Samseong Station bossam restaurant for a friends' reunion: Yangeunine

Why Yangeunine Samseong Station Branch for a friends' reunion

Yangeunine Samseong Station Branch is a bossam restaurant a friend recommended when we met up near Samseong Station after a long time apart. I agonized over where to go, but it already had a great reputation as a Samseong Station favorite, so my expectations were high! Even the clean, tidy exterior was impressive for a spot near COEX, and since it's counted among the best in Samseong-dong, I couldn't hide my excitement!

The main dish, bossam, looked absolutely mouthwatering! The tenderly boiled pork practically melted in my mouth, with no gamey smell at all, a deep meaty flavor, and just the right amount of fat, so it never felt heavy! The bossam kimchi and refreshing radish kimchi that came with it had a crunchy texture and sweet-spicy seasoning that went wonderfully with the pork, and the fresh wrap vegetables were generous too. Overall you could taste the neatness of Korean food and real home-style skill!

The inside was spacious and comfortable, and the tables were spaced well enough that we could enjoy our get-together without bothering anyone else! The friendly staff looked after us attentively, which made for a lovely meal. Next time I'll definitely come back to try other dishes!

Location and exterior of Yangeunine Samseong Station Branch

Yangeunine sits right on a corner of a side street near Samseong Station, so it was really easy to find! The bright yellow entrance and red awning stood out from far away, and the neatly kept exterior put me in a good mood right away! It's open daily 11:00–22:00.

Outside, big menu boards and food photos are posted so you can see what to eat in advance! Besides pollack stew and stir-fried squid, there were lots of hearty Korean dishes like bossam, haha. The wide choice looked good for either a lunch gathering or dinner, and I think it's a solid option for anyone hunting for a filling bossam place near Samseong Station! Menu photos are also stuck on the building's big glass windows, so I lingered looking at them for a good while as I walked past. It got me excited about the food before I even stepped inside!

Inside Yangeunine: good for a group meal?

The hall at Yangeunine has yellow walls, bright lighting and wooden tables set with generous spacing, so even a big group can eat comfortably. Every table also has an induction burner.

The bright yellow wall was the first thing I noticed when I walked in! The bright lights made the space feel much more open, and the clean black ceiling gave it a modern feel overall. The tabletops were warm-toned wood. Photos of all sorts of Korean dishes hung on the walls, and browsing them one by one was surprisingly fun, haha! It seemed fine for a lunch or dinner gathering, and thanks to the induction burner at each table, we could enjoy our food piping hot! It felt tidy, so it was a clean place to eat!

Self-serve bar and unlimited lunch rice

Yangeunine has a self-serve bar where you can easily grab more side dishes, and according to the sign on the wall, rice is unlimited at lunch only, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The self-serve bar was neatly prepared too, which I loved, haha! Each table had a water bottle, cups and a menu laid out cleanly, and on one side there were utensils, rice cookers and more, all tidy. Seeing the rice and soup bowls stacked up neatly, I could tell they take being ready for guests seriously! The 'unlimited rice at lunch only' sign especially caught my eye. Plenty of rice from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. is great news! I think it'll be very appealing for anyone looking for Korean food near COEX. Thanks to the generous spirit and clean setting, I could focus on eating in comfort!

Menu and the set we ordered at Yangeunine

What we ordered that day was the Yangeunine set (spicy pollack stew, squid bossam, cold noodles) for ₩48,000.

Basic side dishes

The basic table setting at Yangeunine includes white rice and side dishes like seasoned bean sprouts and stir-fried fish cake, with salted shrimp, ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste) and raw garlic served separately for the bossam.

When we sat down, the neat side dishes caught my eye first! Several sides came out to go with the hot white rice, haha! From the crunchy seasoned bean sprouts to the nutty stir-fried fish cake, everything was seasoned just right! I especially liked that the salted shrimp, ssamjang and raw garlic, which pair so well with bossam, came out separately! The simple but tasty lineup raised my expectations for the main dishes even more, and it felt like a relaxed place to eat with the people you came with!

Spicy pollack stew and the special bossam sauce

In the Yangeunine set, the spicy pollack stew (얼큰동태탕) comes first in a golden pot on the induction burner, piled high with shredded scallions, and a brown special sauce for the bossam arrives in a small dish.

A hearty stew was set on the induction burner first! The heaps of fresh shredded scallions made it look even more appetizing, and a spicy aroma drifted up from the bubbling red broth! I could almost feel the kick that would warm me up from the inside! It was a perfect lineup to enjoy alongside the bossam.

The special sauce that brings out the bossam's flavor came too! The brown sauce in a small dish was nutty and deep in flavor, and when I dipped a little, its savory richness went really well with the tender lean pork! You could tell they care about the details, and every side to go with the main dish felt made with care!

The squid bossam spread: what comes out

The squid bossam at Yangeunine comes on a large plate with bossam, boiled squid, green onion kimchi and seasoned dried radish, plus plenty of lettuce and napa cabbage. The portion was more than enough for several people to share.

Finally the main bossam spread filled the table! The glossy bossam looked moist and tender with no gamey smell! The spicy green onion kimchi and crunchy dried radish looked really tempting, and with chewy boiled squid too, the spread felt even richer! Just looking at it, I was sure we'd get a proper Korean meal, and I was curious how all the ingredients would come together!

I put a piece of bossam and some spicy sauce on hot rice and tried it! The glossy rice and moist bossam went so well together! The squid sook-hoe (blanched squid) also came generously on one plate, and dunking the chewy squid in the spicy seasoning was a real treat, haha! The mild bossam meat was tender and paired nicely with the fragrant garlic chive kimchi! With such a varied lineup it seemed good for a group get-together, and enjoying so many flavors and textures at once made it even more satisfying!

Lettuce wraps with bossam, squid and dried radish

Yangeunine's squid bossam worked well both as a piece of bossam topped with kimchi and as a lettuce wrap with bossam, squid and dried radish together.

A piece of bossam held in chopsticks with kimchi was just perfect, haha! The tenderly boiled pork was mild with no gamey smell, and the sesame-flecked bossam and spicy kimchi blended together nicely in my mouth! Stuffing it all in, the soft meat flavor was outstanding! Next I made a wrap with fresh lettuce and piled things on! On top of the soft bossam I loaded chewy squid and sweet-spicy dried radish! The handful of a wrap was fun, with the crunchy greens and all the different ingredients' flavors mingling! It was a hearty, satisfying Korean meal!

Finishing with mul naengmyeon

The Yangeunine set ends with mul naengmyeon (cold buckwheat-style noodles in chilled broth) in a stainless steel bowl, topped with egg strips, cucumber and a soft-boiled egg, and they cut the noodles with scissors for you. It was just right as a palate cleanser after the bossam.

After enjoying the hearty main dishes I wanted something cooling, and a bowl of cold naengmyeon showed up! The noodles in a big stainless steel bowl looked refreshing just to see, and the clear broth sprinkled with nutty sesame seeds looked even more appetizing! They cut the noodles with scissors so they'd be easy to eat! I moved some to a small bowl and took a bite, and the chewy noodles with the cold broth were simply the best! The nutty egg strips and crunchy cucumber added a variety of textures, haha! It tidied up the flavor of the bossam from before, a perfect finish, and the meal was so satisfying I hated for it to end! Next time I want to come back and try other dishes. Seriously the best!