Holiday weekend lunch with extra suyuk in Danyang: Heukmaneul Boribap

This is part two of my Danyang trip food posts — a review of Heukmaneul Boribap (black garlic barley rice), my pick for lunch at Gugyeong Market in Danyang. I went on a holiday-weekend Saturday, arriving at 1pm past normal lunch hour, and still ended up waiting over an hour at this line-up restaurant. Here's my honest review.

Where is Heukmaneul Boribap in Danyang, and where do you park?

Heukmaneul Boribap (흑마늘 보리밥)

Heukmaneul Boribap sits inside the black garlic ssambap alley toward the back of Gugyeong Market in Danyang. There's room for 1–2 cars right in front, but the alley is narrow and there are so many people waiting that I'd recommend parking at the nearby public lot instead. Gugyeong Market's public parking is free, so you can take your time without worrying about the clock 🙂

It's open daily from 10am to 8pm, last order 7pm, and closed every Wednesday. It seems like they also take a break if ingredients run out mid-day. If you're visiting at an odd hour, I'd recommend calling ahead first!

How long is the wait at 1pm on a holiday weekend?

This lunch spot at Gugyeong Market is the second branch of an already-famous black garlic ssambap restaurant in Danyang. When you arrive, you just write your name on the waitlist and wait. There are a lot of tables inside so tables turn over quickly! I put my name down and went to explore the market for a bit while waiting, haha.

There are several 4-person tables. The dining room is quite spacious with multiple tables set up. Each table has a tablet for ordering, and baby chairs were available too!

Menu prices and the one-dish-per-person rule

Black garlic jeyuk (stir-fried pork) barley rice is ₩14,000, and black garlic suyuk (boiled pork) barley rice is ₩17,000. You have to order one dish per person, haha. From past reviews it looks like there used to be grilled mackerel or stir-fried squid on the menu too, but when I visited, jeyuk and suyuk were the only options.

You order like this using the tablet!

The Naver receipt review event is such a great deal!! They give you a whole bottle of makgeolli (rice wine), and I even saw some people taking it home with them, haha.

What comes with the black garlic jeyuk barley rice set

At this Gugyeong Market lunch spot in Danyang, the food came out fast, and look how generous the spread is. The number of side dishes is unbeatable!!

Barley rice as the base, jeyuk stir-fry drizzled with black garlic sauce, and suyuk topped with Danyang garlic — all of it made for the perfect no-fuss lunch to have when you're in Danyang. That's probably why this is such a popular line-up restaurant, haha.

That black-colored sauce drizzled on top is apparently the black garlic sauce. It's made in-house, and I wondered if the flavor might be too strong, but honestly the jeyuk stir-fry sauce itself is already sooo good. Maybe that's exactly why the black garlic sauce pairs so well with it.

They gave us plenty of wrapping vegetables too, so true to being the second branch of a ssambap restaurant, I kept wrapping and eating diligently. Piling raw Danyang garlic on top of the black-garlic-sauced jeyuk too — true garlic nation, hahahaha. That's exactly how you're supposed to eat it, isn't it >_<

Is adding suyuk as a side worth 17,000 won?

I added suyuk as a side dish, and I'd totally recommend it — you can see how generous the portion is, haha. Of course it comes with garlic to enjoy alongside, garlic suyuk indeed >_< The suyuk was cooked perfectly, melting in my mouth ㅠㅠㅠ Absolutely delicious!

The doenjang jjigae that comes with every set

Doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) also comes standard, and wow, look at those chunky slices of tofu. It's packed with vegetables and boiled bubbling hot, so the broth is so savory and delicious. They even throw in half a crab for flavor, which made it refreshing with crab meat you could actually eat, haha. A hearty, satisfying doenjang jjigae — the best!

Barley rice is best mixed with a variety of namul (seasoned vegetables). Sooo delicious and nutty, haha. Barley rice always brings back your appetite no matter what (mine doesn't really wander off, but still). I just ended up eating in pure admiration. Honestly, you could just wrap this alone in the vegetables and it'd be perfect. Yay.

That's the second story of black garlic ssambap, second branch — a delicious, filling lunch at Heukmaneul Boribap, this Gugyeong Market lunch spot in Danyang~~