Korean restaurant in Gwacheon: Bibisam bibimbap and tteokgalbi

How far is it from Government Complex Gwacheon Station?

My husband and I stopped by Bibisam Gwacheon Main Branch (비비삼 과천본점) for lunch while we had plans in Gwacheon. It is a three-minute walk from Exit 11 of Government Complex Gwacheon Station. The original post lists its hours as 11:00–22:00, with last orders at 20:30.

What was the weekend lunch atmosphere like?

When I visited at weekend lunchtime, there were a lot of diners. I saw many families eating together, as well as quite a few people dining alone. The restaurant had only recently opened at the time of my visit, so it was neat and pleasant, and the staff were kind.

What is on the menu and how much are the sets?

The Hwangdeung-style torim bibimbap—rice pre-seasoned with sauce—came with Korean beef yukhoe (seasoned raw beef), namul (seasoned vegetables), bulgogi, or octopus. There were also stone-pot roe rice and stone-pot octopus roe rice, while cockle salad, Korean beef yukhoe, and tteokgalbi (grilled minced-meat patties) were available as side dishes.

Tteokgalbi could be ordered as part of a set. The prices listed in the original post are ₩15,500 for stone-pot octopus roe rice with Korean pork tteokgalbi, and ₩14,500 for Korean beef yukhoe bibimbap with Korean pork tteokgalbi. At the time of my visit, there was also a notice saying cockles were available through a review event.

How do the self-service bar and food pickup work?

The self-service bar had miso doenjang-guk (soybean-paste soup) and water kimchi. The water kimchi was cool and refreshing with the bibimbap, so I went back for it twice more.

When the food is ready, you collect it yourself from the pickup counter. After finishing, I returned the dishes at the return station.

How did the torim bibimbap and stone-pot octopus roe rice taste?

What stood out at Bibisam was that the rice came already seasoned in the torim style. Gochujang does not come separately, but you can request it if the seasoning seems too mild. I put the yukhoe on the rice, and it was seasoned well enough that I did not add any sauce.

At first, the portion looked slightly small, but it was filling once I started eating, and I left some behind. My husband's stone-pot octopus roe rice was nutty, perhaps because it had plenty of flying-fish roe, and the octopus seasoning was especially memorable.

How was the tteokgalbi we had with it?

The tteokgalbi we had came in two kinds: Korean pork and Korean beef. My husband preferred the Korean pork, while I enjoyed the Korean beef more. Both had a rich meaty flavor and went well with the sauce.

Each tteokgalbi came topped with a fried egg. With bibimbap and tteokgalbi together, it made for a filling lunch. I usually like bibimbap, and the pre-seasoned rice tasted different in its own way. It is a shame that it is far from home, but I would like to stop by again if I return to Gwacheon.