Jongno Tower Korean restaurant: late lunch bossam set, Bonghyejane

I visited Bonghyejane Jubang Jongno Tower branch, a perfect spot for a Jonggak lunch. I had plans near Jonggak Station today and hadn't eaten yet, so I went searching hard and found this place — newly opened, spotlessly clean, and the owner and staff were all so kind.

Bonghyejane Jubang Jongno Tower branch was full even at a late lunch

It's only just opened, but it already seems popular as a Jonggak lunch spot. Lunchtime was well past, and yet this many people were still eating. I guess I wasn't the only one having a slightly late lunch, haha. The place has plenty of tables so it can seat a lot of guests at once.

Bonghyejane Jubang Jongno Tower branch: hours, parking and directions

• Hours: Mon–Wed 11:00–21:00 / break time 15:00–16:30 / last order 20:00
• Thu 9/24 (Chuseok holiday) 11:00–20:00 / break time 15:00–16:30
• Fri 9/25: closed for Chuseok
• Sat 9/26 (Chuseok holiday) 11:00–20:00 / break time 15:00–16:30
• Address: B2, B206, B207, 51 Jongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• 75m from Jonggak Station (Line 1), Exit 3-1
• Parking: paid, first 90 minutes free, ₩3,600 per additional 30 minutes
• Park in the basement lot, go up to 1F, then take the escalator down to B2
• Corkage allowed (free for up to 2 bottles) / pets not allowed / high chair available / wheelchair-accessible restroom / wheelchair-accessible entrance / disabled parking spot

Bonghyejane menu: what I ordered for lunch

This was my first time at Bonghyejane, a solid choice for a Jonggak lunch, so I looked carefully at the menu. What to eat, hmm. Well, the whole octopus stir-fry seemed to be the signature dish. I thought about ordering that, but it said spicy, so I went with the bossam (boiled pork) set instead, while my partner ordered the octopus stir-fry set. I'd had something spicy yesterday, so today I went for the comfort of bossam.

• Whole octopus stir-fry / spicy baby octopus stir-fry
• Octopus stir-fry set / charcoal-grilled beef set / spicy seafood sundubu (soft tofu stew) set / pork stir-fry set / bossam set
• Hyeja giant pork cutlet / bibim jjolmyeon (spicy chewy noodles) with flat dumplings / 1988 hamburg steak / gamtae gimbap (seaweed rice roll) / squash jeon (pan-fried squash)

Being a place that specializes in special dishes, the menu had a lot of tempting options. After some deliberation, our dishes were made to order right away and came out faster than expected.

What comes with the octopus stir-fry set and the bossam set

My partner's choice for the Jonggak lunch was the octopus stir-fry set. It comes with flame-seared octopus stir-fry, a small bowl of nourishing perilla soup, pumpkin porridge, basic side dishes, and gim (seaweed). On the right is my bossam set. It's made with a 60-year traditional recipe, supposedly tender and savory. And yes — tender, soft, savory bossam came with pumpkin porridge and the basic side dishes.

Don't skip the Bonghyejane sesame oil on the table

At this good Jonggak lunch spot, there's a bottle of Bonghyejane sesame oil right on the table — make sure to add it. It already tasted great before I put it in, but once I added it, it tasted even better. Don't forget to add it to the octopus stir-fry.

They also had a festive Hyeja table and a Hyeja cooking table on the menu — apparently ordering those gets you whole fried flounder and jjolmyeon noodles as sides too. Both looked pretty good, so I think they'd be worth ordering next time. Also, if you write a Naver Place review, you get a free drink or alcoholic beverage — just a heads up.

How much octopus do you get, and how spicy is it?

Once you pick and order a dish, it's made fresh right away, which already makes it taste good in a basic sense. And the amount of octopus was much more than I expected. It's cut into big pieces and the portion is generous, which was really satisfying. At other places you sometimes have to hunt for the octopus, but here it's obviously visible in big chunks and plenty of it, so I could eat happily.

I was worried it'd be spicy so I only tasted my partner's, but it was less spicy than expected and delicious. The heat level was just right and well seasoned, so next time I'll try ordering the whole octopus stir-fry myself. There's rice underneath the octopus stir-fry, and mixing it all together was so good. And they give you a small bowl of perilla soup on the side — why is this so good? Next time I'll have to order the perilla soup as the main dish.

How the bossam (boiled pork) set tasted

Here's the bossam set. Just looking at it, the meat looks tender. Even without ssamjang (dipping sauce), it was savory and perfectly seasoned. It melts in your mouth. Eating meat at lunch was so filling I had trouble eating dinner.

I also wrapped some octopus with the seasoned gim they gave us, and it was delicious that way too — I'll have to try that again next time. And this perilla soup, I have to say it again, was delicious. The octopus was great, but this perilla soup kept coming to mind even after I got home. It was savory and perfectly seasoned, with a real charm to it. I think it's worth trying too.

Quick verdict on Bonghyejane Jubang Jongno Tower branch

• A solid, good-value place to eat filling at lunchtime
• Newly opened, so it's clean and the staff are friendly and kind
• Food is generally delicious
• There may be a wait at lunchtime, so coming a little later might help
• Parking is hard to find in Jongno, so the free 90 minutes is a real plus (additional charges apply)