Ansan kimchi stew with perilla oil egg: Choburi Kimchi Jjigae

This is Choburi Kimchi Jjigae Gojan Main Branch, a well-known Gojan-dong spot with over 4,000 Naver reviews alone. Before visiting, I thought, Over 4,000 reviews? The food looks pretty ordinary—why though?? But once I tried it, I totally got it haha.

Getting to Choburi Kimchi Jjigae Gojan Main Branch from Gojan Station

It is 829 m from Exit 2 of Gojan Station on Line 4 and the Suin–Bundang Line. Please note that outside visitors cannot use the building parking lot. There is a public parking lot directly in front of the restaurant, reportedly free on weekends and public holidays. We visited at noon on a weekend, parked along the street, and had our meal.

What are the exterior and interior like?

The clean, neat impression of the exterior immediately caught my eye.

Inside, there is a cozy yet tidy dining space. Since it was lunchtime, lots of people were already enjoying their meals.

The table tablet ordering system is well set up, so ordering is convenient too.

Everything was kept clean and comfortable overall, so we could eat at ease.

Kimchi stew sets and add-ons

The core main dish at Choburi Kimchi Jjigae is the pairing of kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) and freshly cooked sotbap (stone-pot rice).

For sides, there are chive buckwheat pancakes and buckwheat kimchi pancake rolls, along with plenty of extras such as a perilla oil fried egg, extra Korean kimchi, and white wood ear mushroom toppings.

They use only 100% Korean pork and Korean kimchi, which made it even easier to dig in with confidence.

Of course, you can dine alone, but if two or more people are visiting, the set seems much better value. Order a set and ramen noodles are unlimited and free hahaha.

We ordered the set with generous additions of mushrooms, pork, and tofu.

Kimchi stew with 72-hour aged special seasoning

Honestly, it looked like a typical kimchi stew, so I did not have huge expectations. But the instant I tasted a spoonful of broth and a piece of kimchi—ahh, this is it!

Maybe it was Choburi's 72-hour aged special seasoning, but from the very first spoonful, the broth's depth and savory flavor felt on another level.

My husband loves brothy dishes, and after one spoonful he went, “Ahh—there is a top kimchi stew place in our neighborhood, but this is way better,” haha. High praise indeed.

It was loaded with crunchy yet deeply fermented Korean kimchi,

and after adding tofu, I swear—slight exaggeration—it looked as if an entire store-bought block had gone in. The pieces were so big and plentiful that we could not even finish it; two pieces were left ㅠ

The pork was chewy with no unpleasant smell, with a nice mix of lean pieces and fattier ones, so it was easy for my husband and me to split it evenly haha. The white wood ear mushrooms had such a good chewy texture! There was seriously so much that it barely seemed to decrease no matter how much we ate haha.

The perilla oil fried egg and yellow gardenia stone-pot rice pairing

You absolutely cannot leave out the perilla oil fried egg, the dream partner for this Gojan-dong kimchi stew!

Rather than ordinary store-bought perilla oil, it seemed like they used oil freshly pressed at a mill—the nutty aroma was so rich. And then there was the yellow gardenia stone-pot rice! It arrived freshly cooked and piping hot, and being stone-pot rice, it was so glossy hahaha.

Mix the rice with the kimchi stew broth and top it with the perilla oil fried egg—wow, it is art haha. Finishing with warm sungnyung (scorched-rice tea), the pleasure of stone-pot rice, wrapped everything up neatly. My stomach was happy and full, and my mood was lifted too!

Final thoughts on a Gojan-dong kimchi stew meal

This was a Gojan-dong restaurant where I felt, with my whole body, why it has over 4,000 reviews. The deeply flavored broth from a third-generation, 72-hour aged special seasoning, fresh Korean kimchi and Korean pork, plus the nutty perilla oil fried egg and gardenia stone-pot rice made for a perfect meal. If you are looking for truly delicious kimchi stew in Gojan-dong, Ansan, how about Choburi Kimchi Jjigae?