Gajeong-dong kodari lunch with gim and bean sprouts: Hangsangcharim

I kept thinking about kodari-jjim (braised pollock) lately, so my husband and I went out for lunch. This time we visited the newly opened Hangsangcharim Kodari Myeongga Ruwon City Branch in Gajeong-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon.

Where is Hangsangcharim Kodari Myeongga Ruwon City Branch, and when is it open?

• 📮 Address: 115 Bongojae 3-ro, Seo-gu, Incheon, 2nd floor
• 🕰️ Hours: 11am–9pm
• 🚫 Break time: 3–4pm (no break time on weekends)
• 🚗 Parking: Free parking available in the building

It's close to Ruwon Complex Government Building, Gajeong Station, and Ruwon City SK Leaders View, so I found it while looking for lunch spots nearby. Since it just opened, the place was clean and parking was easy — a pretty good first impression.

More than anything, as someone who loves kodari-jjim and has tried it in many places, this was the first time I had one where the bones were already deboned for me. I really loved that.

Parking: the 2nd floor connects straight into the restaurant

What I especially liked was the parking! Parking is always a bit of a stress when driving to a restaurant, but Hangsangcharim Kodari Myeongga Ruwon City Branch had a well-organized parking space, and parking on the 2nd floor connects directly to the restaurant. For someone like me who picks restaurants partly based on parking, this was a pretty important point, haha.

Inside the newly opened Ruwon City branch

Since it hasn't been open long, the whole place felt clean and well organized.

Ordering the lunch special for two: plain rice and Shin Ramyun-level spice

There were various menu items, but since we came for lunch, we ordered two of the lunch special. The lunch special is available until 3pm, so if you're looking for a lunch spot in Gajeong-dong, it's worth timing your visit accordingly.

You could switch to stone pot rice too, but we just wanted something easy that day, so we ordered plain rice. The kodari-jjim spice level was also adjustable. We chose the default level, about as spicy as shin ramyeon, and personally, it was just the right amount of spicy-delicious. If you can't handle spicy food well, I'd recommend ordering one level lower — if you get greedy and order it spicy, you might end up just drinking water through the whole meal, lol.

How many banchan come with the meal, plus the self-serve bar

Not long after ordering, the basic banchan (side dishes) arrived first, and there were more varieties than I expected. Gim (seaweed), seasoned bean sprouts, cold bean sprout soup, japchae, vegetable salad, seasoned lotus root with black sesame, wasabi kimchi, and more. Even the kodari-jjim alone would've been enough to finish a bowl of rice, but with all these banchan too, it was fun mixing and matching.

There's a self-serve bar, so you can get more of any banchan you run low on. Especially with kodari-jjim, you end up eating a lot of gim or bean sprouts, so it was convenient to just grab more as needed.

Why pre-deboned kodari-jjim made this the easiest kodari meal

And finally, the kodari spread arrived! Kodari-jjim is actually a dish I've had at many different restaurants.

What impressed me most this time was that they deboned the fish for us. I love kodari, but deboning it myself is a bit of a hassle, and I'd lose the flow of eating whenever a bone showed up mid-bite. Here, the bones were already removed and ready to eat, so I could just dig in with rice — so convenient. I thought this would be especially nice for a meal with my parents.

The kodari meat was also more substantial than I expected. There was plenty of flesh, and enough sauce, so it was great for mixing generously into rice.

Don't skip it: gim + rice + bean sprouts + chili in one bite

And here and there, chili peppers were mixed in, which was another treat 🌶️. If I had to pick my favorite combination of the day, this would be it. Put rice on gim, add seasoned bean sprouts, then a chili well-coated in kodari sauce — and take a bite!

The sweet-spicy kodari sauce, the crunch of the bean sprouts, and the sharp kick of the chili kept me reaching for more. I already like kodari-jjim in general, but since the spice level matched my taste that day, it was really delicious.

That said, even the shin-ramyeon-level spice I chose was fairly spicy, so if you can't handle spicy food well, definitely order one level lower. I kept eating because it was so good, but my husband kept sipping the cold bean sprout soup between bites, haha.

Final verdict on Hangsangcharim Kodari Myeongga in Gajeong-dong

Overall, our visit to Hangsangcharim Kodari Myeongga Ruwon City Branch was a satisfying meal! Here's what I especially liked:

• The restaurant is clean and parking is well set up
• Close to Gajeong Station, Ruwon Complex Government Building, and Ruwon City SK Leaders View
• Lunch special available until 3pm
• Spice level of the kodari-jjim can be adjusted
• Kodari comes deboned, making it easy to eat
• Free rice cracker after the meal

What I liked most was the kodari-jjim coming already deboned. I thought I should bring my parents here next time. If you're in Gajeong-dong deciding on lunch, especially if you love kodari-jjim, it's worth timing your visit for the lunch special. Next time, I'm going to switch to stone pot rice and really enjoy the crispy rice with the kodari sauce, haha.