Classic tablecloth kalguksu restaurant in Dongtan for a date: Chunsik

Where is Chunsik Kalguksu Dongtan Main Branch, and what are the hours and parking?

Chunsik Kalguksu (춘식칼국수) Dongtan Main Branch is at 10-7 Dongtangongwon-ro 3-gil, Dongtan-gu, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, South Korea, on the 1st floor, and it is open from 11:00 to 21:00. Break time is 15:00–17:00, and last order is at 14:30 and 20:30. It is closed on the 1st and 3rd Monday of every month.

• Corkage allowed (free)
• Wi-Fi, high chairs
• Reservations and groups accepted
• Parking available (free)
• Counter seats, single seats, couple seats
• Group seating for a minimum of 4 up to 8 people
• Floor seating, bar table
• Local currency (card type), local currency (mobile type)

I visited Chunsik Kalguksu Dongtan Main Branch, a Dongtan Central Park favorite. It's a place where you can try new noodle dishes made by the hands of a master Japanese chef with 25 years of experience. Look for the green building between the Anne of Green Gables café and Burger Tree.

The name alone is pretty unique! There are parking spaces in front of the restaurant, but you can also use the nearby Central Park public car park free for 1 hour 30 minutes.

It's closed on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month, and on other Mondays it only serves until 15:00. Otherwise it opens at 11:00 and closes at 21:00.

What's the atmosphere like, and is it good for a date?

Inside, every table is set with a tablecloth for a classic feel, and it looks warm and comfortable. With the wood-tone interior and lighting, plus tasteful music that suits the classic mood, choosing it for a date is a safe bet.

With a special menu and a special space, Chunsik Kalguksu Dongtan Main Branch is perfect if you want an unusual date.

There's an open kitchen and a counter (dacchi) seat area, so it's also nice for a light drink with your meal. The restaurant uses only top-grade fresh kalguksu noodles.

What's on the menu?

The menu includes Hanwoo beef intestine kalguksu, stir-fried doenjang (soybean paste) bibim kalguksu, tomato curry kalguksu, cold kal-soba, kids' anchovy kalguksu, a popular set, a family set and a kids' set. There are also sides such as mentaiko cheese omelet, fried chicken thigh, shrimp tempura and truffle salmon sushi.

You can pick from four signature dishes to suit your taste, so everyone's preferences are respected, which makes it a good place for a family meal too.

If you register a Naver receipt review or an Instagram story, you get a drink or the mentaiko cheese omelet as a service.

Chilled barley tea 💕 comes with a fresh crown daisy salad, plus napa cabbage kimchi and young radish (yeolmu) kimchi.

How is the stir-fried doenjang bibim kalguksu different from bibim soba at a Japanese restaurant?

My order, the stir-fried doenjang bibim kalguksu, arrived. It's Chunsik's signature and most popular dish, introduced as Chunsik's own creation, blending the savory depth of doenjang stir-fried with pork and the spicy kick of chili oil (rayu).

Oh! The seasoning and the noodles were both different from the bibim soba I've had at ordinary Japanese restaurants, so it felt novel the whole way through, and with tempura, crown daisy and yeolmu kimchi it was even richer. The doenjang and pork together also cut the greasiness.

If the portion feels a little small, no worries. Chunsik gives rice for free, so I could finish the meal perfectly. Stir-fried doenjang bibim kalguksu! Why is it the signature and the most popular dish? I think I get it now.

Is the broth of the cold kal-soba my husband chose too salty?

My husband, who likes clean flavors, ordered the cold kal-soba. It comes with a cool broth carefully made from premium natural ingredients, atsukezuri (thick-shaved dried fish), sababushi (dried mackerel flakes) and kelp, along with shrimp tempura, shishito peppers and eggplant tempura fried by the tempura master.

Mix in wasabi and radish to taste, and soak the tempura well in the broth.

You use a ladle to enjoy the broth and noodles together, and the deep broth goes beautifully with the noodles, which turn even chewier and springier in the cold broth. Most soba broths are salty so the flavor soaks into the noodles, but Chunsik's cold kal-soba broth is one you keep sipping even on its own.

How was the side dish, the mentaiko cheese omelet?

The mentaiko cheese omelet we ordered as a side! It's moist and soft, and it comes in several pieces, so it's great for sharing. It's good as a side with kalguksu, but I'd also recommend it as a snack to go with drinks.

If you're looking for a unique, creative Japanese-style kalguksu restaurant near Dongtan Central Park, Chunsik Kalguksu Dongtan Main Branch is worth a visit. The noodles, broth and toppings all satisfied me.