Shabu-shabu buffet on a diet near Namwirye Station, affogato: Dadam

Why I picked a Namwirye shabu-shabu place while on a diet

Dadam Shabu Shabu & Wolnamssam Wirye Branch (다담샤브샤브&월남쌈 위례점) is the Wirye shabu-shabu spot I picked with my boyfriend for Sunday lunch, even though I'm on a diet. Diet or not, I really, really wanted something delicious. My boyfriend talked me into it with lines like "They have beef chuck here too!" and "Wraps won't make you fat~ just eat lots of vegetables." So off we went.

How long is the weekend wait at Dadam Shabu Shabu Wirye?

When we got there around 12 on Sunday, we were seated right away with no wait. Shortly after 1 PM a line started forming, and when we left the sign said a 30-minute wait. For weekends, I recommend going around 12, or even earlier!

The time limit is 120 minutes, and everything from vegetables to meat is all-you-can-eat. But leaving food behind costs a ₩5,000 environmental charge, so take a little at a time. Parking covers 3 hours, so we could even walk along Changgokcheon Stream after eating.

Half clear broth, half spicy broth: how spicy is it?

For the broth, we went the classic shabu-shabu way: half clear, half spicy. The clear broth isn't heavily seasoned and tastes clean, so it's great for simmering vegetables for a long time. The spicy broth is said to be about as hot as Shin Ramyun, but to me it was more like mild Jin Ramyun, which was perfect for a wimp like me who can't handle spice.

The vegetables looked lush and green at a glance, without a single wilted leaf. Honestly, I was worried the beef chuck would be tough, but it wasn't tough at all. It tasted noticeably lighter than the beef belly, and paired really well with the fresh vegetables.

One bite of the beef chuck wrap and the light, juicy meat bursts out, mixing with the crunchy freshness of cucumber, the fragrance of sprouts and the sweetness of red cabbage. (This is it~ this is it!) Over 40 kinds of fresh vegetables plus protein!

Affogato at a shabu-shabu restaurant?

Dadam Shabu Shabu Wirye has desserts too: iced Americano, soft serve ice cream and even affogato. I'd told myself, "Today is healthy food and a detox, not a diet," and finished with an iced Americano to cleanse my palate, but then... what's that next to it? Soft serve?! And you can even get affogato??

I hadn't planned on eating it, but the coffee beans were so exactly my taste that I couldn't skip it.. So here's my review of Dadam Shabu Shabu & Wolnamssam, the Wirye shabu-shabu spot where I enjoyed everything 100%, from wraps to coffee to affogato.

Dadam Shabu Shabu Wirye: location, hours and reservations

Dadam Shabu Shabu Wirye is a 7-minute walk from Namwirye Station and 10 minutes from Wirye Central Tower, open from 11 AM to 9 PM. The entrance is fairly narrow, so strollers and scooters can't go inside; you leave them by the emergency exit.

As if to prove its reputation as a Wirye restaurant with waits, there was even a waiting list. Reservations are possible via Naver or by phone for parties of 3 or more. Window seats can't be requested and are assigned first come, first served.

Inside, each seat has a partition, so the neighboring tables didn't bother us much. You can see Changgokcheon Stream through the window, and I thought it would suit family gatherings or company dinners; in fact, lots of families seemed to be there.

Dadam Shabu Shabu prices, discounts and points

On Sunday, the price is the adult dinner rate of ₩21,900 per person. There were two of us, so the total came to ₩43,800. After the meal, 5% of your payment is earned as points, which can be used from ₩10,000.

On top of that, uploading an Instagram story gets you 5% off this price (one person only). And if you don't have Instagram, no need to feel bad: follow the place on Naver, write a review and you get a 5% discount coupon. It's on the cheaper side for all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu, and with wraps, coffee, ice cream, affogato and 3 hours of parking included, no wonder there's a wait..

The seafood broth is not spicy

There are 3 broths at Dadam Shabu Shabu, and the spicy one is the spicy broth only. The seafood broth is not spicy, so keep that in mind! Honestly, finding out the seafood broth isn't spicy was a bit of a twist.

40+ vegetables brought in from Garak Market

The vegetables at Dadam Shabu Shabu Wirye were such good quality that they looked fresh at a glance. I told my boyfriend, "The vegetables here are so good!" and it turns out they bring them in directly from Garak Market every day. No wonder... they stood out.

Cold air keeps flowing down over the vegetable corner to keep everything fresh.

With over 40 kinds of vegetables and all sorts of toppings, picking was half the fun. They had ramyun noodles too, which was nice to see, but I didn't eat any.. I'm on a diet ㅠㅠ

Colorful wrap vegetables and square rice paper

The wrap vegetables at Dadam Shabu Shabu are all fresh too, and the colors are so vivid: green cucumber, purple red cabbage, light green sprouts. Just sitting on a plate they look pretty, so your eyes are happy before you eat, and your mouth is happy once you take a bite.

The rice paper at Dadam Shabu Shabu Wirye is unusual: it's square, not round. Maybe because it's square, it looks especially big, and it feels like you get more of the chewy rice paper texture?

Beef belly vs. beef chuck: what's the difference?

Dadam Shabu Shabu Wirye has two kinds of meat: beef belly (usamgyeop) and beef chuck (umoksim). The belly has more fat, so it's tender, while the chuck is leaner and lighter in flavor. The belly slides softly down, and the chuck gets more savory the more you chew.

When you get tired of one, switching to the other feels fresh again. Noticing the difference in meat texture was part of the fun. Since I'm on a diet I mostly ate the chuck, and my boyfriend enjoyed the belly.

After the meal, raw eggs, rice and seaweed are set out so you can make fried rice yourself. We were too full and skipped it, though...

Dessert that replaces a second-stop café for ₩21,900

Dadam Shabu Shabu Wirye has iced Americano, affogato and ice cream for dessert, so you don't need to go to a café afterward, which I loved. Vegetables, meat, wraps, Americano and affogato, all for ₩21,900. Isn't this the happiness of ₩21,900?

Hygiene and shabu-shabu takeout

Worried about hygiene? Dadam Shabu Shabu Wirye uses CESCO pest control and an ultrasonic sterilizing washer, so it seems well maintained enough that you don't need to worry.

We actually love shabu-shabu so much that we recently made it at home. But there was so much to prepare, and no matter how nicely we set it up, it was clearly different from eating at a specialty place with over 40 kinds of vegetables. So the sign saying shabu-shabu is available for takeout was especially welcome to me. Let's get takeout from now on ^^ please..

A stream walk after the meal completes the Wirye date

Changgokcheon Stream is just across the street from Dadam Shabu Shabu Wirye. We'd had a full lunch, coffee and affogato, and there was plenty of parking time, so we walked the Wirye History Waterside Park to stroll along the stream.

It's nicely landscaped with a good walking path, so I recommend taking a stroll after eating; it's perfect as a date course. Lunch through dessert at Dadam Shabu Shabu, the Wirye shabu-shabu favorite, then a loop around the stream completes a Wirye date. Let's come again!

Visitor info: Dadam Shabu Shabu & Wolnamssam Wirye Branch

• Address: G&G Plaza 3F, Unit 305, 45 Wiryegwangjang-ro, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, South Korea (search 'Changgok-dong 546' in your navigation app, then go to 3F, Unit 305)
• Hours: 11:00–21:00, last order for lunch 14:50
• Parking: 3 hours free at G&G Plaza (very easy parking)
• Reservations: Naver or phone, for parties of 3 or more