Bucheon clam kalguksu with a minced chili kick: Jakdong Hongdukkkae

With the autumn breeze picking up these days, this autumn-sensitive mom of Bbangul wanted to get away somewhere. So I drove out to nearby Jakdong in Bucheon to find a good restaurant. I'm grateful to the friend who came along and worked around my impossible schedule — I can never set or keep appointment times properly thanks to Bbangul's body clock — so let me introduce this Jakdong noodle restaurant with broth so refreshing it's practically art.

Where Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu Bucheon Main Branch is, and what it feels like inside

Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu Bucheon Main Branch is close to Kkachiul Station. Come in through the Wonmisan trail entrance next to Bucheon Sangnok School and you'll spot the sign.

Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu Bucheon Main Branch

The building has that earthy, ochre-clay feel to it — Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu Bucheon Main Branch's exterior really suits the high autumn sky. Even walking in, you get the sense you're about to eat something wholesome.

Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu menu and prices

• Address: 63 Giljudong-ro 560beon-gil, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi, South Korea
• Hours: 10:30–21:00 (last order 20:30)
• Closed only the day before and day of major holidays
• Spacious parking lot, baby chairs available

The menu is simple, but the flavor is anything but — this is a serious kalguksu (hand-cut noodle soup) restaurant. Clam kalguksu is ₩11,000, one plate of dumplings is ₩8,000. The fresh-ground kongguksu (cold soybean noodle soup) made daily also looked like quite the specialty.

The interior has high ceilings and plenty of space. The ochre tones match the exterior, reinforcing that healthy-eating feeling. Even past the weekday lunch rush, there were plenty of family gatherings and other groups around.

The barley rice and same-day kimchi that arrive first

With a chilly wind blowing, I was craving hot kalguksu, so I ordered two bowls — and barley rice arrived right away. A kalguksu restaurant that serves barley rice first has never let me down. It's nutty, fragrant, and really delicious.

Kimchi came out alongside the noodles. They say it's freshly prepped and made daily. It's the only side dish, but it's fresh and crunchy enough that it doesn't need company. It pairs perfectly with the hot kalguksu broth.

House-made fresh noodles and the 6-minute hourglass

At Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu, the noodles and broth come out separately like this. It's not a texture you see often, so I wanted to play with it a little, but table manners won out and I resisted. The noodles are made in-house, hand-kneaded. As you can see, they look super soft and chewy.

Every table has an hourglass. It's there to time exactly how long the noodles need to cook. You drop the noodles into the boiling broth, stir, close the lid, and wait for two turns of the hourglass — six minutes.

Once the broth was at a rolling boil, in went the noodles. It looked like plain clear broth going in, but once it boiled, the seafood aroma filled the air. There's mideoduck (sea pineapple) and shrimp in there, but it also seems like a lot of seafood goes into making the broth itself.

How did the clam kalguksu taste?

I happily waited the six minutes eating barley rice. As the fresh noodles cooked, they got even plumper and softer. They looked so soft I regretted not pulling off a bit to feel it raw with my hands — but you shouldn't touch food with your hands, so I let my mouth do all the feeling instead. The kalguksu is loaded with plump shrimp, clams, potato, and other generous ingredients. Thanks to a secret broth made fresh every dawn with carefully chosen ingredients, the seafood aroma is intense. It's clean and refreshing, savory even on its own — no ordinary kalguksu restaurant, this.

Want it spicier? Stir in the minced chili

So that everyone from kids to grandparents can enjoy it, Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu's soup has no spicy ingredients by default. If you want more heat, there's minced chili on the table ready to add.

The noodles slurped down smoothly without a single break, delivering both great texture and flavor. It looks simple, but Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu Bucheon Main Branch clearly has serious skill behind it. Adding a bit of minced chili turned the broth sharply spicy, revealing a whole new flavor. With the seafood and heat combined, it's a different kind of refreshing spiciness than what the kimchi gives — kalguksu that really does suit everyone, young and old.

Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu is the kind of place that makes you want another bowl the moment you finish. Write a review after eating and you can earn points usable like cash. It's a good way to enjoy great food a little more affordably, so it's worth taking part.