Samsong hangover soup restaurant with spicy tripe: Jeju Eunhui-ne

Lately I find that instead of anything fancy for lunch, a bowl of warm soup with rice is the easiest on the stomach and the least fuss. I had errands at Starfield Goyang and wanted something filling, so I had a hearty lunch at a nearby Samsong go-to, Jeju Eunhui-ne Haejangguk Goyang Samsong Branch.

A haejangguk spot close to Samsong Station and Starfield Goyang

Jeju Eunhui-ne Haejangguk Goyang Samsong Branch is close to Samsong Station and near Starfield Goyang, making it a convenient Samsong go-to for lunch. There's also a Jeju Eunhui-ne Haejangguk Samsong branch near my house — I went once a while back and hadn't been in a while, so this time I visited the Goyang Samsong branch instead. Besides haejangguk (hangover soup), they have quite a variety of menu items.

Probably because it's near Starfield Goyang, there were quite a few other diners, and the interior was clean too.

Why I picked the yangmuchim, plus rice and broth refills

On the menu board at Jeju Eunhui-ne Haejangguk Goyang Samsong Branch, besides haejangguk there were seasonal dishes and yangmuchim (spicy seasoned tripe), and I couldn't just walk past it. I'd already tried dombe pork here several times, and since not many places sell yangmuchim, I was curious about theirs and ordered it alongside.

It was hot out, but at a haejangguk place the signature dish is always the way to go, so I regretfully just looked at the hanchi (squid) mul-hoe (cold raw seafood soup) instead of ordering it. One nice thing about this place: while purcell isn't eligible, if you order one menu item per person you can get rice and broth refills, so you can have a fully filling lunch.

Each table had small plates and the basic setup laid out neatly, making it comfortable to eat.

Honestly I meant to buy some of the seasoned doenjang (soybean paste) they sell on the way out after eating, but I forgot and just left. I'll pick it up next time. Good doenjang is delicious even just dipped with chili peppers alone.

Basic side dishes: chili peppers and kkakdugi

I ordered the basic haejangguk and yangmuchim, and chili peppers and kkakdugi (radish kimchi) came as basic side dishes. Really good haejangguk only needs kimchi alongside, so kimchi alone as a side was plenty.

Honestly I can't eat rice without kimchi, and since summer radish usually isn't very tasty I didn't expect much, but the kimchi was above average and went perfectly with the haejangguk.

The yangmuchim came out first, and since I always get the pale, mild version at Bumin-ok, I was curious what this spicy version would taste like.

The portion was bigger than expected, just right for two people to share one haejangguk plus a light drink.

The basic haejangguk, seonji and dadaegi left as is

At Jeju Eunhui-ne Haejangguk you can ask to remove the seonji (ox blood) or the dadaegi (chili paste), but since it had been a while, I had it as is.

For dishes served in a ttukbaegi (stone pot) like this, I like plenty of green onion piled on top, and it came out looking exactly right. I dumped in all the garlic served on the side too.

The ingredients were so generous I almost didn't need rice on the side, and the seonji was nicely tender too. I used to go looking for haejangguk after drinking on weekends, but since I quit drinking, occasions for a real hangover cure are now few and far between.

There were also glass noodles, which I love — the subtly seasoned flavor is, to me, even better than thin wheat noodles in seolleongtang (ox bone soup).

How was the yangmuchim? Chewy with no gamey smell

I only had a taste since the yang (tripe) was meant for my friend, but it had absolutely no gamey smell, was tangy-sweet and spicy, and had a chewy texture — I could see it being popular as a drinking snack.

It was called mini but came with plenty of vegetables too, so I think you could come for a meal and end up having a light drink along with it. I love yang for the texture, but it's a shame — not that I can't drink, but that I'm choosing not to for health reasons.

Hearty ingredients and black rice — filling enough for a late lunch?

It was a late lunch and I hadn't eaten breakfast, so I dug into the haejangguk, and the ingredients really seemed endless no matter how much I ate.

I'd originally meant to order naejangtang (organ meat soup) but switched to haejangguk after ordering the yangmuchim — it came with plenty of meat and just the right amount of spice, the kind of flavor that really hits the spot.

The rice was healthy black rice, so it felt like a waste not to eat it, and I had a small amount — such a relief I did. Better to add a little than let it go to waste, and the haejangguk alone was so substantial that I barely needed the rice anyway.

I love soups in general so I finished every last drop. It had been a while since I'd eaten here, and true to its reputation as a Samsong go-to, it was clean and tasty, making for a fully satisfying lunch. Jeju Eunhui-ne Haejangguk Goyang Samsong Branch is a great stop when you're shopping at Starfield Goyang and craving a hot bowl of hangover soup.