Season-your-own clear pork gukbap in Changwon: Yongho Dwaeji Gukbap

Chuseok is over and it's October, and the cool wind has the whole place feeling like autumn. Days like this are perfect for warming up with a hot soup. So I went to Yongho Dwaeji Gukbap (용호돼지국밥), a Yongho-dong favorite in Changwon that I always think of this time of year.

Where is Yongho Dwaeji Gukbap in Changwon?

Yongho Dwaeji Gukbap is on the ground floor of the Lotte Apartment shopping block in Yongho-dong, Changwon. The block sits right on the way to Changwon Garosu-gil and near government offices, so it's easy to reach for people working at those offices who come for lunch.

If you come from the Lotte Apartment side, enter through the back door of the shopping block and you'll find Yongho Dwaeji Gukbap right there on the first floor. For parking, use the shopping block lot or park in the alley.

Interior and seating at Yongho Dwaeji Gukbap

The inside is very spacious, and with standard 4-person tables, there was plenty of room even for solo diners or pairs. The group room is really big, so it's a great fit for company dinners and group gatherings.

Gukbap (rice soup) being what it is, lots of families and kids came in too. It's a great spot for a hearty meal after a trip to Changwon Garosu-gil.

Yongho Dwaeji Gukbap menu and prices

The menu is pork gukbap ₩9,000, spicy sundae gukbap (blood sausage rice soup) ₩11,000, suyuk baekban (boiled pork set meal) ₩13,000, and mixed gukbap ₩10,000. This day I ordered two suyuk baekban at ₩13,000 each.

• Pork gukbap ₩9,000
• Spicy sundae gukbap ₩11,000
• Suyuk baekban ₩13,000
• Mixed gukbap ₩10,000

Free side dish refills at the self-service bar

The kitchen is open and looked very clean, and there's a self-service corner along one side of the restaurant. They set out the basic side dishes for you, but for refills like kimchi you use the self bar, which I noticed was also neatly kept.

The basic sides were kimchi, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), chives, salted shrimp and dadaegi (seasoned chili paste), all set out neatly. The kkakdugi here was tangy and delicious, and went really well with the gukbap.

Suyuk baekban comes as an individual tray per person

The two suyuk baekban sets came out as separate trays, one per person, each with rice, gukbap and suyuk, which felt very tidy. They also gave us pickled onions and cabbage leaves for wraps.

Is the broth at Yongho Dwaeji Gukbap seasoned?

The gukbap here has a clear broth with no seasoning added, so you add chives, dadaegi and salted shrimp to suit your own taste. In the gukbap that comes with the suyuk baekban, which lets you enjoy both suyuk and pork soup, there was a little meat in the broth, and the clear broth was so mild and clean.

I liked that the pork soup isn't seasoned beforehand. If you come with kids, I think they'd eat it happily because it's so mild. You adjust the saltiness with dadaegi, salt or salted shrimp, so I don't think anyone would dislike it.

The meat in the gukbap was very tender with no gamey smell, and not too fatty either. That mild broth with a bowl of rice was really filling.

How was the boiled pork in the suyuk baekban?

The suyuk in the suyuk baekban comes as one plate per person, with broth underneath so the pork stays moist.

The warm suyuk with nutty sesame salt and the saltiness of the pickled onions made a great combination.

The suyuk had a good ratio of fat to lean meat and was piping hot, so it was really tender. I had it wrapped in cabbage, with kimchi, with the pickles, all of it! A suyuk baekban tray, with tender pork and a bowl of gukbap, was a hearty meal. If you're looking for a good gukbap restaurant in Changwon, how about Yongho Dwaeji Gukbap in Yongho-dong?