Seodaemun Vietnamese restaurant: extra sprouts at Kkua Ewha

Kkua Ewha between Ewha Womans University Station and Ewha Womans University

Kkua Ewha (꾸아 이대점) is on Ewhayeodae-gil, between Ewha Womans University Station and Ewha Womans University. It is not hard to find as you walk from the station toward the university, and the location is convenient for having a meal around Ewha before heading toward Sinchon too :)ાજ

I had passed this place at least once whenever I came to Ewha, and every time I saw people lining up!!? I kept wondering, “How good is it that people line up to eat here?” Today, I finally went to Kkua Ewha with my husband while we were in Ewha! We visited at, of all times, around 4 PM!

It was after lunch but a little early for dinner, so I naturally thought it would be quiet—but nope, hahaha. Even at 4 PM, there were quite a few guests inside! There were especially lots of people who looked like Ewha students, to the point where I thought, “Do all Ewha students gather here?” That made me think, yep, a place famous for pho around Ewha really is different... haha.

Best of all, Kkua Ewha has no break time, so it is great for a meal at an awkward hour like ours! We came at an awkward time... and got seated right away. There was even a waiting list for today haha—if we had come during a busy time, we definitely would have had to wait!!!!

Chili sauce, hoisin sauce, and what we ordered

There was chili sauce and hoisin sauce, and since I like mixing the two, I mixed them ^^

• Meat-loaded pho
• Single-serving bún chả
• Shrimp rice rolls

Asking for extra bean sprouts with the meat-loaded pho

I really love bean sprouts in pho, so I was looking forward to pho with sprouts in it??! But I heard that the meat-loaded pho does not normally come with bean sprouts... yikes. So I asked whether I could add them for an extra charge, and thankfully they brought out a separate portion of bean sprouts! If you love piling bean sprouts into your pho like I do, it might be worth asking when you order.

How was the meat-loaded pho?

This was the dish I was most excited for! Just like its name, it had a truly generous pile of meat on top of the noodles. Picking up the meat and noodles together made every bite feel pretty substantial, and adding the bean sprouts I love gave it a nice crunch too. One sip of the broth and it really felt like I was in Vietnam ㅠㅠ

Single-serving bún chả we shared with the pho

We could not leave out the single-serving bún chả that we ordered with the pho either, right~?? Bún chả, Vietnamese grilled pork with noodles, has a different appeal from pho, so I think I end up ordering one whenever I go for Vietnamese food. Putting the char-grilled-smelling meat, noodles, and vegetables together and dipping them in the sauce added a tangy, savory flavor that really woke up my appetite!! Since we were eating pho too, we ordered the single-serving bún chả, and it was perfectly fine to share like a side ^^

Shrimp rice rolls ordered as a side

The shrimp rice rolls we ordered as a side! This is a menu item shrimp lovers would probably enjoy. They had a crispy texture with shrimp inside, and they went really well with the sauce!! Definitely try adding an order of shrimp rice rolls as a side haha.

I think Kkua, a popular restaurant near Ewha Womans University Station, is worth trying if you are looking for pho around Ewha! With a generous topping of meat on the pho, the extra bean sprouts I love, plus bún chả and shrimp rice rolls, the two of us ate quite a filling meal!! More than anything, after finally trying the pho place around Ewha that I had been so curious about, I think I understand why people line up. If you are craving pho in Ewha, or Vietnamese food near Sinchon, you might want to stop by Kkua Ewha haha. Next time, I want to try other dishes that I did not get to have this time!!!