Korean restaurant in Gangdong, Seoul: Boseung Hoegwan late lunch

After finishing some errands with my daughter on the weekend, I went to Boseung Hoegwan Cheonho Station Branch (보승회관 천호역점) for a late lunch. We were both craving warm soup and cold noodles, so I chose a place where we could order both.

How close is it to Cheonho Station, and what is on the menu?

Boseung Hoegwan Cheonho Station Branch is about a two- to three-minute walk from Exit 3 of Cheonho Station. Along with gukbap (rice soup) and sundae-guk (Korean sausage soup), it sells naengmyeon, suyuk (boiled sliced meat), and charcoal-grilled meat, making it easy for companions to choose different dishes.

The address is 654 Olympic-ro, 1st floor, Unit 1, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea. When the original post was written, it was listed as open 24 hours year-round. Parking was said to be available in the building, with a recommendation to ask the store before visiting.

Are there seats for a family meal or dining alone?

There was a waiting area by the entrance for a short wait. The interior was neatly arranged, with dark brown sofa seating and wood-tone tables along the wall.

Partitions throughout the restaurant let us eat comfortably with space from neighboring tables. There were also two-person counter-style seats by the window, which looked suitable for one or two people. Water and utensil containers were placed nearby.

How do you order, and can ingredients be left out?

After looking over the menu, I chose pork bone hangover soup and the bibim-naengmyeon set.

I ordered while viewing menu photos and descriptions on the T-order tablet installed at the table. Instructions said that guests could press the call bell for staff assistance if using it was difficult.

At the time of my visit, there was also a promotion offering one bottled drink to customers who wrote an SNS or receipt review and showed it to staff. That day, I ordered warm pork bone hangover soup alongside the cold bibim-naengmyeon set.

I ordered the bibim-naengmyeon set with the option to leave out radish and cucumber.

The basic side dishes were napa cabbage kimchi and kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi). The moderately fermented kimchi and crisp kkakdugi went well with the soup. A soy sauce-based sauce was also served, and vinegar and mustard for the naengmyeon were available at the table.

How were the broth and meat in the pork bone hangover soup?

The pork bone hangover soup arrived in a hot ttukbaegi (earthenware pot).

The broth was rich without feeling heavy. Eating it with the tender ugeoji (dried cabbage greens) made the broth taste even deeper.

It contained large pork bones, and I enjoyed picking the meat off them. The meat and ugeoji together made for a filling meal.

A notice in the restaurant said that the pork bones are simmered thoroughly in-house. It also said that gukbap normally includes seasoning paste and perilla seed powder, but these can be omitted if requested when ordering.

The notice said that guests can adjust the flavor with salted shrimp and chives, and that sliced garlic and onion are available on request.

Did the charcoal-grilled meat pair well with the bibim-naengmyeon set?

The bibim-naengmyeon was sweet and tangy with a moderate level of spice. The seasoning coated the noodles well, and I liked their chewy texture.

The charcoal-grilled meat in the set had a subtle smoky aroma. Pairing the meat with the naengmyeon brought the savory meat and tangy seasoning together nicely. The combination of hot pork bone hangover soup and cold noodles was good too, and my daughter enjoyed her meal as well.

How were ingredients and origins presented in the restaurant?

I also looked over the notices in the restaurant during the meal. They said that the head meat used in sundae-guk is trimmed to remove as much fatty tissue and blood-vessel portions as possible. The sundae (Korean sausage) was stated to be made at an in-house HACCP-certified facility.

The country-of-origin notice listed the pork, intestines, heart, and throat meat used in the sundae as domestic. Rice and chicken were also listed as domestic.

I finished this late lunch with my daughter feeling full. I was satisfied that I could alternate between the rich broth and meat in the pork bone hangover soup, and the tangy noodles and charcoal-grilled meat in the bibim-naengmyeon set.