Sundaetguk solo dining in Yongin: bone soup and blood sausage

I'd stopped by a café and was looking for something to fill my stomach, when I thought of a hot gukbap (soup with rice) place near home — Gyeongseong Sundaeguk, a well-known spot in Gorim-dong.

On rainy days the first thing that comes to mind is pajeon (scallion pancake) and makgeolli, or a steaming bowl of gukbap, to go with the sound of rain. Eating pajeon alone felt a bit sad, so for a solid solo meal I headed to a gukbap place instead.

A Gorim-dong gukbap place with parking and tablet ordering

This is Gyeongseong Sundaeguk, a well-known gukbap spot in Gorim-dong. The parking lot was spacious, so I parked comfortably and went in. Every table had a tablet with photos and descriptions of each menu item, so I could take my time browsing before ordering.

Solo dining with a portable charger and phone stand

Menus like sundaeguk and gukbap tend to draw a lot of solo male diners, right? And solo dining isn't complete without something fun to watch on your phone — so in case the battery runs low, this place has a portable charger and phone stand ready to go!!

I've been to a lot of gukbap places, but this kind of thoughtful touch was a first for me. Thanks to it, I got to enjoy a genuinely pleasant solo meal.

Gukbap always leaves you worrying about lingering smells afterward, but with the mouthwash the owner set out, that worry's over. On top of that there's candy, sikhye, and snacks — so many little extras that you never have a dull moment, whether you're eating or heading out. This is the kind of place that stays in your memory both ways.

Honestly, it's hard to find sikhye anywhere these days, so make sure to have a cup — it looks properly rich!!

Country-of-origin labeling and self-serve side dishes

This is the origin-labeling board at Gyeongseong Sundaeguk, the well-known Gorim-dong gukbap spot. The sundae, the most important part of sundaeguk, is made in an HACCP-certified facility, so I felt like I could eat with confidence.

Being able to enjoy the various side dishes freely without worrying what anyone thinks is such a good thing for solo diners. Along with kimchi and kkakdugi, essentials at any gukbap place, there were plenty of other banchan too, which I liked.

The perilla powder and salt — items you'd miss if they weren't there — and other seasonings were all neatly arranged in one spot, and everything looked well kept, with no mess or foreign bits anywhere.

At Gyeongseong Sundaeguk, the well-known Gorim-dong gukbap spot, you can grind sesame seeds in a mortar to add extra nuttiness to your sundaeguk. I'd never ground sesame seeds in myself before, but doing it definitely made things taste nuttier.

What I ordered — chapsundae, pyeonyuk sampler, bone soup

The side dishes came out first, and they looked delicious too, so I felt like I'd found a reliably good place. I wanted the sundae more than the sundaeguk itself, so I went all out and ordered chapsundae, a pyeonyuk sampler, and ppyeodagwi haejangguk as well.

The interior overall was clean, and with group tables available too, it's a spot where you could all come together after working out for a group gathering!

Here's the ppyeodagwi haejangguk, which passes the visual test right away. You might wonder why a sundaeguk place would even serve bone soup, but rather than the usual chapsundae-and-sundaeguk combo, I picked the bone soup so I could enjoy actual chunks of meat too.

If I could eat this generously every day I'd be happy, but I told myself it's still meat, at least, and just enjoyed today for what it was.

Chapsundae and pyeonyuk, and osorigamtu

Both the chapsundae and pyeonyuk were chewy in a way I'd have regretted missing. In particular, the sundae and osorigamtu (pork stomach lining) were on a completely different level from what you'd get at your typical bunsik (Korean street food) place.

Was the bone soup easy to eat?

The ppyeodagwi haejangguk had plenty of meat, and the bones came off easily, so it was easy to eat. Enjoying the spicy broth along with the sound of rain, I felt a little sorry I couldn't have a drink since I had my car — but it would've paired well.

Pork cutlet and jeyuk (spicy stir-fried pork) may be soul food for a lot of guys, but gukbap deserves its spot in the lineup too — and today felt like exactly the day gukbap was calling loudest.

Wrap-up

The soul food I enjoyed at Gyeongseong Sundaeguk, the well-known Gorim-dong gukbap spot — the bone soup and chapsundae with pyeonyuk — were both unforgettable. Especially memorable were the owner's small touches for solo diners: the portable charger, phone stand, and even the mouthwash and sikhye at the end of the meal. A satisfying experience right to the last moment.