Family lunch with kids' menu at Osan Dugok shabu kalguksu

This time I got a great chance to visit an Osan Segyo local favorite — the shabu-shabu place, Dongchundang Shabu Shabu Kalguksu. If you're looking for an easy-parking restaurant in Osan Dugok-dong, or somewhere good to take your parents, I'd recommend Dongchundang Shabu Shabu Kalguksu Osan Dugok Branch as the Osan Segyo spot to try.

Since it was the weekend, we went out for a family lunch, and this place had newly opened near Osan Segyo, so we decided to check it out. Shabu-shabu is something the whole family can enjoy easily, which made it even more appealing. So let me introduce the newly opened Dongchundang Shabu Shabu Kalguksu Osan Dugok Branch.

Location and hours

• Address: 경기 오산시 서부로 33-18 1층 (33-18 Seobu-ro, Osan, Gyeonggi, South Korea)
• Hours: Mon 10:00–15:00 (last order 14:20) / Tue–Sun 10:00–21:00 (last order 20:20)
• Ample parking

Wide parking lot and the way in

Search 33-18 Seobu-ro, Osan-si in your navigation, pass the Merio-reu main branch, follow the garden path on the left down to the bottom, and on the right as you come in you'll see the Dongchundang Shabu Shabu Kalguksu sign. Just follow the sign and take it slow~~~~~

Turn slightly right and the Dongchundang Shabu Shabu Kalguksu Osan Dugok Branch storefront comes into view. There's a spacious parking lot, and even from the outside the building looked quite large. With that much space, it seemed like a great spot for gatherings or work dinners too.

Wood-toned interior, waiting area, and self-bar

The interior was neat and tidy, with wood tones and soft lighting giving off a warm, comfortable vibe. The inner hall was spacious too, making it a good fit for office lunches as well as family meals or gatherings. The tables were spaced generously apart, so we could eat comfortably and privately.

There was also a waiting area, which was nice for staying comfortable whether it's hot or freezing outside. A self-bar is set up too, so you can help yourself to extra broth and kimchi.

Menu and what we ordered

Shabu-shabu, which pretty much everyone likes, comes with kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) and fried rice too, so it's simple yet filling. There's also a kids' menu with beef dumpling seaweed soup and jjajang rice, which seemed like a solid option beyond the shabu dishes.

• Shabu kalguksu ₩13,000 (serves 3) = beef chuck, kalguksu, and fried rice
• Octopus-chive-minari pancake ₩18,000

My honest review

I was surprised by how generous the portion was when I saw the pot loaded with fresh minari (water dropwort) and mushrooms. The staff kindly explained it should simmer for about 5 minutes before eating, and I read through the instructions printed on the table too. The way to enjoy shabu kalguksu best: simmer for about 5 minutes, then dip the blanched meat, mushrooms, and minari generously into the soy sauce.

Free barley bibimbap while we waited

While the shabu was simmering, they gave us a free barley bibimbap to mix and eat. Having something to munch on while waiting for the shabu to cook made the time fly by.~~ Mixed with yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi) and seaweed flakes, it was nutty and crunchy — really tasty.

Add a little of the aged soy sauce with chili to boost the umami, give it a light stir a few times, and you're done~~

Spicy-but-not-hot broth and beef chuck

Now let's fish out the shabu-shabu vegetables.~ The broth has a spicy base but isn't hot at all — just a bit of a tangy kick — so the vegetables tasted great even plain. Dipped in the aged soy sauce, they got that extra savory umami and became a whole different, delicious thing.

The bright red beef chuck looked fresh too, and eating it dipped in the shabu with the vegetables was even better. Good chew to it as well~~

Octopus-chive-minari pancake, with chunky octopus

The octopus-chive-minari pancake — wow, it was loaded with big, generous chunks of octopus, so it was easy for our little one to just pick out the octopus pieces haha. The crispy-fried pancake dipped in the aged soy sauce filled the mouth with even more flavor, which made me happy.~ In particular, I was a bit surprised that the chives and minari hadn't wilted at all and still had a slightly crunchy texture!!!

Mugwort noodle kalguksu and sesame fried rice

The kalguksu noodles are made with a mugwort dough! Thanks to the generous minari piled on top of the noodles, we weren't just eating noodles — we could scoop up minari along with them. Really chewy and hearty.~~!

Lastly, the fried rice. We were so full I wondered if we could even manage the sesame fried rice, but we ordered it anyway. It's made with 100% domestic sesame oil, so it's extra nutty and delicious — cooked slow, then pressed down a bit to crisp up like nurungji (crispy scorched rice). Frying it ourselves following the instructions was fun too~~

What's at the dessert self-bar?

Dongchundang Shabu Shabu Kalguksu has black sesame soy milk, sweet popcorn, coffee and ice cream ready to go, so you can make yourself an affogato~~ And there's makgeolli, our own rice wine made from good grains, with unlimited refills too.~

After eating our fill, we finished things off with some sweet popcorn~~