Yangpyeong group lunch course with rosemary vinegar: Ochan Hoedong

I visited Ochan Hoedong, a hanjeongsik (Korean set-course) restaurant known for its cooking in Yangpyeong. Ochan Hoedong builds its dishes around healthy fermented vinegar, and this time I was recommended the course meal, so here's my review.

Where Ochan Hoedong is, plus parking and hours

Ochan Hoedong, this Yangpyeong hanjeongsik favorite, has parking space set up right in front of the restaurant.

• 1F, 661 Gangnam-ro, Gangsang-myeon, Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• 11:30-20:00 / Closed every Thursday

The parking lot is really spacious, so I thought it'd be perfect for a family meeting or group gathering.

Inside Ochan Hoedong: group rooms and the rosemary vinegar jars

Walking inside, there were table seats,

and also private-room-style group seating — I thought it'd be great for a Yangpyeong family meeting.

The calm wood tones gave the whole space a sense of elegance, and the atmosphere was really lovely.

There were also 4-seat tables for families.

Elegant ceramic cups were displayed around the room, which was fun to look at,

and off to one side, rosemary vinegar was fermenting in a jar. Being able to watch the fermentation happen and catch its scent was such a fresh experience.

Every corner had that elegant hanjeongsik feel — I felt taken care of before the food had even arrived.

The basic table setting was clean and neat too.

What comes in the 59,000-won Ochan Hoedong course for two

The menu at Ochan Hoedong in Yangpyeong was really concise. Among the options, we ordered the most popular one — the ₩59,000 Ochan Hoedong course, for two.

Alongside the meal, there was a good range of drinks to pair with it — seoktanju, vinegar by the glass or bottle, soju, and beer.

First bites: tugak and gim-bugak (crispy seaweed chips)

The meal started with a welcome dish of chips —

savory pollack chips.

The gim-bugak (fried seaweed chips) that came with it was soft, while the pollack chips were crispy, so the textures worked really well together.

Salad dressed in Ochan Hoedong's fermented vinegar

Next was a salad made with fermented vinegar — made with a variety of seasonal vegetables, and the colors were gorgeous.

Because the sauce was made from fermented vinegar, it wasn't harsh at all, and I could really enjoy the vegetables' natural flavor — a great welcome dish.

Porridge ground from chestnuts and peanuts

Last of the starters was a porridge made with ground chestnut and peanut.

It was easy on the stomach, and being thick, it was great for really tasting the nutty flavor.

The complimentary tomato vinegar drink

Next, we got a complimentary tomato vinegar drink. It was clean and refreshing — a perfect drink for the Ochan Hoedong course.

Yangpyeong mushroom japchae (stir-fried glass noodles)

Next came japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) made with Yangpyeong mushrooms, topped with arugula for an extra touch of class.

A little peperoncino on top added a spicy kick that cut through any heaviness in the japchae,

and the dish was packed with Yangpyeong mushrooms, so I got to enjoy their texture too. The noodles themselves stayed chewy without getting soggy, so it was delicious in every way.

Vegetables with dotorimuk (acorn jelly)

Next was vegetables with acorn jelly.

The julienned vegetables were crisp, and the chewy acorn jelly felt easy on the stomach.

Juicy tteokgalbi, the course's main dish

Next was the tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties) — isn't the presentation gorgeous?

Not just the tteokgalbi itself but the colorful vegetables served alongside made it a really beautiful plate. The juiciness of the tteokgalbi was incredible, and it was even better paired with the vegetables.

Lotus leaf rice with 10-year aged doenjang stew

Last was the 10-year aged doenjang (fermented soybean paste) stew and lotus leaf rice — the side dishes came out simply, in four kinds,

and the lotus leaf rice was presented so beautifully.

The scent of the lotus leaf had really soaked into the glutinous rice,

so it was chewy and full of flavor —

chewy glutinous rice like this is a rare treat, and a real specialty here.

The stew, made with doenjang aged for 10 years,

wasn't salty at all, and tasted completely different from store-bought doenjang.

It wasn't harsh at all, making it a really good way to close out the meal.

Dessert: homemade tangerine gwajeul and strawberry vinegar

To finish, they served homemade tangerine gwajeul (Korean sweet snack) and strawberry vinegar.

The sweet strawberry vinegar was really delicious, a perfect way to end the meal. The tangerine gwajeul wasn't overly sweet either, and didn't stick to my teeth, so I got to enjoy the course all the way to the last bite.

This time I visited Ochan Hoedong, that Yangpyeong hanjeongsik favorite, for a lunch gathering. Getting to enjoy delicious hanjeongsik in such a calm atmosphere made for a really lovely time.