₩11,000 mudfish soup lunch by Sincheon Station: Namwon Cham Chueotang

The temperature swing between morning and evening has been pretty big lately, right? A lot of people around me have been catching colds, and quite a few have come down with COVID too. Apparently it hits really hard these days, so this is exactly the time to eat well~

They say this round of colds drags on forever — someone near me was sick for almost a month straight — so when my coworkers and I headed out for lunch, I said "let's eat something warm today!" and took everyone to Namwon Cham Chueotang Seohaeseon Sincheon Station branch, my go-to spot.

This isn't some newly discovered gem — it's a place I've been a regular at for three years now. Come to think of it, I go about once a month, haha. But this time was a little different from usual.

A junior coworker who came along doesn't really like chueotang. She said she eats it maybe once a year, so I basically dragged her along saying "just try it here, just try it~" haha. Converting people to chueotang, haha

And the result? She finished the broth down to the last drop. Mid-bite she suddenly said, "oh, this chueotang is actually pretty good~" and I felt weirdly proud, like I'd done something. See, this is exactly why I keep coming back haha.

Where is Namwon Cham Chueotang's Sincheon Station branch, and where do you park?

Namwon Cham Chueotang Sincheon Station branch is about a 3-4 minute walk from Exit 5 of Sincheon Station on the Seohae Line. It's right next to Sammi Market so it's not hard to find. There's parking right in front of the restaurant, and if that's full you can use the Sincheon Station public parking lot right next door.

They also give you a 40-minute parking coupon on your way out after eating. We went around 1pm this time, and even though it was a bit past the lunch rush, the place was still pretty packed.

We waited about 5 minutes before getting seated. Even a cat came out to greet us^^ In the waiting area there's a big rice container full of puffed rice snacks to tide you over — I grabbed a piece and munched while waiting, haha.

It might seem like a small thing, but I love little touches like this. Every time I come, I notice how generous the owner is. There's coffee set out nearby too.

Three orders of the ₩11,000 mudfish soup set with stone pot rice and fried mudfish

All three of us ordered the mudfish soup (chueotang) with stone pot rice + fried mudfish set for ₩11,000. It came with basic side dishes and the fried mudfish arrived alongside — freshly fried, so it was nice and crispy~

There's almost no fishy taste, just nutty and savory. My coworker who said she doesn't like chueotang still wasn't ready for the whole fried piece though — but it's so good, haha.

And the real reason I come here is, of course, the soup. I took one spoonful and — huh, it seemed a bit thicker than usual today? I actually liked that.

The mudfish is ground finely so it's smooth, and there's almost none of that muddy or fishy taste I don't like. It's light but the broth flavor is rich, so once you start mixing in rice bit by bit, your spoon just keeps going.

I glanced over at my coworker who said she wasn't into chueotang, and she was eating away enthusiastically, haha. She ended up mixing in her rice and finishing the whole broth. Menu choice: success on this day!

Stone pot rice means finishing with sungnyung and nurungji

Chueotang with stone pot rice is always so filling. You scoop the rice out first, pour water into the stone pot, and by the time you finish the soup, the scorched rice tea (sungnyung) is ready to drink.

This place uses mistletoe water. Maybe that's why — each nutty, warm spoonful feels really soothing on the stomach. For me, a visit here isn't complete until I've had the sungnyung too — that's when I finally feel like I've had a proper meal!

Come to think of it, it's already been three years. I started coming here after my workplace moved to this area, and this is the kind of place that gives out parking coupons, takeout coupons, and even free takeout packaging for pregnant customers. The owner is really generous^^

And every time I come, I notice quite a lot of people picking up takeout orders, almost as many as those eating in.

If you hesitate, all the seats fill up.. haha

Once a month for three years: why we keep going back to Namwon Cham Chueotang

Running a blog means I go looking for lots of new restaurants, but Namwon Cham Chueotang isn't a place I sought out to post about — it's somewhere I've already been going to about once a month. And thinking about it now, it's already been three years, haha.

This time I converted yet another person who barely eats chueotang — I've lost count of how many people I've turned into believers, haha. Seeing her mix in her rice and finish the whole broth, I think I did the right thing bringing her along. As for me, well, this is a place I go once a month... so I'll probably be back again next month too, haha.