Sangsu Station rib restaurant: soy galbi-jjim lunch set, Bongmaruji

Why I chose Bongmaruji Hapjeong for lunch near Sangsu Station

Bongmaruji Hapjeong (봉마루집 합정점) is a braised rib specialist, which was hard to find around Sangsu Station and Hapjeong, and it had just opened, so I went for lunch. I'd had my hair done near Sangsu Station and headed over to eat afterward. The location was good and it's on the first floor, so it caught my eye. I went to find out what makes it special.

Bongmaruji Hapjeong location and opening hours

Bongmaruji Hapjeong is at 103 Yanghwa-ro 6-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the first floor, 565 m from Hapjeong Station Exit 6, and it's open daily from 11:00 to 24:00. Group seating, takeout, delivery, reservations, Wi-Fi and easy payment are listed as available.

You can read the menu from outside, and since it's newly opened, the inside is clean. It opens at 11, so an early lunch works too, which was a plus.

Inside Bongmaruji Hapjeong and the complimentary hutgae tea

The name Bongmaruji (봉마루집) is unusual, and I thought its warm feel suits Korean food. You can sense the intention of hospitality, and seeing the benefits of mung bean sprouts posted on the wall, I guessed there'd be dishes using sprouts.

The interior has tidy tables and chairs with storage for your belongings. Once I sat down, they brought water first, and it was hutgae fruit tea (oriental raisin tree tea). It was considerate and tasted good too, so it felt like drinking something healthy.

What's in the Bongmaruji soy galbi-jjim set and how much is it?

The soy galbi-jjim set (braised short ribs) comes with a rice ball and steamed egg for ₩36,000, and I added fried gimmari (seaweed glass noodle roll) for ₩4,000. It's a galbi-jjim specialist, so I was going to order the ribs alone, but there was a set, so I went with that. I picked the spicy soy flavor, and since you can choose the rice ball too, I chose the crab stick and tofu pouch rice ball.

The side dishes are simple ones that go with braised food, so you can eat cleanly, and since it's braised rather than grilled, the meat is easy to eat. There's also broth, so you can mix rice into it or finish with fried rice, whichever you like.

The rice ball, generously topped, comes out first, so you can get ready to mash it together. If you can't be bothered to shape it, just toss it all together. No problem at all!

A bowl of plain rice, which goes well with braised dishes, is standard too.

How to eat Bongmaruji galbi-jjim: simmering tips

The table has a guide called "Enjoy Bongmaruji 200%." Add the bean sprouts, simmer on low for about 5 minutes, turn off the heat when the broth gets thin, and it recommends fried rice to finish.

Enjoy Bongmaruji 200% — Put the bean sprouts into the galbi-jjim. Simmer on low heat, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat when the broth is reduced and eat. Fried rice recommended to finish

It's not hard to eat. Get ready to split the rice in half so you can mix it into the sauce.

The soft steamed egg came right away, too. They told us the bowl is hot and not to touch it, so just be careful.

The glass noodles are pre-soaked, so once they go into the broth they cook to a good texture quickly, and the whole simmering time doesn't take long. It fit together well!

The wobbly steamed egg is warm and goes down easily, one spoonful at a time.

Is the Bongmaruji galbi-jjim hard to eat off the bone?

The galbi-jjim here comes out almost fully cooked from the kitchen, so you only need to bubble it at the table, and the bones come off easily, so it's very convenient. You just cut it into bite-size pieces and soak it in the broth to simmer.

With tongs and scissors you separate everything easily and keep simmering as you eat, so there's no gnawing on bones. Very convenient.

I shaped part of the rice ball and scooped the rest with a spoon. You can see why the rice ball and steamed egg combo was chosen as the set, since it goes so well with the ribs!

Bongmaruji Hapjeong: better for lunch or dinner?

You can have the galbi-jjim as a meal at lunch or as drinking food in the evening, so I thought any time of day works. It's easy to get to from Hongdae, Hapjeong or Sangsu, and it works fine as a Korean pub too.

Adding fried gimmari to the galbi-jjim set

The fried gimmari (₩4,000) is great dropped into the galbi-jjim sauce or dipped in the sauce that comes with it, so it was a welcome addition.

What to try next time at Bongmaruji Hapjeong

Bongmaruji Hapjeong also has spicy galbi-jjim and kimchi jjim, and you can choose the spice level. I ate so well that I want to try the spicy version next time. While eating, I found myself wanting to try all the other dishes too.

With the set, fried rice was too much! This time I had the plain rice and rice ball combo. Next visit I'll definitely have the fried rice too, or I'd regret it.