After-work Jonggak Korean dinner: giant cutlet, muk-sabal, Bonghyejane

What is Bonghyejane Jubang Jongno Tower branch?

Bonghyejane Jubang (봉혜자네주방) is a Korean restaurant inside Jongno Tower, directly connected to Jonggak Station. It was a busy day that ran late, and the weather was so good that I got through the whole day without eating and was still in a great mood because of it. After work in Jongno, which is perfect in autumn weather, I stopped by on my way home. It's easy to reach straight from Jonggak Station, and the menu and the restaurant are clean and tidy, so it's also a nice stop after browsing the Jongno Tower bookstore. Parking is easy too, so lots of families out for a day in Jongno drop by.

We ordered a cutlet that was so huge it shocked us, plus pumpkin jeon (savory pancake), muk-sabal (chilled acorn jelly soup), flat dumplings and roe dumplings, all to share and try a bit of everything.

How to get to Bonghyejane Jubang from Jonggak Station

Jonggak Station Exit 3-1 connects to Jongno Tower. Walk down the stairs toward Exit 3-1 and Bonghyejane is right there on your right.

If you're coming from outside instead of the station, enter the bookstore on the second basement floor of Jongno Tower, and Bonghyejane is in the restaurant row to the left of the bookstore.

Bonghyejane Jubang's atmosphere and crowd

I wondered who Bonghyejane was, and it seems to be a real person's name. The name means gracious and generous, and the restaurant seems to have opened with the hope that Ms. Bong Hyeja's food could be a link connecting people's stories. The food really is the kind you want to chat over.

Even late in the evening there were families, couples, friends and people eating alone on their way home from work. There are lots of single-dish menu items that suit lunch, so it's apparently even more popular at midday.

Bonghyejane Jubang menu, prices and how to order

You can check the menu by QR code,

and you can order not only by QR but also at a kiosk. Here are the main items.

Set meals

• Stir-fried octopus set (rice included) - ₩16,000
• Stir-fried pork set (rice included) - ₩15,000
• Charcoal-grilled bulgogi set - ₩14,000
• Mushroom perilla soup set - ₩15,000
• Bossam (boiled pork wraps) set - ₩15,000

Rice dishes and single plates

• Spicy seafood sundubu (soft tofu stew) - ₩13,500
• 1988 Hamburg steak - ₩13,500
• Hyeja Giant Cutlet - ₩14,000
• Gamtae (seaweed) gimbap - ₩13,000
• Spicy jjolmyeon (chewy noodles) with flat dumplings - ₩12,500
• Perilla oil buckwheat noodles - ₩13,000

Stir-fried dishes (minimum 2 servings)

• Spicy jjukkumi (small octopus) stir-fry - ₩14,000 per person
• Open-flame whole octopus stir-fry - ₩15,000 per person

Jeon (Korean pancakes) and sides

• Pumpkin jeon - ₩10,000
• Chicken nanban (6 pieces) - ₩8,000
• Roe dumplings (5 pieces) - ₩7,000

Stir-fried dishes are popular here, so every table has a whole bottle of sesame oil for mixing into your rice. Generous!

They're running a review event, so we joined in and got the roe dumplings. I was curious about the dumplings but hesitated to order them because the portion is big. After trying them, I want to order them as their own dish next time haha.

Does the pork cutlet come with muk-sabal?

At Bonghyejane, a small muk-sabal comes standard when you order a cutlet. The food is made to order and came out one dish at a time, but almost all at once without awkward gaps, which I liked.

I didn't know a small muk-sabal comes with the cutlet, so we ordered another one by mistake. But once we started eating, it went well with the cutlet and with the pumpkin jeon too, and the small one would not have been enough. So I was glad we ordered it.

How big is Bonghyejane's giant pork cutlet and how does it taste?

Bonghyejane's cutlet is a tasty diner-style cutlet, and it was so enormous that I was shocked. First, the cutlet! I ordered this one because I wanted it. I was really craving a cutlet that day haha.

What is the shredded squash pancake like?

Bonghyejane's pumpkin jeon (₩10,000) was quite thick, with almost no flour, pan-fried until crispy as if deep-fried. I love jeon of all kinds, and places that sell pumpkin jeon are really rare. I was curious how Bonghyejane does it, so I ordered it.

It had enough thickness that it didn't feel lacking in the mouth,

and although it came with soy sauce for dipping, personally I thought it was really delicious eaten with the cold muk-sabal.

Icy muk-sabal and pollock roe gyoza

Bonghyejane's muk-sabal came with ice floating in it, plus plenty of cucumber, kimchi and seaweed flakes. I actually ordered it because I wanted this cold broth, and I was thoroughly satisfied.

The roe dumplings were neatly packed full inside, and the bits of pollock roe here and there were the kick.

What to order with flat dumplings (napjak mandu)

Bonghyejane's flat dumplings go best with spicy stir-fried dishes like jjukkumi or octopus stir-fry. I ordered them out of curiosity, but they didn't suit what we had ordered. If you order a spicy stir-fry like jjukkumi or octopus, be sure to add them. Wrapping the stir-fry in them is insanely good!