Icheon Korean restaurant lunch: crab ssambap + spicy crab, Neul Gogi

An Icheon restaurant run by a Korean food master: Neul Gogi Jip (늘고기집). The weather was so good this week that we suddenly took a trip to Icheon! While looking for a lunch spot there, I found a really, truly, absolutely great place. It holds a Blue Ribbon and a Korean food master title. We had the crab and spicy pork ssambap (rice wrapped in leaves), a perfect lunch set, and everything from the side dishes to the main to the dessert was sooooo satisfying, so let me tell you about it!

How were parking and the wait at Neul Gogi Jip Icheon Main Branch?

The parking area in front of Neul Gogi Jip Icheon Main Branch is huge, so it was easy to come by car even at lunch peak. We arrived right at the lunch rush and I was a little worried the lot would be cramped. It seems to be a popular Icheon spot for families and group gatherings, and even if everyone brings their own car there's plenty of room. Passed right from the start.

There was a wait of about 10 minutes, but the waiting area is well set up, so we could sit comfortably. A good restaurant really is different down to the small details.

Inside is a spacious, pleasant hall. The tables are well spaced, the chairs are comfortable and the interior is clean. Happy with it!

Neul Gogi Jip lunch special: crab and spicy pork ssambap, price and contents

The crab and spicy pork ssambap at Neul Gogi Jip Icheon Main Branch is a lunch special that can only be ordered until 2:30 pm. This hearty lunch special is what we ordered.

It costs ₩24,900 per person, and you can order easily on the kiosk at each table.

After we ordered, a wide variety of dishes arrived shortly, enough to fill the big table.

Freshly cooked stone pot rice and nurungji

The set comes with stone pot rice, freshly cooked and giving off a nutty aroma! If you've come to Icheon, you have to eat the rice, right?

Scrape out all the rice into a bowl, pour warm water into the pot, and your dessert nurungji (scorched rice tea) is ready.

What do the master's side dishes taste like?

Every side dish at Neul Gogi Jip was mild yet perfectly seasoned. I piled the side dishes, which carry the touch of a Korean food master, onto the fluffy, glossy rice.

The soft, deep-flavored braised kimchi, the eggplant side with its texture intact, the perilla leaves that were not salty but wonderfully savory: every one was mild yet perfectly seasoned, and I thought, a master really is different.

Doenjang stew packed with beef tendon

The doenjang (fermented soybean paste) stew that came with the set had a deep, rich broth packed with beef tendon. No exaggeration, it was the best doenjang stew I've ever had. Earthy, rich, with a great texture too. Absolutely the best.

Soy-marinated crab, spicy pork and wraps

The mains were fantastic too. The soy-marinated crab (ganjang gejang) wasn't salty at all and had no fishy taste, and squeezing the meat out onto rice made it a true rice thief. The spicy stir-fried pork (jeyuk bokkeum) had a faint smoky grill flavor and the meat was very tender.

The lettuce wraps were fresh and tasty, but eaten with the cabbage wraps they gained a sweetness, and the combination was really good.

Is the ₩9,000 spicy marinated crab worth adding at Neul Gogi Jip?

The spicy marinated crab (yangnyeom gejang) at Neul Gogi Jip is a very reasonable ₩9,000 add-on, and the portion is quite generous. The soy crab was so good that I got curious about the spicy one too. Red and appetizing, it grabbed my attention the moment it arrived. And the portion really is big.

One bite: not too spicy, not harsh, but with enormous savory depth, so even while sweating buckets I kept reaching for more and more.

Squeeze the sweet and spicy crab meat onto white rice and it's a rice thief on par with the soy crab. The soy crab was delicious, but I liked the spicy crab even more.

Dessert: ice cream and coffee

Neul Gogi Jip Icheon Main Branch has ice cream and coffee ready for after your meal. After a full meal, ice cream to cleanse the palate! The spicy crab was so good that I kept scooping the sauce up with a spoon and my mouth got a little hot, so having ice cream ready is just perfect, don't you think?

There's coffee as well as ice cream. Neul Gogi Jip in Icheon has great food, friendly service and a very pleasant space, and I totally fell for it.

If you're looking for a hearty ssambap spread and a delicious meal in Icheon, visit Neul Gogi Jip Icheon Main Branch, full of a master's skill!