Food court kongguksu lunch shared three ways at Sangam Hoegwan

Back when my company was in Sangam, I've loved this kongguksu (chilled soy milk noodle soup) spot every year since 2019.

It's now in the basement 1 food court of Sangam IT Tower, but it used to be on the first floor of Savoy City. Every summer the crowds would be so overwhelming I could barely get a seat, and I'd only manage to eat there once the cool autumn wind started blowing — this is "Sangam Hoegwan"! I finally went back with my old coworkers after a long time.

Finding Sangam Hoegwan and how to order

The location is a bit unusual — you enter Sangam IT Tower on the first floor, go down one level via the central stairs to where the food court is, walk in through the food court's main entrance, and it's in the left corner.

Back when it was on the first floor of Savoy City, there was almost always a wait, especially in summer, and it was genuinely hard to eat there. But since moving into the food court, it can actually seat way more people! Before, even showing up 10 minutes early for lunch often wasn't enough, so one of us would go ahead just to order haha.

What three of us ordered, and the prices

You order at a kiosk, and coming back after a year I found they'd added mouthwatering new menu items beyond just kongguksu — pumpkin kongguksu, perilla oil milmyeon, and more! The three of us ordered the kongguksu set (₩13,000), the pumpkin kongguksu set (₩15,000), the perilla oil milmyeon set (₩12,000), and kimchijeon (₩8,000).

Each set comes with 2 big dumplings. Even a grown man would be plenty full eating like this. In the past it was usually just the two of us, each getting a bowl of kongguksu plus kimchijeon to share, and that would fill us up for exactly ₩30,000 total haha.

The food still came out fast. A whole spread of noodles and kimchijeon, beautifully laid out!

The standout specials: pumpkin kongguksu and perilla oil milmyeon

First we all took a bite of the pumpkin kongguksu and perilla oil milmyeon that my coworkers ordered.

The pumpkin kongguksu had such a gorgeous color. I took a spoonful of the broth and the subtle sweetness of pumpkin spread out smoothly. The soy milk broth here is quite thick, so when you pick up the noodles, a generous amount of broth clings right along with them. One bite in and it was sweet yet nutty — a real specialty. Kids especially would love the sweetness. It's the kind of flavor you'd crave a spoonful of every so often.

Perilla oil milmyeon is basically perilla oil buckwheat noodles minus the buckwheat, if that makes sense haha. This combo can't lose. The savory saltiness of the seaweed bursts through with every bite of noodles, and the nutty perilla oil backs it up solidly. Unlike buckwheat, the chewy wheat noodles linger longer in your mouth, and the seasoning is balanced perfectly to match!

The real deal at Sangam Hoegwan: intensely creamy kongguksu

But no matter what, the true star of this place is the kongguksu!

First off, this soy milk broth boasts a thickness like cream sauce. Thanks to that consistency, when you slurp the noodles in, the broth fills your mouth right along with them. The soy broth amplifies the clean, nutty flavor of the noodles while masking that distinctive beany smell, leaving nothing but pure, intense nuttiness.

I love this flavor so much that I lift the noodles out and swirl them back into the broth once more before eating haha. It's genuinely creamy and richly nutty.

I also tried a famous kongguksu place in Yeouido last summer, but honestly, purely by my own taste, I like this place better haha.

Best eaten with the kimchi and kimchijeon

The kimchi and kimchijeon served alongside are also fairly strongly seasoned, but that's exactly what makes them exceptional with the kongguksu. Take a bite of kimchi or kimchijeon like you would with rice, then scoop up the soy broth with your spoon — the saltiness of the kimchi and the richness of the kimchijeon get neutralized, and the crisp texture of the kimchi and kimchijeon come together in harmony. Honestly, a bite of kimchi with a bite of kongguksu — who could dislike that combo? Hahaha.

The dumplings, there to fill out the animal protein the kongguksu lacks, come big and generously stuffed. They make up for the protein and volume kongguksu alone might fall a bit short on haha.

Finished to the very last drop!

My kongguksu bowl, scraped clean down to the last bit of broth haha. Honestly I hadn't gotten a proper kongguksu fix all summer, and it wasn't until autumn arrived that I finally had a real one! It's funny how much better it tastes after going so long without it.

If you love kongguksu and happen to be passing through Sangam, I highly recommend stopping by this place!