Icheon ssambap lunch set plus 100g yukhoe, ₩49,800: Neul Gogi Jip

I have fond memories of a delicious soy short rib meal here before, so this time I went back for a hearty lunch, haha!!

Neul Gogi Jip Icheon Main Branch: hours and parking

Neul Gogi Jip Icheon Main Branch is a Korean restaurant on Gyeongchung-daero in Icheon, Gyeonggi. It's open daily from 11:00 to 21:30, with a break time from 15:30 to 16:30 — no break time on public holidays. There's a parking lot right in front that fits 30 cars.

There's a banner up showing the owner has been recognized as a master of Korean cuisine. Already got my hopes up before even walking in.

With a big parking lot right outside, you don't need to worry about parking at all. It's popular for both lunch and dinner, so there's always a wait on weekends. There's a waiting lounge where you register and wait on-site.

The interior is clean and spacious, with plenty of hall seating plus room seats bookable for parties of six or more. If you want a room, you can also reserve through Naver.

What comes with the lunch special, and the 2:30pm order cutoff

The Neul Gogi Jip Icheon Main Branch lunch special is only available for order until 14:30!! Here's what's included:

• Soy crab & ssambap set (beef tendon doenjang stew + soy crab + jeyuk bokkeum + 6 kinds of ssam leaves + 7 side dishes + hwangmi pot rice)
• Ssambap set (beef tendon doenjang stew + jeyuk bokkeum + 6 kinds of ssam leaves + 7 side dishes + hwangmi pot rice)
• Soy crab set (beef tendon doenjang stew + soy crab + 6 kinds of ssam leaves + 7 side dishes + hwangmi pot rice)

Neul Gogi Jip is also famous for its nuruk-marinated galbi, and it's amazing. If you come for dinner, I'd recommend the galbi with pot rice :) For lunch, I ordered the soy crab & ssambap set for two plus an extra 100g of yukhoe (raw beef).

Gloves, scissors and tongs for tackling the soy crab.

Beef tendon doenjang stew

The doenjang stew (soybean paste stew) came out bubbling hot, packed with beef tendon, great for scooping up with the broth. This savory stew pairs so well with rice — it got my appetite going right from the start.

Seven side dishes and the self-serve ssam bar

Seven side dishes. Living up to its Blue Ribbon master-chef reputation, every side dish was neatly presented and clearly made with care. Having seven kinds meant I got to try a good variety.

For the ssam leaves, you use the self-serve bar. There's a good variety, so you can pick whatever suits your taste. They looked so fresh just looking at them 👍🏻

Jeyuk bokkeum (stir-fried spicy pork)

It came out in bite-sized pieces, so I piled it onto a ssam leaf with some side dishes. Even the same jeyuk bokkeum tasted a little different depending on which leaf I wrapped it in, haha. The onions stir-fried in with it made it even tastier.

Is the 100g yukhoe add-on worth ₩20,000?

Neul Gogi Jip Icheon Main Branch's yukhoe (raw beef) is ₩20,000 for 100g. The lunch special alone was already plenty filling, but since I was at a meat restaurant, I wanted yukhoe too, so I added it on. The seasoning inside was delicious, and it came with a generous amount of pear — eating it together with the pear was so good. It's a totally different feel from a warm dish like jeyuk bokkeum, so I was glad I ordered it.

I came up with a new combination haha. Jeyuk bokkeum plus yukhoe in a perilla leaf — somehow it doesn't sound like it should go together, but it can't possibly taste bad!!

Soy-marinated crab and hwangmi pot rice

Soy crab. Crab is famous as a 'rice thief' — one of those dishes that's best eaten with rice — and this was exactly that. Picking out the crab meat and eating it with rice, I cleaned my bowl in no time. The meat was packed in tight, which made it even more satisfying.

The pot rice came out piping hot, and it worked well eaten with the doenjang stew or alongside the crab and jeyuk bokkeum. At the end, I even finished off the scorched rice at the bottom for a satisfying end to the meal.

From the beef tendon doenjang stew to jeyuk bokkeum, soy crab, six kinds of ssam leaves, seven side dishes and hwangmi pot rice — it was so nice for lunch to be able to enjoy a variety of dishes instead of just one. Especially wrapping jeyuk bokkeum in ssam, eating soy crab with rice, and pairing everything with sips of doenjang stew in between — each dish felt like a different combination to enjoy.

Free coffee and ice cream in the dessert lounge

In the lounge, you can also get coffee and ice cream. We suddenly ended up competing over who could dispense the better-looking ice cream swirl, haha. Neul Gogi Jip fills you up with lunch and takes care of dessert too!! Such a satisfying meal, haha.