Chowol Korean restaurant: post-tennis minari squid-pork, Oneuldo Utja

Oneuldo Utja Chowol: hours and parking

Oneuldo Utja Chowol (오늘도웃자 초월) is open every day: Monday to Saturday 11:00–22:00 and Sunday 11:00–21:00. You can park for free in front of the restaurant. It's a real local favorite in Chowol-eup, recommended by people who live there.

A Chowol-eup spot a tennis lesson buddy told me about

Today I want to talk about a Chowol-eup restaurant I'd like to keep all to myself, Oneuldo Utja Chowol, on my third visit 👍🏻 I first heard about it when I asked a younger friend I'd become close with at tennis lessons for a good place near the courts. I fell for it after one meal and now I'm on visit number three. It's honestly a place I go to with full confidence!

I think there are about 14 tables inside! There are lots of sports facilities nearby, so I guess a lot of clubs come here for group dinners, and it's been busy every time I've gone.

Oneuldo Utja Chowol menu

The menu is short: pork duruchigi (spicy stir-fried pork and vegetables), squid-pork duruchigi, squid duruchigi, old-style kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew), pot rice and a giant egg roll. I've tried everything except the squid duruchigi. (But I had the half-and-half version, so I can say I've tried it all, right?) I ordered plain rice instead of pot rice. I'll explain why below! 😋

The self-service zone has pickles, vegetables and a big rice cooker for plain rice. If you order plain rice instead of pot rice, you have to scoop it yourself! (Same goes for refills if you have the pot rice.)

First and second visits: pork duruchigi and kimchi jjigae

On my first visit I had the pork duruchigi and a cheese egg roll. The vegetables and meat come out roughly chopped, so I thought it wouldn't taste good, but once it cooked it was sooo good! And the egg roll was huge, soft and delicious~~! 🤤 The pot rice was tasty too, and the refill rice was just as sticky and delicious as the pot rice~!

I have no photos from my second visit, but I had the kimchi jjigae and a plain egg roll! The kimchi jjigae was more ordinary than I expected, I thought. I liked the big chunks of meat in it, and lots of other tables were eating the jjigae! The pot rice is a bit stickier, but the plain rice was tasty enough that I think you can just order plain rice haha

Third visit: squid-pork duruchigi piled with minari

On my third visit I ordered the squid-pork duruchigi. It had been a while, and I wondered, was there always this much minari on top? (So good.) It takes longer to cook than you'd expect haha

Look at that mountain of vegetables! And it's not just vegetables: there's a really generous amount of squid and pork too.

Cheese or plain egg roll: which is better?

The egg roll is the one thing you must, must, must try at Oneuldo Utja! I've had both the cheese egg roll and the plain one~! Both are good, but I liked the plain one more because you taste the moist egg better! (It's a bit cheaper too!) I'd guess more than 10 eggs go into it... what a bargain~!

The egg roll is huge.. I could finish a bowl of rice with just this..! It's silky and really delicious, so please order it!!

Squid-pork half and half: one whole squid

In the squid-pork duruchigi, the pork comes almost cooked, but the squid takes a while. I noticed while cutting it that even the half-and-half squid-pork menu has a whole squid in it😮 The trade-off is that there's relatively less pork. Still, I loved it so so much!!!! Both the squid and the pork duruchigi are sooo good!!!

See how thick the meat is? It's domestic pork haha

How big are the portions, and is the plain rice good?

The portions at Oneuldo Utja Chowol are really big... It's the kind of amount meant for two guys who eat a lot? I went with a companion who eats well and it was still a lot. This time I ordered only plain rice instead of pot rice, and it was delicious as always! I'm so curious what rice they use haha (I looked up the shop info out of curiosity, and they apparently use a somewhat pricey rice called Suhyangmi. The stickiness was crazy, just like Icheon rice. I could eat two bowls with just the egg roll and rice.)

Look at how plump that squid is.. a whole one in there, and it isn't tough at all, just delicious. It was so generous, the squid and pork kept coming no matter how much I ate.

How to order at Oneuldo Utja Chowol

• If you're a meat person, the pork duruchigi is a safe choice.
• If you like seafood too, I highly recommend the squid-pork duruchigi! You get to eat both.
• You have to order the egg roll.
• Unless you're set on pot rice, the plain rice is tasty enough! (Refills are available~!) That said, the pot rice is definitely sticky like rice cake haha

Chowol-eup honestly didn't use to have good restaurants, but it seems more are opening up, which makes me so happy🥹 Please go visit!!!!