Eggplant perilla tteokbokki, Sejong Korean restaurant: Bapkkot Hansang

I recently went to lunch with my Korean-food-loving dad at Bapkkot Hansang, a well-known spot near Sejong Lake Park :)

Where Bapkkot Hansang is in Sejong, and where to park

Bapkkot Hansang is a Sejong restaurant located near the Prime Minister's Office and Sejong Lake Park, on the 3rd floor of its building. The address is 91 Doum8-ro, 3rd floor, Unit 303, Sejong, South Korea, and it's open daily 11:00–21:00 with a break time of 15:00–17:00.

🅿️Parking🅿️ is free in the building's B1 and B2 lots. On weekdays, the roadside in front of the building also allows parking during a grace period from 11:30 to 14:00.

Inside Bapkkot Hansang: the room and the menu

The interior of Bapkkot Hansang had a warm, cozy vibe centered around wood tones. The tables and chairs were all unified in a natural wood feel, and the soft lighting added to the cozy atmosphere.

Even visiting around 12:30pm on a weekday, there were quite a lot of office worker customers. It seemed like the lunch peak had just started to thin out a bit — clearly a popular weekday lunch spot!

High chairs were also available, which looked convenient for visiting with kids.

📋The menu📋 was made up of a hanjeongsik (Korean set-table course), rice bowls, and sides. The hanjeongsik course looked great for hosting or gatherings, and the rice bowls looked good for a hearty single meal. Since I was there with my Korean-food-loving dad, I ✔️ordered the Bapkkot Special❤️🔥

You can also get free tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties) with a Naver receipt review.

What comes in the Bapkkot Special first course

The Bapkkot Special was served in a first course and a second course.

First, a variety of dishes made up the first course.

Herbal boiled pork (hanbang suyuk)

The herbal boiled pork came with a tangy vegetable salad, which paired well with the softly boiled meat. The clean flavor of the pork combined with the tangy salad kept it from feeling greasy and made it easy to eat.

Vegetable salad

The vegetable salad reportedly used a pineapple and kiwi sauce, and the first thing I noticed was the fresh, tangy taste. It wasn't just sour — there was a subtle savory depth too, which made a great appetite-starter.

Perilla buckwheat noodles

The perilla buckwheat noodles were nice to eat first, like an appetizer. I liked that the staff carefully asked in advance whether we had allergies to perilla or milk. The taste was nutty with a slight sweetness, making it easy and appealing to start with.

Tofu kimchi

Tofu kimchi is a classic, clean combination of mild, soft tofu with tangy stir-fried kimchi. The plainness of the tofu paired well with the tangy-spicy kimchi, and it was nice to eat in between other dishes.

Buchujeon (chive pancake)

The buchujeon was crisped nicely on the outside, giving it great texture, and the accompanying garlic scape sauce paired really well with it. The savory pancake combined with the salty, slightly pungent sauce tasted better dipped than eaten plain.

Green laver and konjac japchae

The seaweed konjac japchae was a dish I was trying for the first time, and the texture was wonderfully springy. The chewy quality of konjac combined with the subtle aroma of seaweed gave it a different feel from regular japchae.

Eggplant-zucchini perilla tteokbokki, the dish to try

And what personally stuck with me was the eggplant-zucchini perilla tteokbokki (rice cake stir-fry). It's made with dried eggplant and dried zucchini, and even I — someone who doesn't usually eat eggplant or zucchini — enjoyed it. Being dried, the eggplant had less of that mushy texture regular eggplant has, making it easy to eat, and the seasoning itself was so good I kept going back for more. The tteok (rice cakes) clearly had that nutty perilla flavor, but the eggplant and zucchini weren't overpoweringly perilla-scented — instead they blended naturally with the seasoning into a nutty, savory sauce. If you don't usually like eggplant, this might actually be worth trying!

What comes in the Bapkkot Special second course

After the first course, a second course follows with tteokgalbi, doenjang soup, gangdoenjang, and side dishes.

Minari tteokgalbi (grilled beef patty with water dropwort)

The minari tteokgalbi differed from regular tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties) in that minari (water dropwort) was layered inside. The minari aroma wasn't too strong, coming through subtly instead, so it didn't overpower the clean, juicy flavor of the tteokgalbi. Enoki mushrooms were laid underneath the patty too, adding a chewy texture when eaten together.

Doenjang soup

The doenjang (fermented soybean paste) soup was savory yet clean, without being too salty or sharp. It had tofu, scallions, and vegetables, making it nice and warm to eat with rice.

Gangdoenjang rice mixed with namul

And the highlight of Bapkkot Hansang's gangdoenjang (thick soybean paste stew) is that it's better mixed with the accompanying namul (seasoned wild greens) rather than just stirred into plain rice. Mixing chwinamul, perilla leaves, and bangpungnamul into the gangdoenjang and rice added the aroma and texture of the greens, making it delicious. My dad even added the cucumber salad into his mix, and he said the crunchy cucumber texture added on top made it even better with all the different textures mixed in haha. I'm going to try adding the cucumber salad too next time!

Is Bapkkot Hansang worth a weekday lunch in Sejong?

I visited Bapkkot Hansang wanting a well-arranged Korean set meal in Sejong. The structure of a first and second course brought out a variety of dishes in sequence, letting me enjoy a meal a bit more leisurely. Plenty of office workers were visiting even during weekday lunch, and it also seemed like a fine place to eat with family.

Rather than heavy, intense flavors, I liked being able to taste a variety of namul and Korean dishes. If you're looking for a good restaurant near Sejong Lake Park or a Korean restaurant nearby, Bapkkot Hansang is worth checking out. It's also fairly close to Sejong Arboretum, so it's a handy reference point for a meal before or after visiting the arboretum or the lake park 🌿 Personally, I prefer tasting a little of many dishes over filling up on just one, so this was a satisfying visit :)