Pyeongtaek Korean restaurant 2-person set: Goryeo Mulchong Kalguksu

After finishing a meeting in Pyeongtaek, I stopped by Goryeo Mulchong Kalguksu in Bijeon-dong for dinner. I went expecting a bowl of kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) in a dongjuk clam broth, but the two-person set with boiled pork and cabbage-leaf dumplings stayed with me.

Where is this Bijeon-dong restaurant, and what is parking like?

The restaurant is on the first floor of the building at 730 Pyeongnam-ro, directly across from Hanbit Apartments in Bijeon-dong, Pyeongtaek. I parked in the same building. The lot itself was large, but it was somewhat difficult to actually park.

As soon as I entered, I could see the noodle-making room, so it was clear that they make their own noodles. The restaurant was fairly spacious. It had only recently opened when I visited, so it was not very busy, but I noticed people taking food out.

What comes in the two-person set, and how much is it?

We ordered the two-person set, which came with mulchong kalguksu, cabbage-leaf dumplings, and boiled pork. It was ₩38,000. Being able to have two dishes alongside the kalguksu made the price feel reasonable to me.

What were the boiled pork and cabbage-leaf dumplings like?

First came baeyip yakseon suyuk, boiled pork prepared with pear leaves and medicinal ingredients. The boiled pork, made with Korean pork belly, was served with saeujeot (salted shrimp) and a bubbling sauce.

At first, I dipped it in saeujeot as I normally would. The warm pork was not greasy because the fat had rendered out, and I did not notice any off smell.

I was told that the accompanying sauce was made with meljeot, a salted anchovy sauce, as its base. When I dipped the pork in the simmering sauce, it suited my taste well. I normally eat boiled pork only with saeujeot, but I kept having it with this sauce that day.

The cabbage-leaf dumplings were spicy kimchi dumplings wrapped inside cabbage leaves. I liked their clean yet spicy flavor enough to take home two portions. My wife, who ate them at home, said they were delicious too.

How do you eat the mulchong kalguksu?

The mulchong kalguksu had a broth based on dongjuk clams, with mussels adding umami. Once the broth boils, you take out and eat the clams first, then add the kalguksu noodles to cook in the broth. After the noodles, I added vegetables and finished with juk (rice porridge).

Along with the house-made noodles, ingredients for the finishing dish were served as well. The selection of accompanying ingredients felt generous.

With the kalguksu, boiled pork, and cabbage-leaf dumplings set out together, our meal for two was complete.

The dongjuk clams were plump, and I liked that I did not bite into any sand. They seemed to have been well purged.

My companion dipped the clams in chojang (sweet-and-tangy chili sauce), while I dipped mine in soy sauce. Since I like shellfish, I was pleased to be able to eat plenty of plump dongjuk clams.

We added the kalguksu noodles to the broth after taking out the clams and cooked them. Once the noodles were done, we put the reserved clams back in and ate them together.

The kalguksu cooked in the clam broth was delicious. Still, I wished the noodles had been a little softer.

How did I finish the meal after the kalguksu?

I cooked juk in the remaining kalguksu broth. Eating the clams, then the noodles, and finally the porridge in that order made for a satisfying finish.

On the way out, I also drank their house-made dansul, a lightly sweet rice drink. It was not overly sweet, which suited my taste. I went for kalguksu, but the boiled-pork sauce and cabbage-leaf dumplings stayed with me too, and I would like to stop by again next time I am in Pyeongtaek.