Giheung shabu kalguksu with baby tableware and extra meat: Deungchon

Hi, I'm Yuna's mom, and I travel the world with my baby! Shabu kalguksu (hot pot with knife-cut noodles) is one of my all-time favorite foods, and Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu is one I crave on a regular basis.

On weekends when I don't feel like cooking, nothing beats Deungchon: warm broth, loads of vegetables and meat, and then noodles and fried rice to finish, all in one go. This time, while I was deciding on weekend lunch, we went to Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Giheung Station Branch, a Giheung shabu-shabu spot that works well with a baby. Yuna ate the noodles and fried rice really well, so the whole family left happy. Here's my honest review. Let's go!

Where is Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Giheung Station, and where to park

The branch I visited is Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Giheung Station Branch. It's in the basement of the ICT Valley building, so parking is easy and driving there felt stress-free.

The building is huge, though, so first-timers might get a little confused finding the restaurant. It's on the same floor as CGV and right near it, so if you just follow the signs toward CGV, it's fairly easy to find.

When you eat out with a baby, the route from the car park to the restaurant matters too. You can walk there inside the building, so it was fine even on a hot or rainy day, haha.

Atmosphere: why the tables were full even at a late lunch

This is the inside of the restaurant. When we went in to eat it was so packed that I couldn't take proper interior photos, so I took these after we finished and some customers had left.

We came well past lunchtime, yet many tables were still full. As you'd expect from a popular Giheung shabu-shabu place, the customers ranged from families to friends and couples. The interior is clean and spacious, and the tables weren't too cramped. Exact opening hours may change depending on when you visit, so please refer to the photos above.

Ordering clear mushroom kalguksu with extra meat to share with a baby

You order on the kiosk installed at each table. It was convenient to look over the menu at our own pace without calling a staff member. To eat together with Yuna, we skipped the spicy, fiery option and ordered clear mushroom kalguksu for 2 plus extra beef.

The restaurant had baby chairs, and a staff member also brought baby tableware, which was great. You know how little things like that make a meal so much easier when you're with a child, right? T_T haha. So I think it's a good choice for anyone looking for a Yongin shabu-shabu place they can go to with a baby.

Clear broth piled with minari, and cooking the meat

The shabu kalguksu came out not long after we ordered. The pot was heaped with my beloved minari (water dropwort) and mushrooms, and just seeing it put me in a good mood. Deungchon wouldn't be Deungchon without a generous pile of minari, right?

Since it's the clear version, the broth is clean rather than harsh, which made it good to eat with a baby. Once the broth comes to a rolling boil, you add the beef bit by bit and cook it.

I fished out the minari and mushrooms first and dipped them in the sauce. The crunchy minari and the light broth go together really well. I also didn't overcook the beef, just a quick swish, then dunked it generously in the sauce, and it was tender and delicious.

I've eaten Deungchon many times and know the taste well, but somehow knowing it makes it taste even better. Above all, you get vegetables and meat together, so it fills you up, and the clear broth isn't heavy.

Course order: dumplings, kalguksu, then fried rice

And of course we can't skip the dumplings, haha! I cooked them in the shabu broth, and the warm broth soaked into the wrappers, making them even softer and tastier. Yuna happily took bites of the wrapper and filling.

The best thing about shabu-shabu is that you start with vegetables and meat, then enjoy different dishes in order, right up to the noodles and fried rice. After we'd had a good amount of meat and vegetables, I added the kalguksu noodles. The broth had deepened from boiling the meat and vegetables, so the noodles couldn't be anything but delicious. The noodles were soft and went well with the broth, and Yuna ate them really well.

If you're looking for a Giheung kalguksu restaurant, I think you'll love Deungchon, where you can enjoy not just the shabu-shabu but a hearty bowl of noodles at the end.

Then we finished with fried rice, a dessert that isn't really dessert. We were already full from the meat and noodles, but you can't come to Deungchon and skip the fried rice. Savory egg and rice fried together, eaten when the bottom gets a little crispy: pure bliss!

That day Yuna ate not just the noodles but the fried rice too, so I felt glad we'd brought her along. When eating out, I often have to think separately about what the child can eat, but with the clear mushroom kalguksu there was plenty to share with her, which made it easy.

Verdict: a baby-friendly shabu kalguksu spot in Giheung

To sum up, Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Giheung Station Branch was a great Giheung shabu-shabu place to visit with a baby: parking is easy, and baby chairs and baby tableware are ready. The clear mushroom kalguksu has a mild broth that the whole family can eat, and we were happy to enjoy a generous spread from minari and beef through dumplings, noodles and fried rice.

Most of all, Yuna ate both the noodles and the fried rice so well that I liked it even more as a family restaurant. If you're looking for a Yongin shabu-shabu place near Giheung Station to go to with a child, or a restaurant where you can fill up on kalguksu and fried rice, Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu Giheung Station Branch is worth a visit.