Gunpo Korean restaurant for sizzling squid noodles: Deodolpan

Stone-plate stir-fries on Sanbon Rodeo Street

A great restaurant on Gunpo's Sanbon Rodeo Street: Deodolpan

Deodolpan Sanbon Branch is on Sanbon Rodeo Street. On the day we visited, a social cooperative was even holding a festival(?) nearby. There was lots to see, which was nice! It is in a great spot for a meal followed by shopping and exploring the outlet, department store, and Rodeo Street.

We came for lunch and were planning to shop nearby afterward, so it was also a convenient spot for lunch in Sanbon followed by a look around the area.

Where is Deodolpan Sanbon Branch, and what time does it close?

A neat restaurant on the second floor

It is on the second floor of the building. You can take either the elevator or the stairs. After getting out of the elevator, follow the corridor to the left and you will see Deodolpan. The large sign by the entrance made it easy to find even on a first visit.

It opens at 11 a.m., making it a good Sanbon lunch option, and it stays open until 10 p.m., so it would also work well for dinner, after-work drinks, company dinners, or gatherings. Since the dishes are stir-fried right on a stone plate, the menu seemed well suited to drinks as well as a meal.

Seating and atmosphere

A neat, pleasant interior

Maybe because it had not been open long, the restaurant was neat and pleasant. I liked the large windows looking outside from the second floor, and overall it felt comfortable for a meal.

There was a fair amount of space between tables, so it was nice for the two of us to eat comfortably. There was also group seating, so it looked suitable for a larger visit such as a work dinner or family gathering.

Ordering the flame-grilled stone-plate squid stir-fry set

Please check the menu for the full selection. Sets seem to be the usual choice, and there are drinking-table sets in the evening too, so it could be good for a company dinner or gathering. Since we were there for lunch, we decided on a set. They also have single-person meals, so it seemed like a nice place to come eat alone.

You order using the tablet set up at each table.

The difference between the set and à la carte dishes was whether they included doenjang-jjigae (soybean-paste stew) or cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew). We wanted to mix rice too, so we ordered the two-person set. The guide beside us said it was delicious with added bunmoja noodles or Chinese glass noodles, so we added Chinese glass noodles. I am not great with spicy food, so we ordered the standard spice level, though it goes all the way up to an extremely spicy level for anyone who loves heat. We ordered the two-person set and a drink.

• Two-person flame-grilled stone-plate squid stir-fry set
• Cheonggukjang / extra Chinese glass noodles
• One drink

Side dishes and the self-service bar

The basic side dishes arrived on a retro tray. There were perilla leaves, pickled radish wraps, stir-fried fish cake, seasoned bean sprouts, and young-radish kimchi. They were great for wrapping the squid stir-fry, and the leftovers also worked well mixed with the squid stir-fry or cheonggukjang after the meal :) There was a self-service bar, so we could freely bring more side dishes if needed.

Each table also had sesame oil for mixing with rice. I had already planned to mix rice into the squid stir-fry sauce, and the sesame oil was perfect for adding a nutty flavor. Instead of plain water, they served roasted barley tea, which was nutty and nice to sip with the meal.

Sizzling flame-grilled squid stir-fry on a stone plate

The food was made to order and came out quickly. The flame-grilled squid stir-fry arrived sizzling on a heated stone plate :) I loved that the stone plate kept it warm. It already came with jjolmyeon, chewy wheat noodles, and adding Chinese glass noodles made the portion really generous, haha. It looked spicy and delicious from the start, and I could not wait to try it.

Deodolpan says its specialty is combining high-heat flame stir-frying with a blazing-hot stone plate. The dish really did arrive sizzling and warm, making it easy to enjoy that warmth right through to the last bite.

I liked that there was plenty of thick-cut squid. It was basically spicy and sweet, the kind of flavor that keeps you reaching back in. Even at the standard spice level, it was a little spicy. Since I do not handle heat very well, I chose the standard level, but it was not overwhelming with rice or pickled radish wraps.

I really love noodles, and the jjolmyeon that came with it was even better than I expected. The chewy noodles had absorbed the squid-stir-fry sauce so well that it was fun to eat them with the squid. With Chinese glass noodles added too, I think noodle lovers would be very happy.

The cheonggukjang served alongside was a special treat too. Mixing rice into the savory stew let me enjoy something completely different from the squid stir-fry. One bowl of rice was almost not enough. I needed rice for the squid stir-fry and for the cheonggukjang, but I was disappointed that my appetite was too small to finish everything.

If you have room to eat generously, it would be nice to make a bowl by mixing the cheonggukjang with the rice and vegetables, then finish with stone-plate fried rice. Deodolpan also recommends its stone-plate fried rice, made by adding seaweed flakes and sesame oil to the remaining sauce after the flame-grilled stone-plate stir-fry, so I want to try the fried rice next time.

Pairing it with pickled radish, perilla leaves, and Chinese glass noodles

For my first bite, I wrapped the squid stir-fry in pickled radish and a perilla leaf. On its own, the spicy flavor came through a little more strongly, but the wrap softened the heat and the flavors worked beautifully together. For the Chinese glass noodles, mix them into the sauce so they can soak up the seasoning. Their bouncy texture made for a different kind of fun from the squid.

Rice went so well with both the squid stir-fry and the cheonggukjang. If only my stomach had been a little bigger, I think I could have polished off two bowls of rice in no time, haha. But after eating the jjolmyeon and Chinese glass noodles with the squid stir-fry, I was so full that I was sad I could not eat more. Mixing rice with the spicy squid stir-fry and having cheonggukjang in between made for a very satisfying meal.

The combination of plump squid stir-fry with rice and vegetables was truly delicious. Mixing the warm stir-fry straight from the stone plate with rice was filling, and the sweet-spicy sauce plus chewy squid made it a happily satisfying meal. If you are looking for a Sanbon lunch, this set with flame-grilled squid stir-fry and cheonggukjang seems like a good choice.

A prize-draw event after the meal

When we came out to pay, I noticed they were also running a nostalgic prize-draw event. They said winners from first through fourth prize received the corresponding gift, haha. We had almost left after eating, but spotted it and joined in for fun.

If you are looking for somewhere to eat on Sanbon Rodeo Street, Deodolpan Sanbon Branch seemed like a good option for a hearty lunch set, or for an evening meal and drinks with stone-plate stir-fry.