Bongcheon restaurant, mild kodari with mom and sister: Sangdo Neulbori

Where is Sangdo Neulbori Bongcheon Station Branch?

Sangdo Neulbori Bongcheon Station Branch (상도늘보리 봉천역점) is a kodari (half-dried pollock) and baby octopus restaurant just 132 m from Exit 5 of Bongcheon Station on Line 2. Today I went with my mom and my sister for a little date~!

It was so sweltering hot that I dashed straight inside and never got a photo of the storefront, ugh ㅠ.. But it's only 132 m from Bongcheon Station Exit 5, so it's incredibly easy to get to!

The first thing you see when you walk in is the owner's pledge! "We will be a place that one person visits 100 times, rather than a place that 100 people visit once." You can feel how seriously they take their food.. I was totally moved ㅠㅠ

What are the menu and ordering rules at Sangdo Neulbori Bongcheon Station Branch?

One order per person is required. There's a lunch special, and kodari jorim (braised kodari) and baby octopus can be ordered as a single portion, which is a total win for solo diners!! Every menu item is available for takeout too!

What was the atmosphere and the crowd like?

The restaurant was super clean and tidy, and it felt pleasant and spacious! We came a bit early, so there were hardly any people at first, but by the time we left it was almost full!

Seeing how popular it was with middle-aged and older customers, I thought this has to be the real deal haha (you know you can trust the elders' picks, right?!)

There's a review event going on too, so join in~! And look at that neatly set table!

What did we order, and how were the side dishes and egg custard?

After we ordered, neat side dishes were set out, and they tasted great, making the main dish even richer! It's also certified as an "Safe Restaurant" (안심식당) by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, so the hygiene gave me extra confidence haha

And this bubbling egg custard was seriously a little witch.. ㅠㅠ It was so good that I ordered one more at the end, lol. Here's what we ordered.

• Siraegi kodari jorim for 3
• 1 egg custard
• 3 bowls of rice

The self-bar has bibimbap ingredients and nurungji tea

After ordering, I checked out the self-bar and found ingredients for making bibimbap (rice mixed with vegetables), plus nurungji (scorched rice tea) that's perfect after a meal.. the owner's thoughtfulness got me ㅠㅠ

The other tables were all mixing theirs with barley rice, and only while eating my bibimbap did it finally hit me why the name is "Neulbori" (barley) haha (but the white-rice bibimbap we had was really good too!)

How are the flavor and portion of the siraegi kodari jorim?

The siraegi kodari jorim at Sangdo Neulbori Bongcheon Station Branch isn't spicy, has a deep sauce, and the portion was very generous. And finally the main dish, siraegi kodari jorim, arrives!!! Wow, doesn't it look huge and delicious ㅠㅠ

I had no idea the portion would be this big.. We can finish it all, right? haha

Besides the kodari, there was loads of radish and potato too, so it was super hearty! When I lifted the kodari with my chopsticks, the flesh was so tender it fell apart right away.

The special sauce isn't harsh but tastes deep and rich, so it's easy for anyone of any age to enjoy! Maybe that's why older folks like it even more, since it isn't spicy haha

Wrapped in seaweed, piled on rice with some siraegi (dried radish greens)..

The potatoes are in season right now, so with those chewy potatoes it was truly heavenly ㅠㅠ A real treat!

And toward the end, I downed a bowl of nutty nurungji tea!

Finishing it all by mixing rice into the leftover sauce

After finishing the siraegi kodari jorim, we mixed rice into the leftover sauce and added one more egg custard, and cleaned everything out. Just when we said, "Ahh, that's it, I can't eat any more!".. my sister suddenly, out of nowhere, dumped rice into the leftover sauce and mixed it up lol (that's when we added +1 egg custard too haha)

My sister's apron said, "Serve only what you'll eat, and eat without leaving anything," haha, and she really showed the true value of that saying! So much for my worry that we couldn't finish, we cleaned it all up like dish-washing pros haha

Why I recommend Sangdo Neulbori Bongcheon Station Branch for a family meal

The restaurant is pleasant and has parking, so I totally recommend Sangdo Neulbori Bongcheon Station Branch for group gatherings or family meals! If you're looking for a clean kodari and baby octopus place near Bongcheon Station to take your elders, definitely visit Sangdo Neulbori Bongcheon Station Branch!!

• Location: 379 Bongcheon-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul
• Getting there: only 132 m from Exit 5 of Bongcheon Station on Line 2, super close!
• Hours: daily 10:30–21:30 (last order 21:00)
• Break time: no break time all 365 days, so you can eat comfortably at odd hours too!
• Facilities: group visits, takeout and reservations available, separate men's and women's restrooms
• Parking and payment: parking available, and Zero Pay and the high-oil-price relief support payment (credit/check cards) are accepted too!