Seongnam Vietnamese restaurant with pho and fried rice: Kkamon

I was craving Vietnamese food, so my boyfriend and I looked for a nearby pho place and ended up at Kkamon Bundang Jeongja Direct Store (까몬 분당정자직영점)!

Honestly, before going in, I thought it would just be a perfectly decent pho place. But after tasting it, my mind changed from the very first bite, haha.

A dining room that felt like a local Vietnamese restaurant

Even the exterior had the feel of a local Vietnamese restaurant. Once we went inside, that feeling continued throughout the interior.

That said, it wasn't cluttered or hectic. The restaurant was neat, so it was comfortable for a meal.

It definitely felt like we had come out for Vietnamese food, but the decor wasn't overdone, so it was nice for the two of us to sit and eat comfortably.

Ordering Kkamon pho, fried rice, and fried chicken neck meat

We ordered three things: Kkamon pho, Kkamon fried rice, and fried chicken neck meat.

Pho customized to our tastes

I started the pho without huge expectations, but one bite immediately changed my mind. I thought it would be ordinary pho, but the noodles and broth suited my taste so well, haha.

They brought cilantro, bean sprouts, and chilies separately when we asked. Since they didn't all come mixed in from the start, we could each add as much as we wanted, which was convenient for two people with different tastes.

We asked for an extra bowl and each ate it our own way! My boyfriend loves cilantro, so he added lots of it.

I skipped the cilantro and added lots of chilies because I like spicy food. It was the same bowl of pho in Jeongja-dong, but what we added changed the flavor, which made it fun to eat it to our own tastes, haha. We could add the bean sprouts separately too, so it was easier to control the amount than if everything had been added from the beginning.

Kkamon fried rice that was more memorable than expected

We ordered Kkamon fried rice too. At first I thought, well, fried rice is just fried rice, right? But once I tried it, it wasn't, haha.

The grains weren't soggy; they were light and separate, and the seasoning went well with the meat. Taking bites of fried rice along with the pho made it great to share between the two of us. Maybe because I hadn't expected much from it, it stayed with me even more. It made my top five fried rices I've had lately! If we had planned to leave after only having pho, I would have been glad we ordered the fried rice too.

Fried chicken neck meat, best alternated with broth

For a side, we ordered fried chicken neck meat. To me, it was a little on the greasy side. So rather than keep eating it on its own, it went much better when I alternated it with the pho broth.

After a bite of fried chicken neck meat, a sip of warm broth made this combination much better for me. Alternating a rich side with warm broth made ordering all three dishes work really well.

If you want all three dishes together in Jeongja-dong

We had gone casually because we wanted Vietnamese food, but that day we left having enjoyed both the pho and fried rice, haha. My boyfriend loaded his with cilantro while I loaded mine with chilies, and it was fun how differently we ate the same dish.

If you're looking for pho in Jeongja-dong and one brothy dish feels like it won't be enough, it was perfect to add the fried rice or fried chicken neck meat too. Highly recommend this pho spot in Bundang!