Hwaseong Korean restaurant for pufferfish-broth kalguksu: Yubok

I was craving a hot, refreshing bowl of broth in Dongtan, so I went to Yubok Haemul Kalguksu Dongtan Direct Branch :) I wanted both kalguksu and webfoot octopus, and luckily I could have them together, so I ordered the kalguksu + webfoot octopus set. To give you the conclusion first, I was really satisfied with how refreshing the seafood kalguksu broth was.

Location and parking near Dongtan Central Park

Yubok Haemul Kalguksu is located near Dongtan Central Park and Gaenari Park.

There is parking in front of the restaurant, so a few cars can park right there. If the spaces are full, you can use the Central Park public parking lot about a minute away by car.

The public parking lot offers 1 hour and 30 minutes of free parking, so it is relatively convenient for visitors arriving by car.

The restaurant was clean and fairly spacious, with an atmosphere that suited everything from dining alone to family meals and group gatherings.

Seafood kalguksu with pufferfish broth

What sets Yubok Haemul Kalguksu apart is that it uses pufferfish broth rather than a typical anchovy or clam broth. I heard it includes seafood such as live clams, Tongyeong oysters, and omandungi.

The kalguksu I ordered was generously filled with clams and omandungi, too. I especially love omandungi, so it was fun chewing through its delightfully crunchy texture, haha.

Refreshing, clean-tasting broth

I tried the kalguksu broth first, and it was definitely refreshing and clean-tasting. With lots of seafood, a broth can sometimes taste fishy or feel heavy, but this one was clear and clean without that at all. With the bowl full of omandungi and clams, it felt like the seafood flavor grew with every chew!

Since I love omandungi, having the crunchy bites along with the broth was absolutely delicious, lol. When you are craving hot broth, it feels like it warms you right up inside, so I think it would suit anyone who likes seafood kalguksu. The noodles were nicely chewy as well, making them great with the refreshing broth.

Fire-grilled spicy webfoot octopus

And then there was the fire-grilled spicy webfoot octopus I ordered alongside it! Kalguksu alone felt a little incomplete, and I wanted octopus too, so I added it—and this pairing was good. Because it was stir-fried over direct heat, that smoky fire aroma hit right away.

It was not simply spicy; the smoky aroma and savory depth made it delicious. The webfoot octopus was springy yet tender, and its sauce went so well with rice that it was the kind of dish that makes you want a bowl of rice, haha. A bite of refreshing seafood kalguksu followed by a bite of spicy, smoky webfoot octopus worked well because the flavors were so different. If you want both kalguksu and webfoot octopus, I recommend ordering the two together!

Free barley rice before the meal

They also serve free barley rice before the meal. You can mix it with yuzu radish salad, so it is nice for a light bite before the kalguksu arrives. It felt like a little appetite opener while waiting for the noodles, so I liked having this kind of before-meal dish :)

Overall thoughts on having kalguksu and webfoot octopus together

Of everything I tried at Yubok Haemul Kalguksu, the broth was what stayed with me most. It was packed with clams and omandungi, and the broth was truly refreshing, so I think it would suit seafood kalguksu fans very well.

If you love omandungi like I do, there is also the fun of chewing its crunchy texture, haha. Adding the fire-grilled webfoot octopus meant I could enjoy refreshing kalguksu and spicy, deeply smoky octopus in one meal, which was great.

It is worth a visit when you are craving refreshing seafood kalguksu in Dongtan or want to have kalguksu and webfoot octopus together. If I return, I think I will definitely have the kalguksu-and-webfoot-octopus combination again :)