Yangjae noodle shop full at 3 pm: large perilla oil makguksu, Seonbawi

Today's review is Memil Jangteo, a restaurant in Yangjae. It's famous as Seonbawi Memil Jangteo, and I had such a great meal at its newly opened Yangjae branch that I have to write it down 💨

Where is Seonbawi Memil Jangteo Yangjae Branch, and where do you park?

The Yangjae branch is at 15-11 Gangnam-daero 18-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, a 5-minute walk from Exit 2 of Yangjaesiminuisup Station. It's open daily 09:00-21:00, and parking is available.

We're here! A 100% buckwheat makguksu place. It's newly opened, so the outside looked clean and tidy right away ✨ There looked to be room for 4-5 cars right in front of the shop.

Is it crowded at 3 pm? Inside the Yangjae branch

We went around 3 pm, that awkward gap between lunch and dinner, and it was still almost full 🫢 The inside is surprisingly spacious and comfortable, which I really liked. It's clearly as popular as the Seonbawi name suggests.

There's self-serve buckwheat tea in a corner by the entrance, so be sure to try it 😌

What's on the menu?

Let's check the menu -

The menu runs from perilla oil, pollack hoe (seasoned raw pollack) and dongchimi (radish water kimchi) makguksu to soba and pollack hoe suyuk (sliced boiled pork) - and it's 100% pure buckwheat with no wheat flour or starch at all..👍🏻 There were also chicken specialties like spicy chicken stew, baeksuk (whole chicken soup) and seafood jjimdak (braised chicken).

We wanted to try everything, so we ordered 2 perilla oil makguksu plus the pollack hoe suyuk. If you're having makguksu, I really recommend getting the suyuk with it.. so good 😌

First impressions of the perilla oil makguksu and pollack hoe suyuk

The side dishes are makguksu-style kimchi and dongchimi broth. They say you can pour the dongchimi broth in partway through your noodles, but I just gulped it down cold and it was great too haha. And then our food arrived

Oh my, so pretty,,, look at that *,*

Both the noodles and the suyuk look amazing. You have to eat them as a set. Let's take a closer look..

The pollack hoe and dried radish seasoning looks seriously amazing... and the suyuk looks tender and juicy. This combo is already a winner.

How much bigger is the large perilla oil makguksu?

Of the two bowls of perilla oil makguksu, one was a large. Can you see the difference? The large is on the left in the photo, the regular on the right. Even a grown man said he was full after this. Nice 👍🏻

Is the perilla oil makguksu too greasy?

Despite how it looks, the perilla oil makguksu isn't greasy at all - it's mild but with a deep savory flavor. I tried the perilla oil one first since the reviews were so good. The broth is brimming with perilla oil and the noodles look slightly chewy, so it might look greasy, but when you eat it, it's nutty and goes down smoothly, wow.. there's a reason it's famous. Is it the effect of the sesame? So nutty.

Topping it with pollack hoe suyuk

Piling the pollack hoe suyuk onto the perilla oil makguksu - what can I say, it's insanely good. The suyuk is boiled tender, chewy and juicy, so it's great on its own, and it goes so well with the rich dried radish and the pollack hoe seasoning. A noodle thief..

I'm usually a bibim (spicy mixed) or mul (cold broth) makguksu person, but the perilla oil one here really is good. Maybe it's all that sesame piled on top 🤔 The nutty flavor just slides right in haha. The suyuk is truly moist and tender, and the crunchy, mildly spicy seasoning is delicious too - the two together were a perfect match. I really recommend eating them together 🧡

Can you pour in the dongchimi broth?

As the sign says, you can pour dongchimi broth into the perilla oil makguksu partway through and it's tasty. Still, to taste its true flavor, eating it as is was better 😌 We cleared every last bit..

Overall verdict on Seonbawi Memil Jangteo Yangjae Branch

I visited the newly opened Yangjae branch of the famous Seonbawi Memil Jangteo. True to the 100% pure buckwheat, the noodles are great and the flavor isn't harsh, and the pollack hoe suyuk is a perfect match - we totally nailed the combo. I recommend it to anyone near Yangjaesiminuisup Station in Yangjae looking for a healthy makguksu place for a summer lunch 👍🏻