Yongin Korean restaurant family lunch: Jangwongap Kalguksu

I visited Jangwongap Kalguksu Yongin Giheung Branch (장원갑칼국수 용인기흥점) for a weekend family lunch. My child and I had chadol minari ssam kalguksu, then enjoyed fried rice and dessert. With meat, noodles, and rice served in sequence, it made for a filling meal.

Where is it, and was parking easy?

The address is 90 Gomae-ro, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, on the first floor. The original post lists hours as 10:30 a.m.–9 p.m. daily, with a break from 4–5 p.m. Last orders were listed as 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

There was a large parking lot in front of the building, so parking was easy. It is said to hold around 40 cars, and there were plenty of spaces when we visited.

Was there a wait on a weekend afternoon?

Even though we arrived after 2 p.m., the restaurant was full, so we waited briefly. There was a separate waiting area by the entrance.

The dining room was spacious and bright, with quite a few tables. It was busy, but tables turned over quickly, so the wait was shorter than I expected.

What came with the chadol minari ssam kalguksu?

The restaurant says it uses kalguksu noodles made fresh in-house every day. Its posted description says the broth is simmered with dried pollack, kelp, anchovies, shrimp, radish, green onion, garlic, and more.

We ordered the chadol minari ssam kalguksu.

The meal moved from beef brisket, vegetables, and mushrooms to kalguksu and then fried rice. A generous amount of vegetables and mushrooms came out from the start, which made it good for sharing as a family.

How did we eat the beef brisket and fresh minari?

It was my first time having this dish, so I was curious how to eat it. A staff member kindly explained it to us.

We dipped the beef and fresh minari (water celery) together in galchi sokjeot (salted cutlassfish innards) and sesame oil. The aroma of the minari worked well with the nutty sesame oil and the saltiness of the sokjeot. It was my first time eating fresh minari this way, and the combination suited it well.

We wanted a little more meat, so we added a platter of sirloin.

How was it for dining with a child?

Since we were eating with my child, I put all the kalguksu noodles into the broth early. The noodles were chewy and springy, and the broth was seasoned to my taste. I also liked how the vegetables and mushrooms added their flavor to the soup.

During our visit, we received rice and gim (roasted seaweed) for my child as a complimentary service. They gave us plenty of gim, too. I remembered the warm message on the gim package, which seemed to be addressed to children.

How did we enjoy the fried rice and dessert?

After the kalguksu, we finished the meal with kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) perilla-oil fried rice.

For the fried rice, the staff prepare the ingredients when requested, and you cook it yourself. The nutty aroma of perilla oil was joined by the tangy flavor and texture of kkakdugi. It was well seasoned, so I kept reaching for it even when I was already full.

For dessert, there were misugaru (multigrain powder) slushies and several kinds of ppongtwigi (puffed grain snacks). The slushie after the meal was cool and nutty. The ppongtwigi were also sold separately; the original post listed ₩3,000 for one bag and ₩10,000 for four bags.

There was also a message on the wall encouraging diners to eat freely without feeling self-conscious. Since we had generously enjoyed both the meal and dessert, I was glad to see it.

There was a brief wait on a weekend afternoon, but I was satisfied with it as a family lunch because parking was easy and we could have meat, kalguksu, fried rice, and dessert. The combination of fresh minari and meat with galchi sokjeot and sesame oil especially stayed with me.