Rainy-day udon bar in Bangi-dong, Songpa: fresh noodles at Kkang Udong

A tent-bar-style hot spot in Bangi-dong's food alley! Looking for an open-air drinking place? Kkang Udong Songpa Bangi Branch (깡우동 송파방이점)

The rainy season has started and showers keep coming and going! Last weekend I finally went to a place in the Bangi-dong food alley that always has a crowd waiting and always made me curious!

What are the seating and atmosphere like at Kkang Udong Songpa Bangi Branch?

Kkang Udong Songpa Bangi Branch is a tent-bar-style pub in the Bangi food alley. It's roomier inside than you'd expect, and there are open-air tables too. The writer visited on a weekend when the rainy-season downpour was in full swing.

The rain was coming down like crazy!! A day like this calls for a bowl of steaming hot udon, right? Great choice!

If you're after a pub with open-air vibes among the Bangi-dong food alley spots, it's got to be here! It was bigger inside than I expected, and there's more space further back too!

And there are open-air tables like this~ A drink while listening to the rain~ ahh!!! ^^ No wonder so many people come~~ It's packed whenever you go!

Menu at Kkang Udong Songpa Bangi Branch

As the name suggests, udon is the main menu at Kkang Udong Songpa Bangi Branch, divided into plain udon, fish cake udon, fish cake skewers and fish cake soup. Besides udon there are tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork), kkangpung gangjeong (sweet crispy chicken), kkangmyeon dakbal (spicy chicken feet with noodles), dumplings, kkang shrimp and kkang tomato.

True to the name Kkang Udong, udon is the main menu! And there's more than one kind~~ Besides the plain one, it's split into fish cake udon, fish cake skewers and fish cake soup~~ On top of that there are the must-try tangsuyuk, kkangpung gangjeong, kkangmyeon dakbal, dumplings, kkang shrimp and kkang tomato~

How is the udon? Thin fresh noodles and a spicy broth

The udon at Kkang Udong Songpa Bangi Branch comes in selectable spice levels, and the writer ordered medium. The thin fresh noodles take a little while to cook but are chewy, and with several kinds of thick fish cake the portion was generous.

You can pick the spice level, and I went with medium!!! First off, the looks pass~~~ And the portion is generous too~!

The noodles were totally my style~~~ Personally I like thin noodles more than thick udon noodles, and Kkang Udong's are thin!! They use fresh noodles, so it takes a while to cook~ but that means you get springy, bouncy fresh noodles :)

The fish cake was thick and came in several kinds, so it was so good! The moment I tasted it I wondered if I should have ordered a large portion, it was that good, and the spicy broth was great! Since they're open late, it's the kind of spiciness that calls for a hangover cure.. and the kind that makes you order more drinks when you should be recovering.. That's Kkang Udong!! I hear it's a chain, and now that I know, I plan to come often~~

How is the tangsuyuk made with domestic pork loin?

The tangsuyuk at Kkang Udong Songpa Bangi Branch is crispy outside and juicy inside, made with domestic pork loin and topped with plenty of onion. The writer named the combination of crunchy batter and thick loin the best dish of the day.

Next up!!! The famous tangsuyuk~~~~~ Loaded with onions too!

Made with domestic pork loin, the very definition of crispy outside and juicy inside!! This is the tangsuyuk that gave birth to a new slang word for people who sneak off after eating it. They say someone at the next table ate the tangsuyuk and ran off without paying... funny and sad, right? Haha. But the moment I took a bite I got it! Wow... what is this? Amazing!! just came out of my mouth.. haha

First of all, it's so crispy!!! Wow... the pork loin!! The meat is seriously insane~ This isn't a Chinese restaurant, right? Wow.. number one!!!!!!!!!!

The crunch of the batter is great, but since it's domestic pork loin, the thickness and texture of the meat and the combination with the batter were honestly the best~~~

Raise your glasses!!!! Cold beer is great too~!!!

Half-and-half dumplings: good enough for a proper meal?

The half-and-half dumplings at Kkang Udong Songpa Bangi Branch come as meat dumplings and kimchi dumplings together, with thin wrappers and a tightly packed filling. The writer found them good enough that the place works not just for a second round but as a meal.

I cleaned up the dumplings too, right to the end :) Thin wrappers, a moist, packed meat filling and plenty of just-right kimchi in the half-and-half dumplings~~ Even the dumplings are good?.. Seriously, this isn't just for a second round, it works as a meal :) I officially recognize it as a Bangi-dong food alley gem and a bar!!

Verdict: Kkang Udong Songpa Bangi Branch as a second round in Bangi-dong

The chewy fresh-noodle udon and the crispy tangsuyuk were number one~!!! The atmosphere is good and the value is great too, so it's perfect for a second or third round!! There's a reason people love it!! A place that makes that saying make sense. I recommend this Bangi-dong spot~