Shabu kalguksu in Sejong with spicy broth: Italy Shabu Kalguksu

I visited Eojin-dong in Sejong for a filling late breakfast with the younger sister of an acquaintance who is raising twin daughters. Let me introduce the atmosphere, self-service bar, and the Italy six-ingredient shabu kalguksu we tried ourselves at Italy Shabu Kalguksu Sejong Eojin Branch (이태리샤브칼국수 세종어진점).

Hours and getting there

Open daily from 10:30 to 21:00. Break time is 15:00–17:00 except on weekends, and last order is at 20:30.

Getting to Italy Shabu Kalguksu Sejong Eojin Branch

It is at Suite 302, 3F, Taehan Press Center, 172 Jeoljae-ro, Sejong-si. Free parking is available in the Taehan Press Center underground lot.

Inside the restaurant and the self-service bar

With four-person tables in warm wood tones, the restaurant really had that cozy Korean-restaurant feel.

There are also terrace-view seats where you can eat while looking out at all that greenery,

and a private room that seats up to 20, so it looked suitable for family meals or small work gatherings too. Seeing reservation names written at each table, it seems there are lots of bookings during the lunchtime rush. I definitely recommend reserving through Naver before visiting at peak lunch hours.

There are plenty of high chairs and aprons, and the self-service bar has macaroni salad, cabbage salad with kiwi sauce, baechu kimchi (napa cabbage kimchi), and tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes).

There is also a terrace that is nice for dessert after your meal and for walking your dog. Please use the shopping-complex restroom beside the elevator~

Menu and dog-friendly information

They say a Naver photo-review event gives you a fish-cake add-on worth ₩4,000 for free. If you are interested, join when you visit and receive it.

• Italy six-ingredient shabu kalguksu: ₩13,800
• Jeonju-style loaded seafood pajeon (green onion pancake): ₩15,000
• Mushroom kalguksu: ₩9,800

Extra add-ons

Drinks

For alcohol, makgeolli (Korean rice wine) is free when you order pajeon.

They even have dog treats. As you would expect from a dog-friendly restaurant, they sell various snacks pets can enjoy. Use the self-service bar for extra broth, kimchi, tongs, ladles, and baby rice; call a staff member for other service.

Spicy-broth Italy six-ingredient shabu kalguksu

We ordered two servings of the Italy six-ingredient shabu kalguksu, ₩13,800 per person, for a total of ₩27,600.

Italy six-ingredient shabu kalguksu comes with beef chuck, handmade dumplings, ongsimi (potato dumplings), Korean-beef bone broth, a mixed vegetable and mushroom platter, house-made kalguksu noodles, and three-color egg fried rice—all for ₩13,800. You can choose clear, spicy, or perilla seed broth (+₩1,000), and we chose spicy. I became very curious about the perilla seed broth too, so I want to try it next time.

The spicy broth is hiding beneath all the ingredients. Let it bubble away!

We both have young children, so we had been craving something spicy, and this spicy-broth shabu kalguksu was quite nice for brunch. Haha.

There were generous amounts of ongsimi, dumplings, meat, mushrooms, and vegetables, and dipping them in the house special soy sauce was just so delicious~

In particular, Italy Shabu Kalguksu’s special soy sauce went wonderfully with the shabu ingredients and was also a great match for dipping the kalguksu noodles.

It was not spicy or harsh, just perfectly warming, so it felt like a hangover cure even without drinking. You can also have the broth like soup alongside the final fried rice and finish every last bite.

Finishing with kalguksu and fried rice

Kalguksu time~ Because the noodles are house-made, they were wonderfully chewy and easy to digest without any discomfort afterward.

We cracked in one egg and stir-fried the pretty three-color egg fried rice too. We added a little of the spicy broth we had saved, and its nutty flavor made it the perfect finish.

I think the fried rice was pleasantly sticky and tasty because it is made with Koshihikari rice, which is rich in dietary fiber and good for recovering from fatigue. Be sure to have the fried rice at the end~

Italy Shabu Kalguksu also explains in detail how to enjoy its Italy shabu, so try it their special way.

And be sure to try the ppung-scream dessert too!