Byeollae shabu kalguksu with corkage, ₩11,000 a head: Onjeongban

I went with my boyfriend for shabu-shabu on a weekend lunch at Onjeongban Shabu Kalguksu Namyangju Byeollae Main Branch. These days eating out usually means at least ₩15,000 a person, so when I heard the shabu kalguksu here was ₩11,000 per person, I thought it sounded like great value and decided to check it out.

Onjeongban in Byeollae at 1pm on a weekend: parking and corkage

We arrived a bit after 1pm and the place was almost completely full, guess it's a real local favorite in Byeollae haha. Parking was available right in front of the restaurant, and corkage was possible too, so if you're planning to have a drink with your meal, good to know.

Ordering two clear-broth shabu kalguksu and half-and-half rolled dumplings

There were two of us so we ordered two servings of the clear-broth shabu kalguksu. We also added rolled dumplings to eat in the shabu-shabu, and since they came in meat or kimchi, we ordered half and half haha. Ordering the Onjeongban shabu kalguksu gets you shabu-shabu, then kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup), then fried rice at the end, all for ₩11,000 per person — no wonder the place was so crowded.

It came out in less than 3 minutes after ordering. They set everything up at once — a pot with vegetables, meat for the shabu-shabu, and the kalguksu noodles.

Unlimited gondeure rice at the self-serve corner

While waiting for the broth to boil, I checked out the self-serve corner first. Onjeongban Shabu Kalguksu has gondeure rice at the self-serve corner, and it's unlimited refills. I love gondeure rice so I scooped a bowl even before starting the shabu-shabu haha.

Next to it there was seasoned sauce to eat with the gondeure rice, plus sesame oil and perilla oil set out separately so you can mix them in however you like. I mixed in the sauce with a bit of sesame oil, and I was already satisfied before even starting the shabu-shabu haha. Honestly I thought this place was good value just from the ₩11,000 price, but with unlimited gondeure rice too, it's a really filling Byeollae spot.

Rolled dumplings, half meat and half kimchi, with thin skins for the broth

Meanwhile the broth started bubbling, so they put in the rolled dumplings we'd ordered first. I was glad we ordered half meat and half kimchi, because alternating between them kept it interesting and delicious. Since they're rolled dumplings, the skin isn't thick like regular dumplings, so it went really well with the shabu-shabu broth. Fishing out the dumplings soaked in the warm broth was so good.

Then we started properly adding the meat too. Because it's a clear broth, it wasn't spicy or heavy, so it was clean and good for eating with the meat and vegetables. With shabu-shabu, the meat and vegetables are great but the broth getting richer the more you eat is also part of the appeal. The broth started out clean but got richer and richer as the meat, vegetables, and dumplings cooked in it, and by the time we added the kalguksu it was perfectly flavorful.

Kalguksu noodles with fresh geotjeori (quick-seasoned kimchi)

After eating a good amount of meat and vegetables, it was kalguksu time! They put the noodles that came with the meal into the remaining broth and boiled them. We ate this with the geotjeori (fresh mixed kimchi) made in-house, and the combination was so good. Kalguksu really has to be eaten with geotjeori haha. One bite of noodles topped with geotjeori, and even though I was already pretty full from the shabu-shabu, I kept eating more. The geotjeori especially wasn't overly fermented, just the right style to pair with kalguksu, which made it even better. And we still weren't done yet haha.

Porridge or fried rice to finish? We chose the porridge

At the end you can choose between porridge and fried rice to make yourself. We went back and forth but chose porridge. Felt like the end of shabu-shabu should be porridge haha. After finishing the kalguksu, we adjusted the leftover broth to the right amount, added rice, and simmered it slowly. They also gave us an egg separately, which we added in, and finishing it off with a drizzle of sesame oil made it perfect.

₩11,000 per person: is it filling enough for two?

Honestly, at first I worried ₩11,000 per person might mean a small portion, but not at all. With the shabu-shabu, kalguksu, and porridge course, plus unlimited gondeure rice refills in between, we actually ended up really full. Given today's prices, getting this much for ₩11,000 is really great value. There was a reason this Byeollae spot was packed haha.

When we went to pay, there was one more touch that showed the owner's thoughtfulness. In front of the register there was a slushie machine and ppeongtwigi (puffed rice snack) set out. Even though we left completely full from the shabu-shabu, seeing that we couldn't just walk past haha. Having a little something to cleanse the palate after the meal was a small but nice touch. Thanks for the meal today ;)