Weekday-lunch shabu-shabu set with bossam at Ppongip Sarang, Anyang

I'm so into shabu-shabu that I go get a regular fix, and I finally found a great shabu-shabu spot near Anyang Arts Park! It's Ppongip Sarang Anyang Arts Park branch.

The taste is great, but honestly what really got me was the value for money, so I wanted to write this up in case you're heading to Anyang Arts Park and want somewhere to stop by~

150m from the entrance of Anyang Arts Park — what about parking?

Ppongip Sarang Anyang Arts Park branch is located 150 meters from the entrance of Anyang Arts Park, and there's a parking lot behind the building, so I could park comfortably and walk right in~

Right from the entrance, the menu items are shown with photos, so I could check what to order before even walking in~

A vibe that works for group hangouts and family meals too

Stepping inside, the clean wood-tone interior gave off a warm, cozy feel. The restaurant is very spacious with lots of tables, so it looked perfectly suited for group gatherings, company dinners, or family meals!

There's a self-serve bar in the middle of the restaurant, so you can grab extra side dishes yourself. Coffee and drinks for dessert, plus baby chairs, were also available~

Weekday lunch: Ppongip Sarang Special Shabu, ₩14,900 per person

The menu at Ppongip Sarang Anyang Arts Park branch is as shown above. We visited on a weekday lunch, so we picked from the discounted weekday lunch menu. I considered the basic beef shabu-shabu, but went with the Ppongip Sarang Special Shabu, spicy flavor, which comes with bossam included.

The weekday lunch set — beef + bossam + vegetables & mushrooms + kalguksu noodles + fried rice — was ₩14,900 per person. Insane value for money~

Not long after ordering, the table started getting set. It came out as a huge, table-groaning spread!

Once everything was laid out on the table, the sheer amount of food made me feel full before I'd even started eating. Since it comes with bossam on top of the usual shabu-shabu ingredients, it felt different from a regular shabu-shabu meal~

Bossam first — tender with no gamy smell

While the vegetables and meat cooked in the broth, we decided to try the bossam first. No gamy smell at all, tender and soft, it just went down easy. Getting to enjoy bossam alongside the shabu-shabu means meat lovers will be extra satisfied. Pairing the warm shabu-shabu with bossam made the meal feel even more substantial.

The spice level of the spicy flavor is about Shin Ramyun level

As soon as the broth started boiling, we dropped the beef in and dug in properly! Good call ordering the spicy flavor — it wasn't overwhelmingly hot, just pleasantly spicy enough to feel refreshing. Think Shin Ramyun-level spice.

As the various vegetables and mushrooms cooked, they released their flavor into the broth and deepened it, and it was fun fishing them out one by one. The meat was thin so it cooked quickly, keeping the eating rhythm going without a break, hehe. There were two sauces available, and personally the chili sauce suited my taste better. Dipping into it, it was sweet and tangy, so my chopsticks kept going back~

Add the kalguksu noodles and the broth turns thick and hearty

Once we'd mostly finished eating, we added the kalguksu noodles. The shabu-shabu broth has naturally absorbed the flavors from the beef, vegetables, and mushrooms cooked in it, so it tastes quite different from when you first tried it. Adding the kalguksu noodles and letting them boil turns the broth thick, transforming it into a filling noodle dish.

Eating just the meat and vegetables in shabu-shabu can feel like something's missing, but adding the kalguksu noodles definitely filled me up. This perfect course is exactly why I keep coming back for shabu-shabu regularly~ The kimchi was tasty too, which made it go down even better!

The finishing ppongip fried rice is the real deal

Following the fried rice instructions posted on the wall, you can make the ppongip (mulberry leaf) fried rice yourself~

I was already pretty full, but the fried rice was so good I kept eating anyway lol. Scraped the pot clean down to the last grain of rice... Since all the concentrated flavor from the broth pooled into it, the fried rice was insanely good. I could see myself coming back just for the fried rice!

Wrapped it up neatly with a cup of mix coffee for dessert~ If you're looking for a good shabu-shabu spot or a place to eat in Anyang, I recommend Ppongip Sarang Anyang Arts Park branch :)