Sundubu jjigae with a spicy kick in Sindorim: Sambaekga

I thought Sindorim Sambaekga was going to be all about the kalguksu — turns out the sundubu jjigae was the real star.

Sambaekga specializes in Korean dishes like jokbal, bossam, and kalguksu. My husband and I went to Sindorim Prugio for dinner after work and the kalguksu looked so good we decided to try it.

Location and parking for Sindorim Sambaekga

• 📍661 Gyeongin-ro, 1F Unit 118, Guro-gu, Seoul
• ⏰ Hours: daily 11:00–21:40
• Break time: weekdays 15:00–16:00, none on weekends
• 🅿️ Prugio 1 basement level 3 parking lot, 2 hours free

The Sindorim Station Prugio 1 arcade — this is the building with the Homeplus in it.

Head into the alley to the left from the center of the first floor and you'll find Sambaekga.

The dinnertime atmosphere and seating

It was dinner time so every table was full, but luckily a seat opened up quickly. There were also 3 tables behind a partition — a bit more of a separate space, so it would be good for group gatherings if you reserve ahead. The restaurant also had high chairs, and I saw families with young kids 👶

There's also a bar counter for solo dining, so it's a good option for eating alone.

The Korean menu and what we ordered

From set meals that are great for lunch to jokbal and bossam à la carte, Sambaekga's menu is varied enough that it also seemed like a good spot for a family meal or a group gathering in Sindorim.

Here's what my husband and I ordered that day:

• ✔️Kalguksu bossam set ₩14,900
• ✔️Sundubu jjigae set ₩9,900
• ✔️Mung bean pancake ₩13,000
• ✔️Jipyeong makgeolli ₩5,000

How was the Sambaek kalguksu and bossam set?

A hearty spread — Sambaek kalguksu and the bossam set.

The kalguksu apparently uses broth simmered from 12 high-quality ingredients with 100% domestic fresh noodles. The milky broth was rich yet clean, and the noodles were bouncy and chewy — really good.

A mini barley rice bowl comes free with the kalguksu order.

You help yourself to barley rice, yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi), gochujang (red chili paste), and sesame oil at the self-serve station. Since it was dinner time the station was empty, but when I asked, the staff brought everything out for us.

I was excited for the bossam since they say it uses a patented herbal-marinated pork, but personally it felt less moist-and-tender and more on the clean, slightly firm side.

Still, kalguksu alone would be a bit light on protein, so the bossam set rounds out the meal nutritionally, right?!

Persimmon-mixed geotjeori

The geotjeori (fresh-mixed kimchi), made daily, was delicious. Since it's made with ripe persimmon instead of sugar, it had a deeper sweetness than plain sugar would. The crunch was still there, and it paired well with both the kalguksu and the bossam.

The real winner: the sundubu jjigae set

And what I really loved at Sindorim Sambaekga was the sundubu jjigae!

Honestly, just looking at it, I wasn't expecting much — it seemed like there was nothing in there but soft tofu and minced pork.

But the spicy, deep flavor… it was way better than I expected! Not an in-your-face spicy-and-salty sundubu jjigae, but one with a spicy kick and deep savory depth in the broth — I polished off a whole bowl of rice with it. The kalguksu was really good too, but the sundubu jjigae was so good I'd recommend it for an office lunch or a simple dinner!

Mung bean pancake and Jipyeong makgeolli

The mung bean pancake came out with a really crispy exterior.

That savory, clean flavor unique to mung beans. We'd gone for a simple meal, but it seemed like such a good pairing with makgeolli that we couldn't resist ordering Jipyeong makgeolli too. Haha.

If you're looking for a good kalguksu or sundubu jjigae spot in Sindorim, I'd recommend Sambaekga. If you're near Sindorim Prugio and looking for a Korean restaurant, it's worth a visit.