Clear-broth shabu-shabu with fish balls in Anyang: Ppongip Sarang

I came back to Anyang Arts Park and revisited Ppongip Sarang shabu-shabu, which I loved in spring! First time around I had the spicy broth and it was so satisfying, so this time I went for the clean clear broth and added fish balls haha. Here's the story of my second visit to this Anyang Arts Park restaurant, let's go.

Where is Ppongip Sarang Anyang Arts Park branch, and where do you park?

Ppongip Sarang Anyang Arts Park branch is a shabu-shabu restaurant near the entrance to Anyang Arts Park. There's no dedicated parking lot, but at lunchtime you can park along the nearby road, or park at the public lot near the park entrance and walk a short bit haha.

It's a convenient spot to stop for a meal if you're visiting Anyang Arts Park, so if you're looking for restaurants around here, it's worth keeping the location in mind.

What is the dining room like inside?

There were a lot of group tables inside Ppongip Sarang, which made me realize how many people come here looking for Anyang shabu-shabu. Since shabu-shabu is the kind of dish you simmer slowly at the table, it's great for chatting while you eat, and it seemed like a nice spot for family meals or gatherings too 😊

Ppongip Sarang menu and the weekday lunch sets

Here's the menu haha. There's everything from basic shabu-shabu to special, seafood, and assorted shabu sets. There's also a lunch menu until 3pm on weekdays, so visiting around lunchtime like we did makes it a bit easier on the wallet 👍🏻

Special shabu for two with clear broth and added fish balls

We ordered the special shabu for two again haha. You can choose between spicy broth and clear broth. We had spicy last time, so this time we went for the clean clear broth.

The special shabu comes with beef shabu, mulberry-leaf bossam (boiled pork wrap), mushrooms and vegetables, noodles, and fried rice all in one set, so it's quite substantial for two people.

And this time we added fish balls too haha. You know how good it is to fish out a fish ball here and there while eating shabu-shabu, right? Here they're filled with roe, so it's a different experience from regular fish balls! Bouncy texture with roe inside, great for eating one at a time haha.

Mulberry-leaf bossam and pickled wasabi leaves

This is the mulberry-leaf bossam that comes with the special shabu. The meat has no gamey smell and is nice and tender, and the pickle you wrap it with is delicious as always. The powder sprinkled on the meat is mulberry leaf powder. I wondered if that pickle was mulberry leaf too, so I asked again this time — turns out it's wasabi leaf pickle haha. I expected it to be sharp and pungent given it's wasabi, but surprisingly it wasn't like that at all haha. It went so well with the meat that I kept reaching for more!

How does the clear broth compare with the spicy broth?

Once the broth started bubbling, in went the vegetables, fish balls, and meat!! haha The spicy broth I had last time was tasty too, but the clear broth definitely had a cleaner taste that I loved haha. I love bok choy too, so I fished it out eagerly, dipped it in sauce, and wrapped it around the meat haha.

Green mulberry-leaf kalguksu noodles

Once you've eaten your fill of shabu-shabu, it's noodle time haha. The noodles aren't just plain wheat noodles — they're made with mulberry-leaf dough, so they come out a pretty green color. Adding the noodles to the shabu-shabu broth and simmering them, you somehow keep eating even when you're already full lol.

Finishing with fried rice instead of porridge

This Anyang Arts Park restaurant lets you finish your shabu-shabu with fried rice instead of porridge haha. You can make it yourself, but there was a sign saying to definitely press the bell and call a staff member if it's tricky, so I pressed the bell haha.

The staff member came and fried it up quickly, and honestly their hand movements were no joke haha. They properly boiled off the moisture while frying it into fried rice, and it was really delicious haha. Scraped the pan clean to the bottom and finished things off properly again this time 😊

Second visit to Ppongip Sarang: was it worth it?

I enjoyed it when I first visited in spring, and going back this time to try the clear broth gave a completely different feeling, which I loved. It seems like shabu-shabu's whole vibe can shift depending on which broth you pick haha. It was a satisfying day of eating, from shabu-shabu to noodles to the finishing fried rice. If you're visiting Anyang Arts Park and looking for a spot for a family meal, or craving warm shabu-shabu, give this Anyang Arts Park restaurant Ppongip Sarang a try 👍🏻 Enjoyed my second visit thoroughly again ❤️