Yeosu shabu-shabu restaurant with two broths and buffet: Tongkeun Shabu

Tongkeun Shabu in Hak-dong, Yeosu: location and parking

This Yeosu City Hall shabu-shabu spot is across from Yeocheon Fire Station, so it is fairly easy to find and good for older family members to visit, too. Use the parking lot behind the building; if those spaces are full, you can park in a public lot. Take the elevator to the third floor and you will find Tongkeun Shabu, a Hak-dong favorite near Yeosu City Hall, with its own entrance.

A spacious interior with large tables and partitions

Once inside this Yeosu City Hall shabu-shabu restaurant, I found that the place was quite large. The tables are generously sized, so you can sit wherever you like. Each table has a partition, making for a comfortable meal. An induction cooktop is set into every spacious table for shabu-shabu. Since you can bring back as much of the other food as you want with shabu-shabu, the large tables make dining especially easy.

One advantage of this Hak-dong favorite near Yeosu City Hall is that you can enjoy both shabu-shabu and the salad bar.

Two broths: standard and chicken bone

Once you are seated, you can choose from four broths.

• Standard broth with a clean, mild flavor
• Sukiyaki broth with a Japanese-style bulgogi flavor
• Mala broth with a tingly, deeply spicy flavor
• Chicken-bone broth with a rich, savory taste

They said sukiyaki cannot be ordered half-and-half, but all the others can. My aunt cannot eat spicy broth, so we ordered two kinds: standard broth and chicken-bone broth.

For shabu-shabu, you can bring back beef brisket and pork shoulder to eat as much as you like.

From meat and vegetables to sushi and rolls

At this Yeosu City Hall shabu-shabu restaurant, you can help yourself to assorted vegetables and beef brisket. The varied salad bar, Korean dishes, and Western-style dishes make the meal even more enjoyable.

Sushi and rolls are set out on one side. There is also a selection of Korean dishes, including fried rice and yukhoe (Korean beef tartare). There are so many kinds of shabu-shabu vegetables that you can fill a plate with exactly what you want. Since you can have as much meat and vegetables as you like, even big eaters can enjoy it without hesitation.

There was more variety than I expected, and as I picked up everything I wanted, the whole table ended up full.

I piled plenty of the vegetables and meat I wanted into the broth.

Finishing with Vietnamese spring rolls and naengmyeon

Each table comes with Vietnamese spring-roll wrappers, so I softened one in warm water and filled it with plenty of vegetables. Loading up on vegetables makes the broth taste refreshing and clean, and you can finish by adding kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) or ramen noodles, or by making juk (rice porridge).

On one side, there was naengmyeon (cold noodles) broth with assorted toppings for making your own bowl, so my aunt made herself some naengmyeon.

The cool, mild broth was delicious. After finishing it, my aunt wanted warm onmyeon (hot noodle soup), so we added the warm broth we had been eating; she said this was really delicious, too, and loved it.

They also had my favorite mushroom soup, so I enjoyed a warm bowl. It was a rich, nutty mushroom soup, just like one from a specialty restaurant.

Fruit, coffee, and ice cream desserts

Finally, the salad bar had oranges, kiwis, and assorted salads, making it more than fitting for a final dessert.

There is coffee, ice cream, and chocolate fondue on one side. You can help yourself to drinks, too, and there are pomegranate and maesil (Korean green plum) drinks that older guests enjoy.

Well suited to family meals and gatherings

Tongkeun Shabu, a Hak-dong favorite near Yeosu City Hall, lets you enjoy a generous spread rather than just one menu item. It is a perfect restaurant for a full family meal, a club gathering, or a company dinner.