Yongsan tteokbokki restaurant, ramen add-on: Hyeonseonine

The first meal back from Japan: why tteokbokki won

The thing I wanted most the second I got back from Japan was tteokbokki! Off to Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch for instant tteokbokki!

A yellow chimney with a red roof — that's Hyeonseonine's trademark.

I've been a regular at the Yongsan branch since back when it was just a street cart, before it moved here. There's a small branch near my house now too, but sometimes I still crave the tteokbokki from this original location and make the trip.

Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch hours and break time

Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch is open daily from 11am to midnight, last order at 10:40pm, with a break time from 2:30pm to 4pm.

The reasons I keep coming here: the food is good, the place is spacious, the vibe is hip, and the BGM is totally my taste, so honestly it's just healing.

Getting a table at lunchtime and ordering at the kiosk

The interior is huge with lots of seats. A main branch really is a main branch.

Haha, ordering here is kiosk-based too, so grab a seat then head to the kiosk. There's also a CatchTable stand right next to the entrance.

I went at lunchtime and there were so many people I nearly had to wait... luckily I spotted someone getting up and snagged the seat just in time.

You can order at the kiosk after sitting down, or just order at the counter.

Instant tteokbokki for two, plus fried rice and extra ramen noodles

Instant tteokbokki for two with fried rice added! And since there was no ramen noodle sarido included — the essential soul of instant tteokbokki — I added it (₩1,500)!

The à la carte menu includes a single portion of tteokbokki (nice that half portions exist), handmade sundae — blood sausage (also available in half portions), assorted fritters, mini gimbap, curly fish cake, tuna mayo rice ball, chili fritters, spicy curly fish cake, and more. If you pick sundae, you can choose whether to include the organs or just the sausage. In the evening lots of people were drinking, and during the day plenty were having daytime beers too.

After ordering, you fetch your own water and grab pickled radish or whatever else you need from the self-serve bar. Since we ordered tteokbokki, we didn't need soy sauce or salt, so we just grabbed pickled radish and water.

This was my first time trying instant tteokbokki at Hyeonseonine.

The food came out fast, and the 4 yakki-mandu (fried mandu), fried rice, and fish cake broth all arrived together as a set. There were 2 eggs included and chewy noodle sarido too, but no ramen noodle sarido, which is why I added it separately.

Induction heat for beginners: start at 9, drop to 4, then keep warm

Since it was my first time with instant tteokbokki, I followed the instructions above the utensil holder, and it was easy to follow. Staff turned on the induction, set it to 9, and once it came to a rolling boil, I dropped it to 4, then switched to H (keep warm) to eat.

• Start: induction set to 9 (staff turns it on and sets it)
• Once it boils hard: lower to 4
• After that: switch to H (keep warm) and eat

Nice touch that the fried mandu came on the side separately. Once it was bubbling away, in went the ramen noodle sarido!

Right around when it started boiling, I dropped the heat to 4 and dropped in the fried mandu! Let it simmer a bit. I love fishing out the underdone ramen noodles first!

How spicy is the basic sauce? Wheat rice cakes and jjolmyeon noodles

O.M.G!!! It looks so delicious.

There's mild and basic for the instant tteokbokki spice level, and I picked basic — it was hardcore spicy! The kind of spicy tteokbokki that Hani can't handle when she's around — that's the appeal!

The wheat rice cakes were super chewy, and with plenty of chewy noodle sarido too, this is when the storm-eating began. Spicy, hot, kept drinking water until I couldn't take it anymore, so I got a drink instead... got it from the receipt review, hehe.

Cooling the heat with the Naver receipt review slushie

I left a Naver receipt review and got an orange-flavored slushie. Total win.

I thought only Hani got to have this, but drinking it while eating really neutralizes the burn in your mouth — the slushie is so good!

Turn off the heat and let it reduce — this is the tastiest stage. There was more than expected, so I scooped it out to fry rice next.

Finishing with the self-cooked sesame fried rice

Fried it myself and dug in happily. The sesame oil smell was fantastic, cleaned the plate completely.

There's another review event coming up, so heads up!

After finishing, off to Starbucks in I'Park Mall for an iced soy latte with an extra shot! Tteokbokki is love.