Gwacheon Korean restaurant for torim bibimbap: Bibisam

My husband and I went to Bibisam Gwacheon Main Branch (비비삼 과천본점), near Government Complex Gwacheon Station, for lunch. We each paired stone-pot albap (fish roe rice) and octopus bibimbap with Korean pork and Korean beef tteokgalbi (grilled minced-meat patties), respectively. I was curious because it serves a favorite of mine, bibimbap, with torim rice.

What were the Saturday lunch wait and parking like?

We arrived at around 2 p.m. on Saturday. The lunchtime rush had already passed, so we went straight in without waiting.

We drove and used the street public parking around Dongseong Building. At the time of our visit, the information said it operated Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., cost ₩250 per five minutes, and had a daily maximum of ₩24,000. It was listed as free outside operating hours and on national holidays, Sundays, and substitute holidays.

What are the atmosphere and ordering system like?

The interior was calm, tidy, and had a Korean feel. I thought it would be fine for introducing a Korean restaurant to an overseas friend or sharing a meal with parents.

The tables were neatly arranged, with cutlery and tissues in the drawers. We could take our time looking through the menu and ordering with the table-order system.

Which bibimbap and tteokgalbi combinations did we order?

There were bibimbap options with namul, bulgogi, octopus, and Korean beef yukhoe (seasoned raw beef), as well as stone-pot dishes and tteokgalbi sets. For the tteokgalbi, we could choose Korean pork or Korean beef.

• My order: stone-pot albap + Korean pork tteokgalbi set
• My husband's order: octopus bibimbap + Korean beef tteokgalbi set

How do food collection and the self-service bar work?

The table had instructions on self-service, how to eat the dishes, and what to refer to if we needed help.

When the food was ready, the table-order notification sounded and we collected it ourselves. We also returned our dishes ourselves after eating. The restaurant explained that it operated with fewer staff and aimed to pass the savings on through good ingredients and reasonable prices. I was comfortable with this system too.

We could collect soup and side dishes from the self-service bar. It had white kimchi, miso soup, and utensils, and the trays made it easy to carry everything at once.

Above the water dispenser, there were disposable aprons as well as dental floss and mouthwash.

How did I eat the torim bibimbap?

Our food arrived neatly arranged on trays. Following the instructions on the table, I mixed it with chopsticks.

According to the restaurant's information, Hwangdeung torim bibimbap is made by warming the rice in broth, then seasoning it before serving. It said that plain white rice is not separately available. Since the rice was already seasoned, I could eat it after lightly mixing it with chopsticks. I sometimes find mixing bibimbap for a long time a little bothersome, so this was convenient.

There was also roasted seaweed powder on the table, which I could add to taste.

What were the textures of the stone-pot fish roe rice and octopus bibimbap like?

The stone-pot albap I ordered had a pleasant popping texture from the flying fish roe.

The fish roe rice was good on its own, and it also went well with a bite of white kimchi or tteokgalbi. I also tasted my husband's octopus bibimbap; the octopus was plump and chewy.

Each tteokgalbi came topped with a fried egg. I moved mine onto the bibimbap and broke the yolk. Mixed in, it felt a little softer and nuttier.

What was the difference between Korean pork and Korean beef tteokgalbi?

We ordered one of each to compare them. To me, the Korean pork patty was a little thinner and easier to eat, while the Korean beef one was a little thicker and felt like a fuller bite. The sauces tasted similar, and both were good, so I thought choosing based on a preference for thickness would work.

How did the meal feel overall?

The tray design was especially convenient for carrying the food ourselves. It had recessed spots for the dishes, so they did not slide around while being carried.

With bibimbap and tteokgalbi, it was a filling meal, and we both finished our bowls.

I visited with my husband this time, but with its bibimbap-focused menu, table ordering, and self-service system, I thought it would also work for a simple solo lunch. The calm atmosphere and the torim rice that only needed a light mix stayed with me, so I would like to return when I am craving bibimbap in Gwacheon.