Hongdae bossam restaurant with a medium lunch for two: Pyeongidambaek

Delicious bossam near Hongdae in Mangwon-dong — this is Pyeongidambaek Ppyeo Kalguksu, a Mangwon Station favorite. Moist, tender bossam pork made for a filling meal haha.

Where is Pyeongidambaek Ppyeo Kalguksu? 5 minutes from Mangwon and Hapjeong stations

This Hongdae favorite sits near Jandari Children's Park, about a 5-minute walk from both Mangwon and Hapjeong stations. Whichever station you start from, the walk time seems about the same!

This Hapjeong favorite serves bossam suyuk as its main dish alongside ppyeo kalguksu (bone-broth knife-cut noodles) and various other Korean dishes. The restaurant's name, Pyeongidambaek, uses Chinese characters meaning 'a clean, unpretentious bowl served without excess.' Achieving a plain, unassuming flavor might actually be the hardest thing to do!

At the entrance door, I noticed a sign announcing a 10% discount for firefighters, military, police, and civil servants.

Inside Pyeongidambaek: seating, mood and the menu lineup

The interior of this Hongdae bossam spot is clean and tidy. With a wide variety of dishes that pretty much anyone would enjoy, it also seems like a good pick for a company dinner in Hongdae or Hapjeong.

Bossam suyuk is the main dish at this Hongdae favorite. Order it and you can add anchovy kalguksu for just ₩5,000 — a perfect portion for two to share. There were plenty of other tempting dishes too, and I found myself wanting to come back with a group sometime. The bone soup rice dish especially caught my eye — it looked like it might be a gukbap-style pork bone hangover soup, which was intriguing!!!

This Hapjeong favorite has even been featured on the show 'Delicious Guys.' A photo showing what the bossam suyuk looks like when served was posted up, which was handy for reference.

Take part in a Naver receipt review and get 3 dumplings or a drink as a service — worth doing! Spoons, chopsticks, tissues, and wet wipes are all in the drawer beside the table for you to take out yourself.

Side dishes at Pyeongidambaek, including the fresh radish salad

The basic side dishes are napa cabbage kimchi and diced radish kimchi, both seasoned really nicely! The radish salad comes free with bossam suyuk, and wrapping it with the sweet cabbage and meat together worked really well haha.

Medium bossam suyuk plus anchovy kalguksu for 5,000 won

The medium bossam suyuk and anchovy kalguksu I ordered at this Hapjeong bossam favorite!!

Just looking at the bossam suyuk, it looks incredibly moist and appetizing haha.

The anchovy kalguksu, which you can add for just ₩5,000, has a deep, rich flavor — good good! Topped generously with green onion, fried tofu, egg garnish, seaweed flakes, and red pepper seasoning, it's a clean, plain-tasting anchovy kalguksu that paired well with the bossam suyuk.

Swirl the soft noodles around and eat them together with the hot broth! haha

You could really taste the deep flavor of the anchovy broth — a satisfying meal at this Hongdae kalguksu favorite.

The noodles were smooth and easy to slurp, and they went really well with the spicy-seasoned napa cabbage kimchi haha.

How to eat Pyeongidambaek's bossam suyuk for the best bite

The most tender, moist bossam suyuk in the world...!!! The glossy sheen was appealing even before taking a bite haha.

Dipping it lightly in salted shrimp is the cleanest, tastiest way to eat Pyeongidambaek's bossam suyuk. It also goes well with the well-seasoned napa cabbage kimchi.

But no matter what, wrapping the bossam suyuk in sweet inner cabbage leaves is the tastiest way to eat it! hahaha

This Hapjeong favorite lets you enjoy moist, tender bossam suyuk deliciously. Next time I visit, I'll have to try the ppyeo kalguksu menu! haha

Pyeongidambaek Ppyeo Kalguksu Main Branch: hours, location and prices

• Address: 84 Yanghwa-ro 7-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00–22:00 (break time 15:00–17:00)