Pyeongtaek kalguksu restaurant for DIY hotpot: Songdam Kalguksu

Shabu-shabu in Anjung, Pyeongtaek at Songdam Kalguksu—the broth is incredible!!

A deep, rich signature broth: clean without any heaviness, yet the umami explodes as the seafood and vegetables infuse it. What an artful broth~

A weekday/weekend ordering system tailored to you: weekday shabu-shabu courses, or on weekends, a kalguksu base with vegetables, meat, and extras added freely for your very own DIY shabu-kalguksu!!!

A custom combination that feels new every time: add beef, fresh vegetables, and plump dumplings to octopus kalguksu and you can taste land, sea, and air all at once~

Shabu-shabu in Anjung, Pyeongtaek: a broth that impressed from the first spoonful

This is a place with a deep, clean broth that makes you gasp from the very first spoonful, where you can freely combine ingredients exactly to your taste. It has a different charm every time you visit~ This is Songdam Kalguksu (송담칼국수), already much talked about among Anjung locals!

And parking? No need to even say it—super convenient~

Happily skipping inside~

A dining room as spacious as the parking lot!!

How do weekday and weekend orders work?

Songdam Kalguksu thoughtfully runs a different ordering system depending on the day, so knowing it beforehand means you can enjoy it 200% more~ On weekdays, you can order a neatly arranged classic shabu-shabu course!! On weekends, instead of one shabu-shabu course, you order a basic kalguksu menu for each person, then add vegetables, beef, dumplings, juk (rice porridge), and more to your liking, shabu-shabu-style!!

You can mix and match the menu items,

and because you can make and cook your own combination of extras, it is actually so much fun to visit on a weekend and customize it in your own style, haha.

I order the selection a little differently each time I visit, but it always tastes delicious in its own way, so I never get tired of it~

Ooh yeah~ The side dishes and the main menu are both so fresh, fresh!!

This broth. Insane!! Sooooo delicious!!!

Adding beef, vegetables, and dumplings to octopus kalguksu

This time, I wanted to really taste that refreshing seafood base, so I ordered octopus kalguksu, then added meat, vegetables, and dumplings for a generous table full of food!!

Into the bubbling broth goes the octopus first!!

The octopus bubbling away in the pot had no toughness at all—tender yet pleasantly chewy~ It instantly boosted the broth with a deep, refreshing seafood flavorrr!!

Then I piled in plenty of the added fresh vegetables—cabbage, bok choy, mushrooms, and more—and let them cook first,

then gently swished the rosy beef through the broth to cook it. Its mild meat juices blended with the vegetable stock, making the broth richer and richer~

Oh yeah~ Yes, this is the tasteee~

Then cook the chewy dumplings, generously filled with meat and vegetables, right through in the broth and take a bite. They soak up the hot broth and burst moistly with flavor in your mouth... simply first-rate, second-rate, third-rate—everything-rate!!

Finish with kalguksu noodles and geotjeori

Once you have picked out and eaten the meat, vegetables, octopus, and dumplings, it is time to add and cook the real star: the kalguksu (knife-cut noodles)! First, add a little more broth~

Once the noodles went into that golden broth deeply infused with seafood, meat, and vegetables, every strand soaked up intense savory flavor.

Slurp up the springy, chewy noodles with no raw floury smell, topped with a piece of crisp, freshly made geotjeori (fresh kimchi), and~~~ it feels like all the fatigue melts away from your body ㅠㅠ

I was so full that I could not eat the juk (rice porridge) ㅠㅠ Such a shame ㅠㅠ Next time, I am going with a friend and eating the juk too, hahaha.

Why I recommend it for DIY combinations and family meals

💡 A DIY combination made exactly how you want it! Choose basic clam or octopus kalguksu, then generously add all the extras you love. As the broth reduces, you can absolutely enjoy its increasingly deep, layered flavors!!

💡 Highly recommended for family meals and dining with children! Its mild, clear broth is not overly seasoned, making it a satisfying, comforting dining option that everyone—from young children to seniors—can enjoy without strong likes or dislikes!!