Yongin Giheung kalguksu with one live abalone added: Jangwongap

The omakase of kalguksu — house-made noodles kneaded a thousand times

I went to try the shabu kalguksu at Jangwongap Kalguksu Yongin Giheung Branch, a kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) restaurant in Giheung-gu, Yongin. It's a new-concept shabu kalguksu place where you shabu-shabu premium wagyu brisket, graded 1++, and dip it in sesame oil.

Aiming to be the 'omakase of kalguksu,' every menu item and step of the meal is apparently built around one star: Jangwongap's special noodles. Since I was visiting Yongin anyway, I stopped by to try the house-made noodles — nicknamed 'cheese noodles' — said to be kneaded a thousand times using a 60-year-old noodle-making method.

Where is Jangwongap Kalguksu Yongin Giheung Branch?

Jangwongap Kalguksu Yongin Giheung Branch is 3 minutes from Yongin Giheung Lotte Outlet, 5 minutes from Yongin Giheung IKEA, 5 minutes from Yongin Giheung Costco, and 10 minutes from Hwaseong Dongtan. It's a great-value house-made-noodle kalguksu restaurant where you can try a 5-course meal for ₩12,000.

I was extra curious because I'd heard you could enjoy kalguksu almost like an omakase — and this kalguksu restaurant in Giheung-gu, Yongin totally charmed me with its shabu kalguksu. From the premium wagyu brisket minari wraps, to the five-sense experience of Jangwongap's so-called cheese noodles, all the way to the finishing perilla-oil kkakdugi fried rice.

Early weekday lunch: crowds and parking at Jangwongap

I stopped by for a hearty lunch just before heading to Lotte Outlet. There's a large parking lot, so parking was easy.

Even at what felt like an early weekday lunch hour, this kalguksu restaurant in Giheung-gu, Yongin was clearly popular — Jangwongap Kalguksu Yongin Giheung Branch must already be well known by word of mouth.

Turns out not all kalguksu is the same. Jangwongap Kalguksu is said to be proud of its unmatched noodle-making skills. Honestly, I wondered if it would really feel that different before trying it myself — but wow. They call it the cheese noodle, and it really was chewy and stretchy like cheese, in a special way.

Inside the restaurant and the self-serve bar

This kalguksu restaurant in Giheung-gu, Yongin has a spacious, clean dining hall. It'd be great for local office workers, or for anyone stopping by after the outlet, IKEA, or Costco. It also seems like a good spot for gatherings, group meetings, or company dinners. Since the food came out quickly, table turnover felt good too.

It's a new-concept shabu kalguksu restaurant where you shabu-shabu premium wagyu brisket, graded 1++, and dip it into sesame oil pressed fresh at a local mill. While typical kalguksu is all about the broth, Jangwongap's kalguksu stands out for its chewy noodles.

There's a self-serve bar too, with basic side dishes and the option to pack up leftover pancake yourself.

What we ordered at Jangwongap and what it cost

Two servings of spicy beef brisket and minari-wrap shabu kalguksu (₩15,500 per person), one live abalone add-on (₩3,000), a whole shrimp seafood pancake (₩13,500), and a cola (₩2,000). Jangwongap's signature beef brisket and minari-wrap shabu kalguksu, with Jangwongap's recommended red broth.

We ordered two spicy shabu kalguksu servings, added a live abalone, and also ordered the whole shrimp seafood pancake and a cola.

Do check their guide on how to eat the kalguksu deliciously. And to keep things filling until the very end, there's free perilla-oil kkakdugi fried rice.

There's also a Naver receipt review event running.

How do you eat the brisket and minari shabu?

The dishes came out quickly. Jangwongap's signature is wrapping premium wagyu brisket with refreshingly tangy minari (water dropwort) and dipping it in sesame oil. Premium wagyu brisket 60g + minari wrap + vegetables and mushrooms + house-made kalguksu noodles + kkakdugi perilla fried rice.

The shabu kalguksu is enjoyed in a broth simmered with dried pollack, kelp, anchovy, shrimp, radish, scallion, and garlic. You can pick Jangwongap's recommended red broth, or white broth, or even mala broth, depending on your taste.

A completely new way to enjoy shabu kalguksu. It was my first time trying this style, and it was full of charm.

Jangwongap's pride and joy: house-made kalguksu noodles kneaded a thousand times for the shabu. They also apparently make Uiseong garlic kimchi at least three times a day, using sun-dried salt aged for three years.

Fresh live abalone.

I briefly cooked the premium wagyu brisket in the bubbling broth right at the table, piled fragrant minari on top, and dipped it into the sesame oil sauce pressed fresh at the mill.

A savory flavor spread all through my mouth.

Cheese noodles: how does the texture change minute by minute?

Next up was the five-sense experience of Jangwongap's cheese noodle, kneaded a thousand times. They call it the cheese noodle because it really has an unusual elasticity — stretching on and on like cheese without breaking.

These are kalguksu noodles where you can feel five different textures over time, each one more charming than the last.

• Starts off chewy
• Then bouncy
• Then springy
• Then fluffy
• And finally soft

Who knew kalguksu noodles could be as chewy as cheese — it was a whole new world.

Adding meat and eating it together made it even better. I usually prefer bouncy noodles, but this had more and more charm the longer I ate it.

The oyster mushrooms — supplied through contract farming with a Gyeonggi-do farm — had an excellent chewy texture. With savory brisket and nutrient-rich abalone thrown in, the dish was truly complete.

Was the whole-shrimp seafood pancake worth 13,500 won?

The whole shrimp seafood pancake. You could tell how savory it was just by looking at it.

I'd heard that beyond the stretchy cheese-like noodles, Jangwongap Kalguksu's seafood pancake was also excellent, so I ordered it. A pancake packed edge to edge with whole shrimp and seafood, crispy outside and moist inside.

It's thin rather than thick, so it's savory, and it's loaded with whole shrimp, squid, and octopus, which made it even better. I get why so many people order it alongside the kalguksu.

I also paired it with a fizzy drink.

Finishing with perilla-oil kkakdugi fried rice and misugaru slush

Even full, you can't skip the perilla-oil kkakdugi fried rice. I finished with this Korean-style dessert fried rice — savory perilla oil, made yourself at the self-serve bar.

The addictive flavor kept pulling my spoon back for more.

Jangwongap's 'grandmother's love' misugaru (roasted grain powder) slush carries that same handmade warmth. A savory finish right to the end.

Final verdict on Jangwongap Kalguksu Yongin Giheung

A comfortable atmosphere with generous, delicious food — this kalguksu restaurant in Giheung-gu, Yongin, Jangwongap Kalguksu Yongin Giheung Branch, delivers plenty of charm through its house-made-noodle shabu kalguksu and seafood pancake. The way the noodle texture kept changing over time was genuinely impressive — truly the omakase of kalguksu.

They call it the cheese noodle, and it really was uniquely chewy. I have a feeling I'll be thinking about Jangwongap's special kalguksu noodles again.