Pyeongtaek seafood nurungji-tang with two large abalone

Wow, it suddenly got so cold. The weather changed so drastically that it felt chilly even in a fleece-lined sweatshirt, which makes me even more grateful that it was warm in Jeju last week! Warm food is just right for chilly weather, so I visited Hwanggeum Seafood Nurungji-tang (황금해물누룽지탕), which had lots of good reviews from people around me.

Parking and atmosphere at Hwanggeum Seafood Nurungji-tang in Pyeongtaek

Even from the exterior, it felt incredibly neat and upscale. It made such a good first impression that it would be a great place to bring guests.

Pyeongtaek is hard to live in without a car... Here’s a little TMI: I moved to Godeok, Pyeongtaek, in 2020, when apartments were going up in Godeok New Town. I didn’t have a car then, so my husband asked City Hall when buses would start running in Godeok. Believing they would be coming soon, we got a place right in front of a Godeok New Town bus stop. But six years later, buses still do not run there ^^ It’s an amazing city where my home is just across one short underpass, yet I would have to wait an hour for a bus to cross that underpass! When my parents visited, they pitied me, saying, “You can’t live here without a car,” and left me the car they had driven over in... hahaha

Anyway, a car is important when you live in Pyeongtaek, so you end up driving everywhere. Hwanggeum Seafood Nurungji-tang has a very spacious parking lot right in front of the restaurant. Since I visited on a weekday afternoon, parking was even more relaxed.

Because it had not been open long, the whole restaurant felt very clean and upscale. The tables were comfortably spaced, and there were several private rooms, so it looked great for family gatherings or a meal with parents. From the atmosphere to the menu, it really seemed well suited to anyone looking for a good Pyeongtaek lunch spot with their parents.

I was only going to share photos of the side dishes, but I’m sharing the whole table setting too. It was so neatly arranged that it looked perfect for a gathering or treating someone to a meal.

Abalone Emperor Nurungji-tang and black pork glutinous rice tangsuyuk

The menu is broadly divided into nurungji-tang and glutinous rice tangsuyuk (sweet-and-sour fried pork). For the nurungji-tang, you can choose according to your taste, from the basic version to options with wild ginseng or abalone.

We ordered the Abalone Emperor Nurungji-tang and black pork glutinous rice tangsuyuk.

The seafood nurungji-tang had an unusual serving style. Rather than arriving with everything already in the stone pot, the staff poured in the broth, nurungji (scorched rice), and seafood one after another right at our table. They say they use a stone earthenware pot heated to 300°C, and watching everything bubble up the moment it went into the hot pot seriously whetted my appetite. I tried to capture it, but my hands were too slow, so all I got was this wizard-like photo 😅

The visuals are insane... There really was a huge amount of seafood, just like in the photo. The webfoot octopus and shrimp were not tiny little things; they were proper, pay-for-it-sized pieces. And instead of the small abalone you put in ramen, there were two whole, fairly large abalone—about 7 to 9 per kilogram.

I had to add this bubbling-hot stone pot hahaha. It stayed bubbling for such a long time because the pot was so hot, and it held its warmth throughout the meal, so I could enjoy hot nurungji-tang right to the end.

When I served some onto my small plate, it was absolutely packed with shrimp, abalone, webfoot octopus, and more. It almost felt like there was more seafood than nurungji hahaha. Eating the softened nurungji in the warm, thick broth warmed me from the inside and felt filling. With all that seafood—and especially two whole large abalone—it even felt like a restorative meal. It was exactly the kind of dish I would want when craving warm food on a cold day.

Black pork glutinous rice tangsuyuk with thick cuts of meat

This is the black pork glutinous rice tangsuyuk. Its defining feature was that it used black pork, and every piece was incredibly large.

Glutinous rice tangsuyuk, fried pale and beautifully! It looks so pretty, like it is wrapped in cotton wool hahaha.

There was a reason the tangsuyuk pieces were so large: the meat inside was extremely thick. Among all the tangsuyuk I’ve seen, the meat was easily one of the biggest. The glutinous rice coating was nicely chewy, and with such a high proportion of meat, it also had a great bite. The sauce was sweet and tangy, but quite strongly flavored, so if you dip it generously as though you are scooping sauce to eat, it gets very sweet and tangy hahaha. A moderate amount suited my taste better. This black pork glutinous rice tangsuyuk was truly delicious, so I hope you order it alongside the nurungji-tang rather than ordering the soup alone.

Self-service station and coffee after the meal

There is a self-service station in the middle of the restaurant where you can get any extra side dishes or seasonings you need. Next to it, there was also a phone charger and microwave. I barely use my phone while eating, so there are times I want to charge it then; having a charger ready like this was thoughtful.

And anyone with a baby will know this, but it can feel awkward to ask a restaurant to warm up baby food. Especially when they are busy... 🥲 Hwanggeum Seafood Nurungji-tang has a microwave you can use comfortably, so it also looked like a nice place to visit with a baby eating baby food.

After the meal, coffee and nurungji-flavored candy are available for dessert. You can choose either an Americano or milk coffee. I had not seen nurungji-flavored candy in such a long time, and it was delicious to have it again. There was a time when I was obsessed with it and ate it every day hahaha. My husband put one of the candies in his milk coffee, and he says it makes the coffee more delicious because it becomes nutty and sweet. What a true food connoisseur hahaha. The coffee is apparently very, very hot, so be careful!

Events running at the time of my visit

Lastly, let me share the events Hwanggeum Seafood Nurungji-tang was running. At the time of my visit, there was a grand-opening event and a receipt-review event. My husband entered the opening event—will a good opportunity come our way too?!!! hahaha After your meal, check out the events as well and enter for a chance to win 1 don of gold 😊

Overall

• A hot, filling nurungji-tang generously packed with seafood
• Thick black pork glutinous rice tangsuyuk that paired well with the nurungji-tang
• A neat table setting and private rooms that make it good for meals with parents, family gatherings, or treating guests
• A spacious parking lot in front of the restaurant makes driving convenient
• Thoughtful amenities including a microwave, charger, and dessert