Childhood-favorite red dumpling hot pot in Siheung: Myeongseong

An April lunch as the cherry blossoms fall, at Myeongseong in Baegot

One April lunch, my husband and I went to Myeongseong Handmade Dumpling Hot Pot Baegot Branch (명성손만두전골 배곧점) in Baegot-dong, Siheung, for handmade dumpling hot pot. Lunch has to be something delicious, no exceptions~! It was a sunny, properly hot spring day, hot enough for short sleeves and shorts, so you'd think we'd want something cold. But my husband and I prefer warm, brothy food over cold, and we both love dumplings, so we headed to this 'Baegot dumpling hot pot favorite'.

On the 10-minute drive to Baegot, the cherry blossoms along the street were raining petals so gracefully~ so romantic and pretty~~ It made our dumpling hot pot lunch even more exciting.

Location and opening hours of Myeongseong Baegot Branch

Myeongseong Handmade Dumpling Hot Pot Baegot Branch is at 26-32 Seouldaehak-ro 264beon-gil, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi, South Korea (Unit 143–145, 1st floor, Baegot-dong 230). Hours are 10:30–22:00 with last order at 21:00, and it's listed as closed on Wednesdays. Reservations, separate men's and women's restrooms, group visits and takeout are all available.

It was featured as yukgaejang (spicy beef soup) handmade dumpling hot pot on KBS 2TV's Saeng Saeng Jeongbo, episode 1237 (January 26, 2021). A place that gets on TV like that is definitely a famous and delicious dumpling hot pot spot.

As the weather gets warmer, they've started serving cold soy milk noodles, naengmyeon (cold noodles) and cold noodles. I absolutely love soy milk noodles, so I'll have to try them next time.

Myeongseong menu: choose white or red hot pot

At Myeongseong you can choose between two hot pot broths, white and red. Even apart from hot pot, there's plenty else to eat: rice cake dumpling soup, yukgaejang dumpling soup, pork cutlet, kanpung dumplings, kalguksu varieties, cold noodles, cold soy milk noodles, mul naengmyeon and more. It's a Baegot dumpling hot pot place that serves guests sincerely without losing its original spirit.

As I mentioned above, it's been on TV, and I wondered why the wrappers were so chewy and good. Turns out they're 3-day-aged, compressed wrappers, which is probably why they taste even better.

How to enjoy dumpling hot pot

• Add the dumplings once the broth boils
• Stir well and close the lid
• When it boils up, add the vegetables and meat
• Dip the meat in the sauce first and eat it
• Eat the dumplings when they boil up and the wrappers puff out
• When you've finished, add the noodles and boil briefly
• Finish with fried rice on top!!!

Myeongseong Baegot Branch gives you 3% of your meal total as points, usable from 5,000 points. They work like cash~ so be sure to collect them^^

The side dishes, kimchi geotjeori and yeolmu kimchi, were so fresh and tasty. They go really well with the dumpling hot pot.

How the red dumpling hot pot tastes: a kick-in-the-throat broth full of my husband's memories

At last the handmade dumpling hot pot arrived. I love dumplings so much that my eyes go wide the moment I see them. Clap clap clap~ yay^^ I'm going to eat you up happily~

Killer look, right~~~ I always had the white hot pot, so this time I ordered the red one. Oh my oh my, this was the real deal, so good. Hurry up and boil!

Once it started boiling, the rich broth aroma wafted up and I got super hungry.

We started by scooping out the meat and vegetables first!

Here's why the red dumpling hot pot at Myeongseong Baegot Branch is the real deal: my husband said it tastes like what he loved eating as a kid. The kind where you boil broth with anchovies and seafood and season it with gochujang (red chili paste)~~ He ate so enthusiastically that I felt proud.

The red broth looked like it would be spicy, but it wasn't very spicy, just an easy-to-eat, kick-in-the-throat kind of flavor. The meat was tender and soft too. It was packed with vegetables, so this alone would fill you up, but my rice-loving husband and I ordered bowls of rice as well. Not a single drop of broth was getting away... that was our resolve, haha

It's a dumpling hot pot that's always good, whether you eat it on a cold day or a warm one.

Myeongseong dumpling wrappers: neither too thin nor too thick

The handmade dumplings at Myeongseong Baegot Branch have wonderfully chewy wrappers. At other dumpling hot pot places the wrappers were too thin and the texture was meh, and at places that just sell dumpling soup the wrappers were too thick and tasted very floury. Here the wrappers are neither too thin nor too thick, just right, so it passes with flying colors. So good.

My husband gave his taste review too, and he said that out of all the places he's been to, this one is number one. In taste, service and price, all of it...

The chopsticks were going back and forth without a break. It's not very spicy, even people who can't handle heat can eat it well, so if you visit Myeongseong I recommend trying the red broth dumpling hot pot.

I didn't fall behind either and ate hard, haha. The dumpling filling is solidly packed. There are so many vegetables that this alone fills you up.

Kalguksu noodles come standard, pre-boiled so they cook fast

At Myeongseong, kalguksu noodles come as standard. We scraped up every last bit of vegetables, dumplings and meat, haha. This time we added the noodles and boiled them briefly. They aren't fresh noodles but lightly pre-cooked ones, so they only need a short cook, which I loved.

It's cheating if the noodles are good too~ Chewy is a given, and the best part was that since they come pre-boiled, there's no floury smell.

I also had a refreshing glass of Fanta^^

Wow~~~ I ate until I was really full and finished with ice cream. While I was eating my ice cream, my husband was mixing rice into the broth and eating that too, which is a secret, shh. hahaha

Are Myeongseong's dumplings really made by hand?

On my way out after paying, I saw the owner of Myeongseong Baegot Branch making dumplings. So this Baegot handmade dumpling hot pot place is 100% the real thing. Their fingertips are so deft, and they make the dumplings so beautifully.

Myeongseong, a place that keeps making you think of it, gave us a hearty lunch with a solid lineup, a small but definite happiness.