Buckwheat dishes in Pyeongchang: Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon

We took a family outing to Bongpyeong in September, when the buckwheat flowers are in bloom! Everyone knows Bongpyeong means buckwheat, but once you get there, there are so many buckwheat restaurants that it is hard to choose, right? We chose Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon (봉평메밀미가연), a century-old business run by a master of Korean cuisine. The whole family, including my parents, came away completely satisfied!

Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon

A Bongpyeong buckwheat restaurant at the entrance to Hyoseok Cultural Village

Migayeon is right at the entrance to Hyoseok Cultural Village!

The entrance was impressive from the start: there was a certification for being a century-old business, plus a plaque certifying owner Oh Suk-hui as a master of Korean cuisine in regional food. Haha. This place has appeared on several shows, including one featuring Chef Edward Lee, so the dining room filled up quickly at Saturday lunch! We also waited a little before getting in, since it was a festival-season weekend for the Bongpyeong Hyoseok Cultural Festival.

The menu has two interesting rules!!

One is that every noodle dish uses i da pal dough, with a high buckwheat content; the other says, “Please chew i da pal buckwheat noodles at least 100 times.” One hundred is not an exaggeration—the more you chew, the more the buckwheat aroma comes through, so really try it haha.

My family ordered buckwheat-sprout boiled pork (₩30,000), buckwheat-sprout yukhoe (₩25,000), a house-made buckwheat pancake (₩9,000), Migamyeon (₩12,000), and buckwheat bibim-guksu (spicy mixed noodles).

How we ate the buckwheat pancake and buckwheat-sprout boiled pork

The house-made buckwheat pancake arrived first. It was a neat, thin pancake made only with napa cabbage and scallions.

Crisp at the edges and moist in the middle, it released that distinct nutty buckwheat flavor more and more as we chewed. Nothing intense about it, yet we kept reaching for more!

As Migayeon's signature dish, the buckwheat-sprout boiled pork was striking before we even tasted it!! Slices of tender boiled pork were arranged like a fan, with a mountain of buckwheat sprouts topped by yellow flowers in the middle.

It was my first time trying buckwheat sprouts. They were thinner and crunchier than bean sprouts, with a faint bitter note at the end; paired with the rich pork, it felt like each one supplied what the other lacked!! Yum yum.

Pile crisp buckwheat sprouts onto a piece of pork and dip it in the spicy seasoning, and you get tender, crunchy, and pleasantly sharp all in one bite! We rolled pork and buckwheat sprouts inside the pancake, and that was the hidden perfect pairing. Hahaha. There was no off smell at all, so my parents especially loved it!!

Especially this red-seasoned saeujeot (salted fermented shrimp)—the savory flavor absolutely exploded! Hahaha. Even a little bit made the shrimp's presence very clear haha.

Three-way pairing: buckwheat-sprout yukhoe and noodles

The Korean beef buckwheat-sprout yukhoe was finely julienned raw beef scented with sesame oil. The nutty yukhoe had no off smell, while the fresh green aroma of the buckwheat sprouts made it an extra-special dish!!!

It was delicious on its own, but placing it on the noodles turned it into a luxurious yukhoe bibim-guksu. We saved about half, then put it on the noodles.

Pick up the buckwheat sprouts and yukhoe together and pop them in—such a dopamine-exploding texture (?) haha.

Migamyeon or bibim-guksu: which one is your taste?

We compared two noodle dishes, and our preferences split. Migamyeon is a light style based on soy sauce and perilla oil, generously topped with seaweed flakes, sesame seeds, and buckwheat sprouts!! The buckwheat aroma became deeply pronounced as we chewed, so it was right up the adults' alley. Pouring in the accompanying broth gave it another charm, too!!! Since these were i da pal buckwheat noodles, we did as instructed and chewed them 100 times!! I loved the sensation of that nutty buckwheat aroma filling my mouth the longer I chewed.. haha.

You could also lift out just the noodles and drizzle on the kelp vinegar served alongside for a completely different flavor!! Haha.

The bibim-guksu had tangy, spicy seasoning and crunchy kimchi, making it just right for younger palates!

My mom voted for Migamyeon, and I voted for bibim-guksu!!! Haha.

Yukhoe bibim-guksu tastes like bibim-guksu piled high with yukhoe!! Naturally, it was way more delicious than the bibim-guksu alone!! Hahaha.

With their high pure-buckwheat content, the noodles snapped easily—the classic style. But that slightly rough texture actually made it feel like I was eating real buckwheat noodles, which I loved.

There were so many ways to combine the sides and noodles that our family kept passing plates around and saying, “Try this on top,” and “Eat that with this.” The conversation never stopped throughout the meal hahaha.

A walk around Hyoseok Cultural Village after a family meal

Migayeon was genuinely satisfying for a family meal that included older relatives. Just note that it closes at 5 PM, so I recommend planning it for lunch rather than dinner! Hyoseok Cultural Village and the buckwheat flower fields are right next door, making it perfect to continue with a walk after eating haha! It is famous as a Pyeongchang local favorite and is also a great restaurant near Pyeongchang Phoenix Park, so it would be nice to come after skiing too!! I sincerely recommend it to families who want to eat proper buckwheat in Bongpyeong!! Haha.