Mapo Korean restaurant for soy milk noodle lunch: Sangam Hoegwan

A Sangam kongguksu spot where we finished even the broth.

A kongguksu lunch at Sangam IT Tower with my parents

The three of us—Mom, Dad, and me—were passing through Mapo and wondering what to have for lunch, then headed to Sangam Hoegwan (상암회관), a place known for kongguksu (noodles in cold soy milk broth)! Since it is inside Sangam IT Tower, it is a handy place to drop by for lunch while running errands in Sangam, and a good location for a family meal when passing through too!

If you love kongguksu, it is hard to just walk past this menu, so Sangam Hoegwan was the place I went straight to! It is in the B1 food court of Sangam IT Tower, and you get 2 hours of free parking when you enter the building, which is even better.

Kongguksu and dumpling set meals, with free extra noodles

Naturally, we ordered kongguksu and the dumpling set meal. Kongguksu is ₩11,000, and extra noodles are free, so noodle lovers should keep that in mind!

Looking at the order slip, even the extra-noodle set meal cost the same as the regular one! Such a generous price for kongguksu, right!?

Sangam Hoegwan says it uses soybeans grown by contracted farms in Gangwon-do. To keep the kongguksu flavor consistent, it carefully selects beans harvested from the same field.

Set out sugar and salt according to your own taste!

We all went with kongguksu, of course, and it seemed like the owner was running the place by herself!

Even the salt was coarse salt! Haha

What does the thick, rich soy milk broth taste like?

Kongguksu is ₩11,000, and extra noodles are free, so noodle lovers should keep that in mind! But the kongguksu here was clearly different starting with the broth.

When you think of kongguksu broth, you usually imagine something nutty and smooth, but this one is quite thick. When you scoop it up, rather than feeling thin and runny, it is slightly viscous, with a texture like cream soup!

The dumplings were big too~! You get two each.

That said, it did not feel heavy or chalky. The nutty soybean flavor came through richly and went well with the noodles. What I especially liked was the noodles. The thick soy milk broth clung nicely to the bouncy noodles, so every bite really delivered that nutty flavor.

The kongguksu and kimchi combination

Kimchi is actually pretty important when you eat kongguksu! The kimchi here was delicious, making it great to eat with the noodles. Good kimchi keeps kongguksu from becoming too much and helps you enjoy it to the end!

One bite of nutty kongguksu and one bite of kimchi made for exactly the right balance. The three of us chatted as we ate, and before we knew it, our bowls were nearly empty. In the end, Mom and Dad finished every last bit of the soy milk broth too.

With kongguksu that makes you finish every drop of the broth, I could see why this place is called a great kongguksu restaurant. Even while the three of us were choosing our dishes, I had honestly already made up my mind about kongguksu lol. I love kongguksu and make a point of seeking it out in summer, and soy milk broth this rich was definitely memorable.

If you like a rich, straightforward soy milk broth

Since the soy milk broth has nothing added to it, people who like a flavor that stays true to its basic foundation will probably enjoy it! Kongguksu can divide opinions depending on the thickness and nuttiness of the broth, but this seemed especially suited to people who prefer a rich, thick style.

At first, I wondered if the rich broth might feel a little heavy, but with the noodles, it was a flavor I kept reaching for more than I expected! It was not something you stop after one or two bites; the more you ate, the more the nutty flavor came through, and it naturally made you finish the broth too!

Besides kongguksu, they have perilla oil milmyeon (wheat noodles) and sweet pumpkin kongguksu. I saw in reviews that they also had kimchi pancakes, but it seems they do not make those now! If you like sugar in your kongguksu, the sweet pumpkin version might be nice too haha. They also sell the soy milk broth separately, so it would be good to take some home when you want to make kongguksu yourself!