Kkachiul Station galbitang and rice cake seolleongtang: Hanchon

While looking for a good seolleongtang (ox bone soup) spot, I went with a friend to Hanchon Seolleongtang's Kkachiul Station branch.

It was one of those days when a warm soup dish sounded perfect, so we each ordered a different menu — galbitang (short rib soup) and tteokguk-seolleongtang (rice cake ox bone soup) — and shared.

Each dish had its own feel, so it was fun tasting a bit of everything, and it made for a satisfying, filling meal.

Where is Hanchon Seolleongtang Kkachiul Station branch, and what are the hours?

Hanchon Seolleongtang Kkachiul Station branch is located at 37 Kkachiro 74beon-gil, 2nd floor, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do. It's open daily from 8 AM to 9 PM, with last order at 8:30 PM.

It's a good place to head to when you're craving a warm soup meal, so my friend and I settled in comfortably and started picking our menu.

Galbitang with big, meaty rib bones

First, the galbitang came with sizeable rib bones, so it looked quite generous right off the bat.

Picking the meat off and eating it with the broth was smooth going down, and the warm soup filled my stomach comfortably. Mixing a little rice in and eating it with the rib meat made each spoonful pretty hearty.

We chatted and ate slowly, and thanks to the hot soup, the whole meal felt filling.

Tteokguk-seolleongtang: chewy rice cakes in milky broth

The tteokguk-seolleongtang felt like enjoying the best of regular tteokguk (rice cake soup) and seolleongtang at once.

Scooping up the chewy rice cakes with the broth had a great texture, and the milky broth blended naturally with the rice cakes. Switching back and forth with the galbitang, one side had the heartiness of rib meat and the other the chewiness of rice cake — I felt like we'd picked a great combination.

If you like soup dishes, this is a combo that's both familiar and satisfying.

How to eat it: when to add the rice to the broth

With dishes like this, how you eat the broth and rice really seems to change how satisfying the meal feels.

At first I tasted the broth plain, then partway through mixed in rice. The hot broth soaking into the rice grains made it much more filling, and once I added meat on top, my spoon kept going back for more. Both the galbitang and the tteokguk-seolleongtang suited a warm, comforting meal rather than anything too strongly flavored.

With the galbitang especially, eating the meat first and then adding rice afterward let me enjoy it fully from start to finish. For the tteokguk-seolleongtang too, rather than just fishing out the rice cakes, eating them with plenty of broth worked better.

Trading dishes back and forth, I felt it wasn't so much about which one was better as about picking based on your mood that day.

A warm, unhurried meal at Hanchon Seolleongtang

I tend to eat hot soup dishes slowly rather than rushing, and that day too we took our time chatting over the meal.

Each spoonful made me feel fuller and more satisfied, which matched perfectly with the craving for a soup dish that day.

The galbitang was fun for its meat-centered eating, while the tteokguk-seolleongtang, with its rice cakes, felt like a full meal on its own.

Final verdict on sharing two bowls with a friend

Going with a friend is great because you can each order something different and taste a bit of both.

That day too, I went from eating galbitang to tasting the tteokguk-seolleongtang, then mixed rice into the broth again — naturally enjoying both dishes.

Compared to eating just one dish, feeling the difference in flavor and texture between the two made the meal more fun.

Since it's centered on hearty soup dishes, I also thought it'd be an easy pick for lunch or dinner.

It had been a while since I'd sat with a friend over warm soup, chatting comfortably, and I left with a full stomach.

Being able to enjoy the generous meat of the galbitang and the chewy rice cakes of the tteokguk-seolleongtang together in one sitting was satisfying too. It's a seolleongtang restaurant worth remembering when you're craving a warm, filling meal near Kkachiul.