Sangam gimbap restaurant for picnic takeout: Samhyeongje Gimbap

I stopped by Samhyeongje Gimbap’s Sangam branch (삼형제김밥 상암점) to pick up a simple picnic dinner for Nanjicheon Park. I took three kinds of yubu gimbap (seaweed rice rolls with fried tofu) and tried each one at the park.

Finding the shop in Nurikkum Square

The shop is in Unit 1029 on basement level 1 of Nurikkum Square (누리꿈스퀘어), at 396 World Cup buk-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea. The Korean address is 서울특별시 마포구 월드컵북로 396 누리꿈스퀘어 지하1층 1029호. You can take the Nurikkum Mall escalator down to basement level 1.

I wanted to use an elevator, so I went through the Digital Pavilion building and took one down to basement level 1.

There was a directory map of the shops on basement level 1, so it wasn’t difficult to find.

The listed hours were 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., with Sundays closed. Since it opens early, I thought it would also be handy for picking up a quick breakfast or lunch in Sangam-dong.

What makes yubu gimbap different?

Samhyeongje Gimbap specializes in yubu gimbap. The menu had variations that added ingredients such as tuna, jinmichae (seasoned shredded dried squid), and odeng (fish cake) to the basic fried tofu roll.

According to the shop, its distinguishing feature is the tofu filling: the fried tofu is stir-fried for a long time in a gamasot (traditional cast-iron pot) until crisp, then mixed with braised burdock before going into the rolls.

How ordering and takeout work

There were rolls already prepared and on display in the shop.

Any varieties I ordered that weren’t ready were rolled on the spot. I could watch them being made right in front of me.

I ordered and paid at the kiosk.

Once the gimbap was ready, I put it into a bag myself to take away.

There were chairs outside the shop where you could have a quick meal. For me, though, it felt better suited to picking up food and taking it elsewhere.

What I packed for a Nanjicheon Park picnic

I ordered wonjo yubu gimbap (original fried tofu roll), wasabi chamchi yubu gimbap (wasabi tuna and fried tofu roll), and maekom odeng yubu gimbap (spicy fish cake and fried tofu roll). All three contain fried tofu, with the additional ingredients giving each a different flavor.

I took the bag of gimbap to Nanjicheon Park. After finding a spot, I took out the rolls one by one.

The rolls were generously packed with fillings. Just one looked like it could make a filling meal.

How the three yubu gimbap varieties tasted

Wonjo yubu gimbap for a first taste

The wonjo yubu gimbap had the distinctive savory sweetness of fried tofu. The stir-fried tofu left a lingering savory flavor, and the overall taste was easy to enjoy. I thought the original would be a good place to start if you were trying it for the first time.

Wasabi chamchi yubu gimbap

The savory tuna combined with the sweetness and crunch of the fried tofu and the sharp kick of wasabi. The ingredients worked well together, making this one I particularly liked among the three.

How spicy was the maekom odeng yubu gimbap?

The maekom odeng yubu gimbap had quite a bit more heat than I expected.

I could taste both the umami of the fish cake and the savory fried tofu. It would suit someone who likes spicy gimbap, but if you don’t handle heat well, keep that in mind when choosing.

How it worked as a picnic meal

What stayed with me most from my first try of Samhyeongje Gimbap was the flavor and texture of the fried tofu. It was savory and sweet, with occasional bits of crunch.

With their generously packed fillings, the rolls worked well as a simple meal. I think they would also suit anyone taking food to a park as I did, or picking something up for the office or home.