Dongtan kimchi jjigae spot where staff top up ramyeon broth: Yangpuni

The weather's been so nice lately that we ended up walking around Central Park and having a family meal of Yangpuni kimchi jjigae!!

It was genuinely such a delicious kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew)! Let me post about it right away!

Where is Yangpuni Kimchi Jjigae & Samgyeopsal in Bansong-dong, Dongtan, and is there parking?

Here's the exterior of Yangpuni Kimchi Jjigae & Samgyeopsal! There was parking for about 3 cars in front of the restaurant!

Kim. Chi. Jji. Gae. Spot.

It's the kind of sign that's so straightforward it makes you expect great things haha (maybe that's why it's even more appealing..) a sign that makes you want to walk right in

Inside Yangpuni: seating and where the meat comes from

The interior was really clean! Every time I passed by, it was always packed, but since we came relatively early, we got lucky and could eat while it was still quiet! (though by the time we were less than halfway done, it was already full..) I personally love it when a restaurant has its own restroom inside, and this one does!

Here's the country-of-origin display at Yangpuni Kimchi Jjigae & Samgyeopsal!

What we ordered at Yangpuni: kimchi jjigae and gyeranmari

We ordered kimchi jjigae and egg roll, but the samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly) looked so good too?! My husband, who insists that if a kimchi jjigae place also sells meat, that says everything about the quality of the jjigae, was already planning to try the samgyeopsal next time!

Basic side dishes and the self-bar at Yangpuni

The side dishes were relatively simple! There was seasoned seaweed flakes that go well with kimchi jjigae, soybean side dish, and dried radish mixed with squid jeotgal (salted squid)!

At the self-bar, there were several more side dishes to add!

This soybean side dish was genuinely amazing,, (I went back for more several times!)

There were also bean sprouts (?) for samgyeopsal guests!

How does the gyeranmari taste?

Finally, the visual of the kimchi jjigae and egg roll,, no Korean could resist this! Just these two menu items alone felt like a full meal

Two casually squeezed lines of ketchup on the sides — the egg roll looked so fluffy that I was already drooling before even eating it..

That deadly side profile of the egg roll ㅠㅠ,, I personally don't love fancy, flashy egg rolls (with carrots, onions, etc.) but this was completely my style

Seriously so good.. I felt like I could finish a whole bowl of rice with this alone

How thick is the pork in Yangpuni's kimchi jjigae, and how is the broth?

Wait, can you actually see how thick the pork in the kimchi jjigae is? Insane,, I guess it's just the rule that a great kimchi jjigae place also sells meat

The combination of fat and lean meat is absolutely amazing..!

Ah,, I want to eat it again ㅠ

The broth was also spicy and tangy and so delicious! I personally love aged-kimchi jjigae, and this broth was just the right amount of sour to whet the appetite

The tofu was also completely thick and chunky, exactly the market-tofu style I love,,ㅠㅠ there was so much of it that you didn't even need to add more!!

We scooped up another round of that salty, perfectly seasoned, rice-thief soybean side dish to eat alongside

My husband, who found the broth so delicious he'd already mixed a bowl of rice into it and finished it, ordering another bowl of rice

This time he sprinkles on seasoned seaweed flakes too (the rule)

ㅠㅠ ah, this is really something you have to taste to understand!!

Ordering ramyeon sari: the staff member who poured in extra broth

You know it's practically a crime not to order ramyeon sari (instant noodle add-in) with kimchi jjigae, right?

The staff were really kind too — when we ordered the ramyeon sari, they said the broth might get too salty if we just added the noodles as they were, so they poured in extra broth for us on their own (so sweet)

The thoughtfulness of turning off the heat right when the noodles were cooked to a perfectly chewy texture — this was genuinely one of the most delicious Korean meals I've had recently. These days, as I've gotten older, overeating makes digestion tough, but this place actually made me finish two bowls of rice..? With the weather so nice lately, if you're taking a family walk around Central Park and craving something light and Korean, this is a restaurant I really recommend..!