Rainy Friday makgeolli and free barley bibimbap in Gangnam: Kkeutjang

Hi, it's Nyangnyam :)

On a rainy Friday, I was craving makgeolli (rice wine) — you know how rain does that? Went for the classic combo of jang kalguksu (soy sauce noodle soup), bossam (boiled pork), and potato pancake with cool makgeolli, so off we went to Kkeutjang haha

My partner's office is in Yeoksam so I looked around that area, and lucky for us there was a perfect spot right near Yeoksam Station!

5 minutes from Yeoksam Station, an 'end-game' jang kalguksu

Walked about 5 minutes from Yeoksam Station and spotted the welcome sign for Kkeutjang haha — apparently 'Kkeutjang' is short for '"끝"내주는 "장"칼국수' (mind-blowing jang kalguksu).

Hours: Mon–Fri 11:00–21:30 / Break time: 15:00–17:00 / Closed: every Saturday and Sunday. Makes sense it's closed on weekends since the area is full of offices.

There's a self-serve bar toward the back, and the interior has a cozy vibe while still being clean and bright.

We came right after clocking off and there were already quite a few customers, and later the place filled up completely. Good thing we came early.

There were even solo seats, so eating alone is totally doable here.

What we ordered and the prices

We were hungry so we just ordered everything at once haha. We got iced kettle makgeolli ₩10,000, gabrisal bossam ₩15,000, potato pancake ₩13,500, and algoni jang kalguksu ₩13,500.

Since they serve from lunchtime, prices felt quite reasonable for Gangnam. Kalbimyeon and kong kalguksu for just ₩10,000!

Most drinks are ₩5,000 too. Since I came determined to drink makgeolli that day, I picked the signature iced kettle makgeolli!

The self-serve barley bibimbap is free

After we ordered, the staff told us we could make barley bibimbap at the self-serve bar, so I ran right over.

Just scoop as much barley rice, radish salad, gochujang sauce, and sesame oil as you want from the rice cooker.

And here it is >_< a whole free radish bibimbap. Total win~~~~

There's also a review event for a mini kimchi pancake, and no headcount limit — that's a plus! If we hadn't had the potato pancake, we probably would've done the review event.

Hahahahaha the punchy sign in the store was so funny I had to take a photo. Even the extinguished drink deserves a second look... yep... anyway!

Kettle makgeolli served over ice

The makgeolli came out first! The best part is it's served over ice so it stays nice and cold! I loved it so much~~~~

The makgeolli was just gorgeous.... a cool, fizzy style like the classic Jangsu makgeolli, with a nice tingly carbonation~

Algoni jang kalguksu

In the meantime the algoni jang kalguksu arrived too, so cheers~~~~

The portion looked huge and I got excited just looking at it! Topped with seaweed and sesame salt — perfection!

For the price, it's loaded with fish roe and milt (algoni), and the noodles were perfectly cooked and chewy!

I love jang kalguksu so much I always get it when I travel to Gangneung, so getting to eat jang kalguksu and makgeolli in the middle of Seoul made me so happy. Warm broth for the hangover cure feeling while drinking — perfect combo haha

A big, hearty potato pancake

Then the huge potato pancake arrived. It was much bigger than I expected!

The edges were golden brown and crispy, and the dipping sauce it came with was delicious!

Best dish of the day: gabrisal bossam

And the dish I enjoyed the most, the best of the day — gabrisal bossam (boiled pork). You can get bossam in Gangnam for just ₩15,000, and it was so tender and delicious!

Gotta show the good stuff up close >_< No gamey smell, cooked soft and gentle!

Doesn't it look soft just from the photo? It really was that tender. The kind of texture that makes the makgeolli go down smoothly haha

It's great wrapped with the kalguksu too, and even better with some kimchi on top haha

We ended up ordering soju too and took a taxi home hahaha. Had such a fun and affordable Friday night with the great-value dishes at Kkeutjang. I think I'll be thinking about this place again on the next rainy day!