of tteokbokki. But there really aren’t many places that sell jjajang tteokbokki. I was so happy to hear Yum Bbokki has it ㅠㅠ

Look at those cute, round rice cakes. You eat rosé and cream, so why show no interest in jjajang? I’m deeply hurt ㅠㅠ A great tteokbokki spot in Gojan-dong, Ansan—saved in my heart.

Hot fried snacks and customizable sundae

The fried snacks and sundae (Korean blood sausage) came out really hot too, which made them even better. And you can choose the ratio of sundae to offal—completely personalized sundae. You can tailor it for people who don’t like offal, or for those who only like offal.

Ah, I almost forgot. Everyone, try the fried squid. Oh wow, the squid is so big and plump. Tender, not chewy.

You often have bunsik (Korean snack food) when you want something simple, right? The shop is pretty, sure, but the menu is genuinely varied, the value is great, and it felt like such a satisfying meal. I need to bring my partner here for a date later...^^

Thanks for the meal..~