Japanese lunch for two with noodles and rice in Daejeon: Choi Dining

Why Choi Dining Daejeon Gwanpyeong for lunch near Hyundai Outlet?

We were looking for somewhere to have lunch together near Daejeon Hyundai Outlet and ended up at Choi Dining Daejeon Gwanpyeong in Gwanpyeong-dong. It was one of those days when picking just noodles or just rice felt like a shame, so Couple Set A, which let us try three menu items together, caught our eye. Since we wanted to enjoy a variety of dishes, we decided to split everything between the two of us.

Choi Dining is built around the idea of adding a little something special even to an everyday meal. What was appealing was being able to choose completely different dishes — futomaki (thick seaweed rice roll), maze soba (brothless mixed noodles), and a rice bowl — all at once. It seemed like a great place for hanging out with a friend or a date, since you wouldn't have to agonize over conflicting menu preferences. With so many colors and shapes of food laid out on the table, it was a feast for the eyes even before we started eating.

What comes with the 38,900 won Couple Set A?

The Couple Set A we ordered was ₩38,900. It came with salmon futomaki SP, maze soba, and dontoro don, which was a different kind of fun compared to each of us ordering a separate dish. We split the generous futomaki, alternated between the mixed noodles and the warm rice bowl, and the meal never felt monotonous. Given the combination of three dishes, this set is a great choice when you want a lunch that's both filling and varied.

Salmon futomaki SP: thick rolls loaded with aged salmon

The first dish that caught our eye was the salmon futomaki. This Japanese-style thick roll is packed with aged salmon, and the cross-section shows the salmon and other ingredients layered together, looking really substantial. Cut into bite-sized pieces, we could taste the soft salmon along with the rice and the texture of the filling. With so many ingredients packed in, even one piece felt filling, and it was also a nice thing to nibble on between bites of the other dishes.

Maze soba: brothless noodles you mix yourself

Maze soba is a Japanese-style noodle dish you mix together rather than eat in broth. Apparently it's made with pork seasoned with doubanjiang along with several other ingredients. Once we mixed the toppings evenly into the noodles, the seasoning and meat blended together for a rich flavor. The aroma and bite of the chives kept us reaching for more with our chopsticks. Since it's eaten mixed without broth, it had a different charm from other noodle dishes, and alternating it with the refreshing futomaki gave the meal good balance.

Dontoro don: pork jowl rice bowl mixed with egg yolk

Dontoro don is a spicy rice bowl made with pork jowl seasoned in a special soy sauce. Seeing the glossy meat, vegetables, and the egg yolk sitting in the middle, our spoons naturally went straight for it. Eating the rice together with the pork jowl gave that distinctive chewy-yet-tender texture, and the savory sauce paired well with the rice. Mixing in the yolk made the flavor even smoother, giving us a different experience from the first bite.

How the three dishes taste together at one table

Having all three dishes together made each one's role really clear. The futomaki stood out for its harmony of ingredients, the maze soba for the fun of mixing and its rich seasoning, and the dontoro don for the heartiness of meat and rice. Rather than sticking to one dish, taking turns with a bite of each and comparing preferences made sharing the meal together more enjoyable. It's a combination that would satisfy both a noodle lover and a rice lover visiting together.

If you're looking for somewhere to eat before or after visiting Hyundai Outlet in Gwanpyeong-dong, Daejeon, we'd recommend Choi Dining Daejeon Gwanpyeong. With just one Couple Set A, we finished a hearty lunch that let us try the salmon futomaki, maze soba, and dontoro don all at once. It was a great choice for two people wanting a little change from their usual lunch, with several Japanese dishes to share.