Korean restaurant in Magok, Seoul: rice paper shabu wraps with kids

Today I'm sharing a family meal out with my kids that we really enjoyed. The weather has been getting hotter, and between looking after the kids I was feeling a bit run down. I badly wanted something healthy that also tastes good. I heard there was a kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) place near Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station that fills you up like a restorative meal, so we went: Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu (양천샤브손칼국수), Magok Main Branch.

Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu, Magok Main Branch: location and opening hours

Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu, Magok Main Branch is at 46 Magokdong-ro 10-gil, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on the first floor of Magok Botanic Park Plaza, Units 107 and 108. It is open daily 11:00–21:00 with last orders 40 minutes before closing, and underground parking is available. Groups and takeout are welcome, the restrooms are separated for men and women, and there is a waiting area.

This spot already has a great reputation near Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station, and you can feel the whole course starting from the entrance.

Outside, there was a sign saying they use 100% Korean-grown black garlic, plus banners for cool summer dishes like yeolmu guksu (young radish kimchi noodles) and kongguksu (cold soy milk noodles). The extra-large portion is free, so it's a good place for big eaters too.

Inside, the first thing I noticed was how clean it was, and the staff were friendly. Every table has an ordering tablet, so the kids and I picked our menu that way. This is a place that simmers its restorative broth every day with Korean beef bone stock, 8 kinds of herbal medicine ingredients and black garlic!

Near the entrance, they display the herbal ingredients so you can see them yourself: prickly elm (eomnamu), jujube, mulberry, eleuthero (ogapi), angelica root (danggwi) and licorice.

Ordering black garlic shabu kalguksu for 3 in perilla broth

We ordered Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu's signature, the special restorative black garlic shabu kalguksu for 3 people. To eat generously with the kids, we added extra shabu beef, and we also got the side dishes of rice paper and steamed rice.

When you order shabu kalguksu, you can choose the broth: spicy, clear or perilla (deulkkae). We went with the nutty, mild perilla broth. Korean beef bone stock, herbal ingredients, black garlic and perilla all came together, and the rich, deep flavor filled my mouth. It wasn't harsh, and the deep nuttiness was something anyone would like.

Our order was set up quickly. A big pile of shabu beef, a hot pot full of minari (water dropwort) and mushrooms, and perilla-oil five-color rice: the colors were so pretty. The handmade black garlic noodles and the geotjeori (fresh, unfermented kimchi) they say they make by hand every morning had me looking forward to everything.

Shabu wrapped in rice paper: how did the kids like it?

You can order rice paper as a side here, and the kids loved it. When the broth started bubbling, we dipped in the shabu beef and then fished it out along with the minari and mushrooms. We wrapped it all in rice paper, and it felt like eating Vietnamese summer rolls. The crunch of the vegetables, the savory beef and the rich perilla broth went really well together.

Black garlic house-made noodles: how strong is the garlic?

After we had eaten a fair amount of meat and vegetables, we added the handmade noodles. The noodles are kneaded in-house with 100% Korean-grown black garlic. They contain no preservatives, so I felt fine feeding them to the kids. The noodles look slightly dark because of the black garlic.

If you flip the hourglass on the table and time it, the kalguksu cooks just right. The well-cooked black garlic noodles were really chewy and bouncy. You might worry that black garlic would make the garlic smell strong, but that wasn't a problem at all.

Topped with the geotjeori made from Korean napa cabbage, which they say is prepared by hand every morning, the noodles had a lovely mix of spicy kick and nuttiness. I refilled it at the kimchi self-serve corner several times.

Perilla-oil five-color rice porridge and plum slush to finish

After the noodles, we added the perilla-oil five-color rice and turned it into porridge. In the thin perilla broth, the porridge had the subtle, fragrant flavor of perilla oil, the chew of the colorful vegetables, and the long-simmered restorative broth coating each grain of rice for a deep savory taste.

After the meal, we had dessert from the plum drink machine by the entrance. A plum drink with a layer of ice crystals on such a hot day~~ The kids each had a cup and said it was delicious.

Yangcheon Shabu Son Kalguksu, Magok Main Branch felt like a restorative meal served with care and health in mind. From the 100% Korean black garlic handmade noodles to the broth simmered with Korean beef bone and herbal ingredients and the kimchi made daily, they put their heart into every ingredient. I recommend it for a family meal or eating out with kids. If you're looking for a good place near Yangcheon Hyanggyo Station, do try the deep nuttiness of the perilla broth and the chewy black garlic noodles.