Jungbok family duck baeksuk in Eumbong, Asan: Oneungi Shabu Baeksuk

Hello, this is Konipick. Not long ago my son came home for the first time in a while. He'd been dieting and watching what he ate, and his face looked pretty gaunt, so my first thought was that this time I wanted to give him real restorative food rather than just something tasty.

Last week was also Jungbok (the middle of the three hottest stretches of summer, when Koreans eat health-boosting food), and while looking for a place where the whole family could eat well, we naturally ended up at Oneungi Shabu Baeksuk (오능이샤브백숙) in Eumbong, Asan. I'd been a few times before. The neungi (oak mushroom) broth keeps you thinking about it once you've had it, so it's where we go whenever there's a family meal.

Easy visit with a Naver reservation, and parking?

We reserved our visit time and the neungi duck baeksuk through Naver reservation beforehand. There's a spacious private parking lot in front of the restaurant, so parking wasn't a problem either.

When we arrived the food was almost ready, so we could start eating right away without waiting. Baeksuk takes a long time to cook, so reserving ahead makes things much easier.

A mushroom shabu spread unlike other baeksuk restaurants

The biggest reason I like Oneungi Shabu Baeksuk is that it isn't only baeksuk: you first enjoy a variety of mushrooms shabu-shabu style. Once the table was set, a huge tray piled with all kinds of mushrooms came out.

Lion's mane, cordyceps, yellow oyster, golden enoki, beech, king oyster, oyster and enoki mushrooms: so many kinds you don't easily come across, and just looking at them felt like a healthy table.

• Lion's mane mushroom
• Cordyceps mushroom
• Yellow oyster mushroom
• Golden enoki mushroom
• Beech mushroom
• King oyster mushroom
• Oyster mushroom
• Enoki mushroom

I dropped the mushrooms into the broth one by one to cook them lightly, and every kind had a different texture. Some were chewy, some were soft, which made eating them fun, and the rich broth had soaked right into them so my chopsticks kept going back. Cooking chives and neungi mushrooms along with them went really well with the mild duck meat.

Mild, tender Special Neungi Duck Baeksuk, ₩79,000

What we ordered that day was the restaurant's Special Neungi Duck Baeksuk (₩79,000). The price has gone up a little since my last visit, but with the mushroom shabu and the sticky rice porridge at the end included, it was plenty satisfying for a family meal.

After tasting the mushrooms first, we started on the duck. The slow-cooked meat was so tender that bone and meat separated with just a light touch of chopsticks. There was no gamey smell at all, and the mild flavor with a faint neungi aroma kept me eating. I think parents and older people who find greasy food heavy could eat it comfortably too.

Why I keep coming back to Oneungi Shabu Baeksuk: the broth

Personally, what I like most here is the broth. After eating plenty of mushrooms and the duck, one spoonful of broth warms and settles my stomach. The neungi aroma is deep and the aftertaste is clean, so I keep reaching for it.

This time too the whole family kept spooning up the broth until it ran low, but when I asked the staff, they gladly brought more. Thanks to that, we could enjoy the rich broth right to the end.

I learned while eating that the restaurant doesn't use plain water: it simmers gucci-ppong (Korean mulberry) and eomnamu (prickly ash) branches for a long time, adds neungi mushroom stock, and boils it fresh every day. Maybe that's why even one spoonful leaves a deep, rich flavor for a long time.

Finish with the sticky rice porridge, a must

After finishing the duck, we put sticky rice into the leftover broth and cooked it into porridge. Soaked in that rich broth, it was nutty with a faint neungi aroma, a really good way to end the meal.

Verdict: how was it as a family health-food meal in Asan?

I went to Oneungi Shabu Baeksuk in Asan to give my son some proper nourishment after so long. We enjoyed the variety of mushrooms first, tried the tender neungi duck baeksuk, then cooked porridge in the rich broth. There was so much food that we had to take the leftover porridge home.

Above all, my stomach felt comfortable afterward, and seeing my parents enjoy it made me want to come back. If you're planning a healthy meal with your parents in Asan, or looking for a bok nal (hot summer days) health-food spot or a place for a family gathering, it's worth a visit. My family will probably come again the next time our son comes home.