Shabu spot near Yangcheonhyanggyo Station: Febreze corner, dumplings

What is Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu, Magok Main Branch like?

Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu, Magok Main Branch (양천샤브손칼국수 마곡본점) is a shabu kalguksu restaurant near Yangcheonhyanggyo Station with a black garlic herbal broth. It has free parking in the building's lot and no break time. I went for a healthy shabu-shabu meal to boost my stamina for the summer heat.

Ever since I found Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu, I've kept coming back. It's a real favorite of mine 🙌 I also love that there's no break time during opening hours.

Is the inside of the restaurant spacious?

This restaurant near Seoul Botanic Park is pretty spacious, and I saw lots of families, couples and groups of friends. Shabu-shabu doesn't turn tables over fast, but the seating is roomy enough that even when there's a wait, it isn't long. Nice, haha.

They take great pride in their black garlic base broth, and honestly with good reason: it's the healthiest, deepest, richest shabu-shabu broth I've ever had. I'll vouch for it 👍

What's in the self-service corner?

The self-service corner is by the counter at the front of the restaurant. There's kimchi they make themselves every day, plus Febreze, gargle, candy, hair ties and dental floss. They have everything, and I thought it was really thoughtful :)

It's not a spicy dish, but with shabu-shabu simmering for so long, the smell is bound to cling to your body and hair. Top-notch thoughtfulness! ✨

How do you choose the menu and broth?

The best seller is the Special Basic set: herbal broth + shabu beef + vegetables + black garlic hand-cut noodles + perilla oil five-color rice. All you need to pick is the broth flavor: clear, spicy or perilla seed. I went with the clear broth.

You can also choose side dishes and add-ons (sari), so check the menu! There's a Naver receipt review event that gets you a free add-on too, and I recommend using it ✔️

Is there enough meat in the special black garlic shabu kalguksu for two?

The special black garlic shabu kalguksu for two comes piled high with minari (water dropwort), but the amount of shabu meat in the basic set is small. 😭 If you like meat, I definitely recommend adding one serving of shabu beef.

What came out was the basic shabu set for two, black garlic kalguksu and five-color fried rice. We ordered sides too, but still didn't have enough meat, so we ordered one more serving, haha.

While it cooked, I read the tips on the kiosk menu for how to enjoy the shabu kalguksu best. You can follow those, and the owner is so kind that he explains well if you ask, haha.

How is the crispy potato pancake side?

The crispy potato pancake I ordered as a side is listed on the menu as 6.9. It was cheap so I tried it, and it was a success..! The portion is small, but it's just right for grabbing a piece or two while eating shabu-shabu, lol.

It's crispy just like the name says, with no greasiness at all. Highly recommend it as a side for shabu-shabu! If you come with several people, the seafood minari pancake looks like a good order too, haha.

How does the clear black garlic broth shabu-shabu taste?

While I was eating the potato pancake, the shabu-shabu was already bubbling away. Fish out the vegetables first, then drop in the meat! This broth is the real deal, so you end up asking for a refill every time. It's my favorite broth, so good that it feels like a waste to put the noodles in ✨

After dropping in the meat, dip it generously in the wasabi soy sauce served alongside.

The meat is tender, not tough, so I could eat endless amounts :) They say boiled meat is especially good for your health. It's a great diet meal too, so I could enjoy it without any guilt.

Are the black garlic dumplings worth ordering?

The black garlic dumplings have a soft, nutty wrapper with a chewy texture and a slightly sweet filling, similar to galbi dumplings 😎 Yes, I ordered a lot of them. I didn't want to miss a single thing, so I ordered the dumplings too, and they were even tastier than expected, so we ate them all..!

Finishing with black garlic kalguksu and perilla oil five-color rice

The kalguksu noodles are black garlic noodles, so unlike regular wheat noodles they don't leave you feeling bloated, which I liked. Just cook them until the hourglass on each table runs out 🙌

Last up is the perilla oil five-color rice, pretty in color and tasty too 💛 Every time I come, I wonder how they plate it so beautifully. It makes you happy just looking at it.

You can eat the five-color rice like porridge or like fried rice, and I think it tastes better mashed (?) into a rich porridge.

Sadly they couldn't do the egg that day, so I had it as fried rice! It was fluffy, mild and healthy-tasting, and went really well with the kimchi.

I finished with a refreshing plum drink, which is good for digestion :) Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu gets lots of people of all ages coming for a healthy meal out.

It's a place I crave every month or two, my true favorite. If you're near Seoul Botanic Park or Magok, give it a try!