Korean restaurant in Yongin for spicy shabu kalguksu: Jangwongap

I went to Jangwongap Kalguksu Yongin Giheung Branch (장원갑칼국수 용인기흥점) in Gomae-dong, Yongin, for lunch with my parents. We were craving hot kalguksu (knife-cut noodles), but there was a wait because it was weekend lunchtime.

Was parking easy, and when is the break time?

The restaurant is on the first floor at 90 Gomae-ro, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do. The parking lot in front was large, and a parking attendant guided us during my visit.

The hours listed in the original post are 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. There is a break time from 3 to 5 p.m.

How long was the weekend lunch wait?

When we arrived around 1 p.m., there were 12 groups ahead of us, and we actually waited about 20 minutes. We registered for the waitlist through Catch Table.

While waiting, we filled out an order form and submitted it at the counter, so the order was placed in advance. We did not need to order all over again after sitting down.

The waiting area was crowded too, and guests kept arriving. Several kinds of simple snacks were available in the waiting area.

There was also a misutgaru (multigrain powder) slushie and a coffee machine. I liked that there were things available to use before and after the meal.

The dining room was full as well. Each table had paper cups, bowls, water, and soy sauce, and additional orders could be placed through the tablet at the table.

What are the shabu kalguksu prices and what is included?

• Beef brisket and minari-wrap shabu kalguksu: ₩15,500
• Live abalone and beef brisket shabu kalguksu: ₩22,000
• Basic kalguksu: ₩10,000, without meat

We ordered three servings of the signature beef brisket and minari-wrap shabu kalguksu in the spicy flavor.

It came with beef brisket, vegetables, mushrooms, kalguksu, and fried rice. We could eat our way from the shabu-shabu to the noodles and then the rice.

How spicy was it, and how were the minari and kalguksu?

Everything arrived neatly arranged on one table. The minari (water dropwort) was fragrant and crisp, and it added a refreshing taste to the spicy broth. The kalguksu was made with house-made noodles, so it was chewy and went well with fresh kimchi.

We first cooked the shabu-shabu in the spicy broth. It was flavorful and spicy to me, but not very hot.

We cooked the minari and wagyu beef brisket together, then dipped them in soy sauce mixed with wasabi. The fragrance of the minari paired well with the savory beef brisket.

When we had nearly finished the shabu-shabu, we added the kalguksu and boiled it vigorously for about five minutes. The springy noodles went well with the spicy broth.

Is it filling through the fried rice?

After the kalguksu, we finished with perilla-oil kkakdugi fried rice, which was included with the menu. The nuttiness of the perilla oil was joined by the savory flavor of the kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi).

My father even scraped up the fried rice stuck to the bottom. The sequence from shabu-shabu to kalguksu and fried rice was substantial, and my parents enjoyed their meal too.

During the visit, I received a bag of ppongtwigi (puffed rice snack) for joining a review event. The prices listed in the original post were ₩3,000 for one bag and ₩10,000 for four bags.

The wait felt long, but after eating, I thought the food was tasty enough to account for it. It was a filling family lunch, finishing the minari and beef brisket with noodles and rice.