Sunae Station pho restaurant: summer cold noodles & banh mi at Camon

Why I picked the cold rice noodles at Camon on a hot day

I went to Camon Bundang Sunae Station Flagship (까몬 분당수내역직영점) for its summer-only cold rice noodles, on a day that was unusually hot and humid. I like pho in general, so I try a new item whenever there is one. That day the summer-only cold rice noodles caught my eye. On a day this hot, I wanted something cool more than a steaming hot broth.

How do you get to Camon from Sunae Station?

Come out of Exit 2 or 3 of Sunae Station, walk a little, and turn into the alley on your right. The sign says PHO CAMON. The exterior has such a local Vietnamese feel that I first wondered whether it was run by Vietnamese owners, but the staff greeted us kindly in Korean, so it was easy to relax and eat.

Atmosphere and hours: open every day, no break time

Camon is open every day with no break time, so you can drop in at an awkward hour, which is a real plus. Walking in for lunch near Sunae Station, I noticed the soft lighting and clean feel first. It's fine to eat alone, and there is a mix of tables that looks good for groups too.

There is a ₩1,000 rice noodle dish for kids, which looks like a draw for families, and maybe that's why there were quite a few families there.

Pickled onions and hair ties at the self-serve bar

On one side of the self-serve bar near the entrance, there are pickled onions and hair ties. I grabbed some after ordering. Hair can get in the way when you're eating pho, so this thoughtful touch was quietly welcome.

What do the summer-only cold rice noodles (₩13,000) taste like?

Camon's cold rice noodles cost ₩13,000: shredded beef shank and plump shrimp on a sweet-and-sour broth. Honestly, the cold noodles were the whole reason for this visit. I'd heard the house signature, Camon pho, is famous, but the hot, humid weather naturally pushed me to the cold noodles. The moment it arrived, it looked cooling just to look at! It felt more generously packed than I expected.

On the first bite, the chill of the broth, with a little ice in it, hit first. It has a different charm from the naengmyeon (Korean cold noodle) style you might expect: sweet and sour without being heavy, with a quiet savory depth.

The prime-grade beef shank is shredded so it's easy to eat with the noodles. It's well cooked and not tough, so even cold it goes down easily with the noodles. The shrimp were plump and there were a fair number of them, which was satisfying.

Peanut sauce: two flavors in one bowl

The cold noodles come with peanut sauce, which you can stir into the broth to taste, they told us. I tried a little and it added a nutty richness that turned it into another flavor.

I ate it clean at first and stirred in the peanut sauce from the middle, so it felt like two flavors in one bowl. Crunchy onion and cucumber add texture, and the green onion adds freshness, so it stayed refreshing to the very end.

Are the banh mi (₩9,000) and cream shrimp (₩8,000) worth ordering?

The banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) was ₩9,000 and the cream shrimp ₩8,000, and both beat my expectations. At pho places banh mi is often just a side, but Camon's seemed good enough to be a meal on its own.

The bread is crisp outside and moist inside, generously filled with meat, egg, onion and sauce. Best of all, the bread isn't hard, so it's easy to eat, and the generous filling was satisfying. The combo of sour, cool cold noodles with the savory banh mi was far better than I expected.

The cream shrimp I ordered as a side was good too. Plump shrimp in a thin batter, fried crisp and topped with plenty of cream sauce. The batter isn't thick, so the shrimp's own texture really comes through. The cream sauce is on the sweet side, so kids would probably like it, and it goes well with banh mi or pho.

Is Camon good for a weekday office lunch near Sunae Station?

Camon is easy to reach, and the relaxed mood and lack of mealtime limits make it a good fit for an office lunch near Sunae Station! If you're looking for a place to eat in Sunae-dong, I think it's worth a visit.

• Hours: daily 11:00-21:00 / last order 20:40
• Address: 1F, 17 Baekhyeon-ro 101beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, South Korea