Osori vs sundaeguk broth over evening soju in Gangdong: Boseung

My husband got off work wanting sundae guk (blood sausage soup) and a drink, so we stopped by this gukbap restaurant near Cheonho Station — Boseung Hoegwan Cheonho Station Branch, good for solo dining or a drink with someone.

It was my first time trying oso-ri gukbap, and surprisingly it had a cleaner aftertaste than I expected — I finished it happily.

How to find Boseung Hoegwan at Cheonho Station Exit 3, and where to park

Boseung Hoegwan Cheonho Station Branch is right next to the Lotteria as you walk out from Exit 3 of Cheonho Station. If you're driving, use the parking lot behind the building. It's right in front of a bus stop, so accessibility is excellent.

There are menu photos with prices posted right outside the store, so it's easy to decide what to order before going in.

When it's busy, there's a waiting area inside the store.

Boseung Hoegwan menu and what we ordered after 8pm

The table menu is split into a rice-meal section and a drinking-meal section. If you're really hungry, there's the sundae and pork jowl set meal — minimum 2 people, ₩16,000 each — but since it was past 8pm, we agreed not to order too heavy haha.

So we settled on sundae guk (₩11,000), oso-ri gukbap (₩11,500), and two bottles of Chamisul (₩10,000).

The soju came out first, and the side dishes — kkakdugi, kimchi, chives, salted shrimp — were set right after.

What the dining room at Boseung Hoegwan looks like

This gukbap restaurant near Cheonho Station is L-shaped and pretty spacious toward the back. There were already noisy tables that looked like company dinners, families with kids, and solo diners too — quite a mix of people.

This particular seat is for solo diners, but it's also sometimes used as a waiting spot for people picking up takeout.

I also looked over the origin labeling — the pork (sundae, heart, intestines, throat) is domestic, while the pork bone for the bone soup is from Canada. And haha, there's a 'let's live long' sign reminding everyone it's non-smoking.

Osori gukbap, 11,500 won: meat only, no sundae in the bowl

The oso-ri gukbap at Boseung Hoegwan Cheonho Station Branch is ₩11,500 — the bigger bowl at the bottom is the oso-ri gukbap, and the smaller one at the top is the sundae gukbap.

The reason we each order our own soju is that my husband tends to drink way too fast on his own at the start of a gukbap meal. Haha, so we split it evenly, one bottle each.

This is the oso-ri gukbap — comparing it side by side, it looks a bit milkier than the sundae gukbap.

There's a little chili paste mixed in, and once you stir it around, you find it's packed with pork and oso-ri gamtu (pig head offal). I tried it with chives sprinkled on top too.

Considering it's made of organ parts, it's impressively free of any gamey smell — actually lighter-feeling than the sundae gukbap. Not a heavy, rich broth, which I honestly preferred. And there's no sundae at all in this one.

Since it's mainly pork and oso-ri gamtu, if you thought oso-ri gets added on top of a sundae gukbap, that's a misunderstanding haha.

The broth is already well-seasoned, so there was no need to add more seasoning. Ladling in a big scoop of fluffy white rice lets the starch loosen into the broth and it gets even mellower — leaving you thinking, 'is it okay to feel this satisfied and happy this late in the evening?'

They serve kkakdugi and kimchi as side dishes, and what's going on with Boseung Hoegwan's kimchi lately? Why is it so good haha. I refilled it three times. Cool, clean, and not too salty — the best companion for gukbap.

Sundaeguk, 11,000 won: the spicy one once the chili paste is stirred in

This is the sundae guk my husband ordered. Somehow it felt rich and thick from the very start. Sprinkle on some chives, take a bite — oh! The chili paste mixed in gives it just the right kick, making it exactly the sundae guk my husband loves.

Isn't a bowl of sundae guk the best value meal these days? Loads of meat, and the bone broth is deeply infused too.

There are three kinds of sundae in there too. They set the sundae aside on the rice lid to cool a bit first.

The slightly cooled sundae, dipped in salted shrimp, becomes the perfect drinking snack — the creamy traditional sundae and the vegetable sundae both pair well with the sharp, savory salted shrimp.

The sundae was such high quality I wanted to order a separate plate of it, but since it was already so late in the evening, I held back. The sundae plate is only ₩7,000, great value too. Next time, I'll definitely order it!!

Osori gukbap vs sundaeguk at Boseung Hoegwan: which broth to order

No matter how I looked at it, the broth colors seemed genuinely different, so I took a photo — and they really were!! Sundae guk on the left, oso-ri gukbap on the right — the sundae guk's broth was also richer and thicker, closer to my husband's taste.

I barely eat rice these days because of dieting, but in front of sundae guk I stirred in a bowl and a half of rice and cleaned it up eagerly with kimchi haha. Why is even the rice at Boseung Hoegwan so good? I guess the star of a gukbap restaurant is the rice as much as the soup — if the rice is mushy and bland, it really deflates the whole meal.

We cleared the gukbap and the rice bowls too, finished off two bottles of soju, and headed home picking our teeth with a toothpick haha. Boseung Hoegwan Cheonho Station Branch is right near the subway station, super accessible. If you're looking for a gukbap restaurant near Cheonho Station, stop by — the sundae guk and oso-ri gukbap are both clean yet deep in flavor.