Front-leg jokbal and bossam kalguksu set in Sindorim: Sambaekga

This is a place where you can eat delicious jokbal (pig's trotters) and bossam (boiled pork wraps) alongside a bowl of warm kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) all in one sitting.

You can help yourself to barley rice, and instead of just cold noodles, there's a warm broth to soothe your stomach — which honestly seems like it'd pair well with soju too. Let's take a look at what makes Sambaekga, a Sindorim Station Korean restaurant offering jokbal, bossam and kalguksu, so appealing as a good-value set.

Where to park?

It's in the Homeplus building near exits 1, 5 and 6 of the station, and the basement offers 2 hours of parking.

Where exactly is it?

Anyone who's arranged to meet someone in this neighborhood will know — there are more shops than you'd expect, so it's easy to get lost looking for the place. The easy way to find it: come in through the alley across from Paris Baguette on the main passage in the middle, and it's the second shop. Worth remembering.

Interior seating and atmosphere

The main hall has around six tables seating 2 to 6 people, and further inside there are three 4-person tables. It works well for a group dinner, but also has the advantage of a layout that allows for a more private meal.

The menu board and set composition

Sambaekga, a Sindorim Station Korean restaurant, offers everything from sets to à la carte dishes. It's a good-value meal you can enjoy any time of day, even a light lunch in the afternoon.

Since we both wanted to try everything, we went with the 'Sambaekjin+kalguksu set,' which includes jokbal, bossam and kalguksu. You can pay extra to switch the noodle soup to spicy, clam, perilla, or soybean broth — pick whichever suits your taste.

There's an event like this!

Depending on what you order, you get free alcohol, kalguksu, or a tray of makguksu — it would be a shame to skip this.

Before the meal, self-serve barley rice

Usually it's the unwritten rule to just get a small portion, but sometimes you want to eat as much as you like. Here, the self-serve warming/cooling cabinet system means you don't have to feel awkward about taking more.

Mixed with gochujang (red chili paste), sesame oil and yeolmu (young radish greens), it's exactly the kind of flavor that gets your appetite going.

Sambaekjin: from jokbal naengchae to front-leg jokbal

Let's take a look, through the video, at how the signature dish and basic side dishes at Sambaekga, a Sindorim Station Korean restaurant, come out.

My wife and I both like naengchae (cold jellied dish), so we always agonize a bit whenever we visit a jokbal restaurant. But here, a small portion comes out as a basic side so you can taste it right away, which was nice. The sauce especially had real depth of flavor, not just spiciness from plain mustard.

The jokbal here is made from the front leg. The meat texture is usually more tender than the hind leg, so it tends to cost more in Korea — it's a more sought-after cut because it's moister rather than dry. The Sambaekjin set coming out with front-leg meat is another point in its favor.

Garlic sauce is also included as standard. A useful tip: it tastes great paired with the leftover naengchae sauce too. We tried a whole variety of combinations.

This kind of thoughtfulness too?!

The bossam had no gamey smell at all (apparently made with pork raised on persimmon feed plus mulberry leaves added). I like the fatty parts and my wife likes the lean meat, and the plate was well divided to suit us both. Usually when eating this kind of dish, someone has to trim off the fatty bits to pass to me, but this time there was no need for that — we could each enjoy it as-is.

How was the kalguksu?

Made by carefully simmering 12 ingredients, the broth was rich yet clean, and paired with fresh handmade noodles, setting it apart from other restaurants.

I thought it'd be nice to have a broth dish, but I didn't expect it to pair so well with the kalguksu. Since the noodles weren't the ordinary kind, it made the dish even more enjoyable, and it seems like it would go well with soju too.

Walking out full after this good-value jokbal, bossam and kalguksu set at Sambaekga, a Sindorim Station Korean restaurant, there was even orange juice waiting by the exit. A menu composed with even the palate-cleanser in mind, and a meal where the quality of the main dishes left nothing to complain about.

Conclusion

I meet people around this area often, and I don't think anyone would object if I picked this place going forward. Whether for a meal or a drinking session, it's a restaurant where the owner's thoughtfulness really stands out.