Cheonan budae-jjigae with ham and cheese: Cheongwon Sikdang

During a weekend date, I visited Cheongwon Sikdang (청원식당) in Dujeong-dong, Cheonan for lunch. We ordered two servings of Cheongwon budae-jjigae (Korean army stew) with extra ham and cheese, then added ramyeon noodles at the end for a filling meal for two.

Where is Cheongwon Sikdang, and what is parking like?

The restaurant is on the first floor at 32-4 Dujeongsangga 4-gil, near the Star Palace apartments in Dujeong-dong. It felt fairly close to Dujeong Station, and with restaurants clustered nearby, it was not difficult to find.

The hours posted when I visited were 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Monday through Saturday. Last order was at 8:30 PM, and it was regularly closed on Sundays. The information also said that high chairs, takeout, and reservations were available.

Only about four cars can park directly in front of the restaurant. I felt there were plenty of places to park nearby, but the parking immediately in front was not spacious.

How do Songtan and Cheongwon budae-jjigae differ?

There were two budae-jjigae options: Songtan budae-jjigae and Cheongwon budae-jjigae.

According to the menu, Songtan budae-jjigae is the basic option made with 1++ Korean beef mince. Cheongwon budae-jjigae adds beef brisket slices and Cheongyang chili peppers to it. The difference between the two was also illustrated on the menu.

What side dishes come with the stew, and how is it cooked?

The basic side dishes were fish cake, bean sprouts, and kimchi.

The fish cake had been blanched warm and drizzled with honey. It was sweet with a pleasantly chewy texture.

The stew arrived with the pot lid on. I was told not to touch it right away and to wait for a staff member to stir it.

How was the Cheongwon budae-jjigae with extra ham and cheese?

We ordered two servings of Cheongwon budae-jjigae with extra ham and cheese.

Once it had started to boil, a staff member dissolved the seasoning with a ladle and stirred it evenly. The pot with the extra ham had plenty of ham in it, along with beef brisket slices.

After the staff member stirred it, they said it only needed to boil for about two more minutes before eating.

There were three ham shapes: triangular, long rectangular, and round. It was fun choosing among them, and I liked the ham itself too.

The broth with Cheongyang chili peppers had a clean, spicy kick, and I could also taste the mild flavor from the beef brisket slices. The added cheese made the broth richer, which suited my taste.

Can you add rice and ramyeon noodles?

I mixed rice into the stew broth. When we needed more rice, we could freely get more from the self-service corner.

Ramyeon noodles could also be added for free. We put them in after eating some of the stew.

Each table had a kettle, so we could pour in more broth ourselves when needed.

The ramyeon noodles cooked in the broth we had been enjoying went well with the ham. The two of us finished everything—the rice, broth, and ham—and emptied the pot.

How was the interior and the rolled-egg offer?

The interior was generally clean. The tables were mostly arranged in groups of three, and there was a separate group room farther inside.

When I visited, there was a notice saying that diners arriving before 11:30 AM could receive free gyeran-mari (rolled omelet). There was also a notice that those who could not visit during that time could receive gyeran-mari by participating in a Naver review.