Hangover sundaeguk with perilla powder in Yeongdeungpo: Deundeun

Why a bowl of gukbap was the only hangover cure that day

After a get-together that ran late the night before, my stomach was off from the moment I woke up. On days like this, the surest fix is a spoonful of rice soaked in hot broth, so I went looking for a gukbap (rice and soup) place near Seonyudo Station and walked into Deundeun Haejanggukbap Seonyudo Station Branch, which billed itself as a spicy sundae gukbap specialist. Being open 24 hours meant I wasn't tied to any particular time, but what really got my hopes up was hearing they give out free, unlimited refills of blood sausage.

What is Deundeun Haejanggukbap Seonyudo Station Branch?

Deundeun Haejanggukbap Seonyudo Station Branch sits right on the main Yangpyeong-ro street and stands out from the outside. Under a blue-tiled eave, a wooden sign reads Deundeun Haejanggukbap, and next to it hangs another sign reading 溫飯味酒 — warm rice and good drinks — which tells you this is a place with both gukbap and drinking snacks on offer. Out front, menu boards for the cauldron napa cabbage sundae hot pot, spicy gopchang hot pot, tofu-kimchi trio, and sundae-gopchang jjaglagi are on display, along with a red 24-hour sign.

Inside, white bowls with blue rims, brass tableware, and red wooden tables are arranged neatly, giving off a slightly more polished feel than the average gukbap joint. Lunch is prepaid and dinner is paid after eating, both ordered by kiosk, and besides the classic gukbap dishes there's also Goindol galbitang (rib soup), mul makguksu (cold buckwheat noodles), bibim makguksu (spicy buckwheat noodles), and a sweet potato cheese pork cutlet.

The self-serve bar: unlimited cypress-steamed sundae at no extra cost

You can't talk about Deundeun Haejanggukbap Seonyudo Station Branch without mentioning the blood sausage. A sign at one side of the self-serve bar reads, roughly, we'll keep you well fed with pyeonbaek sundae, and underneath it a large stainless steamer keeps steaming batch after batch of sausage. Lift the lid and cypress-scented steam rises up; you just scoop out as much as you want onto a plate.

The sausage is packed with sticky rice and vegetables rather than glass noodles, so it's chewy and clean-tasting. The self-serve bar is also generously stocked with diced radish kimchi, cabbage kimchi, chili peppers, onion, garlic, chives, and ssamjang, so you never have to worry about side dishes. Being able to eat all the blood sausage you want for the price of one bowl of gukbap is probably what makes people come back to this spot even among the 24-hour gukbap places of Yeongdeungpo.

How to eat spicy sundae gukbap with shrimp sauce and perilla powder

My order of spicy sundae gukbap arrived in a black ttukbaegi (earthenware pot) set on a wooden trivet. Green onion sat on top of the red broth, and inside were generous portions of blood sausage, head meat, and offal. The table had a printed how-to-eat guide, so I followed it step by step: taste the broth plain first, then season it with shrimp sauce and perilla seed powder.

Adding the shrimp sauce deepened the broth, and once the perilla powder dissolved in, it turned thick and nutty — a completely different bowl from where it started. Dipping a piece of blood sausage in the seasoned sauce and eating it with the broth confirmed that following the instructions really was the right call. I'd worried that spicy might mean harsh, but the broth itself was clear and free of any gamey smell, so I ended up finishing a whole bowl of rice in it.

Makgeolli by the glass and Excellent ice cream to finish

You can't have gukbap without makgeolli, so I ordered a glass of hanjan makgeolli. Since it's sold by the glass, it's an easy, low-commitment add-on, and a glass of it paired perfectly with the spicy broth and pyeonbaek sundae. After the meal I also ordered Excellent ice cream, which came in a bowl with two flavors, French vanilla and vanilla, and cleaned up my palate nicely after the hot gukbap.

There's a sign explaining that if you take part in the Naver receipt photo review event, you can get either Excellent ice cream or fried dumplings for free, so it's worth checking out if you visit. I also got a kick out of the wandduk (finish-the-bowl) challenge banner — if there's a winning image at the bottom of your bowl, the meal is free. It's the kind of event that makes you finish every last drop of broth just to check the bottom, and it's fun to try casually.

Who should eat at Deundeun Haejanggukbap?

I'd recommend this to anyone who needs to cure a hangover after a night of drinking, office workers near Seonyudo or Dangsan Station looking for a filling lunch, blood sausage lovers who always wish there was more of it, and anyone who needs hot gukbap late at night or in the early morning hours. With the cauldron hot pot dishes on the menu, it also seems like a decent spot for a group dinner with makgeolli.

Final verdict on Deundeun's hangover sundaeguk

Between the unlimited blood sausage, the how-to-eat recipe printed on the table, and a glass of makgeolli on top, one bowl of gukbap turned into more than just a meal here. If you're looking for a good sundaeguk spot near Seonyudo Station, Deundeun Haejanggukbap Seonyudo Station Branch is worth a visit.

Address, hours and payment details

• Deundeun Haejanggukbap Seonyudo Station Branch
• Address: 105 Yangpyeong-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea (near Seonyudo Station)
• Hours: Open 24 hours
• Payment: Prepay at lunch, pay after at dinner (kiosk)
• Unlimited self-serve pyeonbaek sundae, cauldron hot pot menu, alcohol available