Korean restaurant in Gangdong, Seoul for extra gukbap: Boseung Hoegwan

On a rainy day, I was craving a hot bowl of soup, so I went to Boseung Hoegwan Cheonho Station Branch (보승회관 천호역점). I ordered the hangjeong suyuk gukbap (pork jowl boiled pork soup) in an extra-large serving, along with sliced sundae (Korean blood sausage), mung bean pancake, and seafood scallion pancake.

Are there solo seats and parking?

The restaurant is at 654 Olympic-ro in Gangdong-gu, Seoul. According to the original post, it is open 24 hours a day, year-round, and has 104 seats. Free parking was listed as available in the outdoor lot and mechanical parking garage behind the building.

The exterior was neat, and I could look over the signature dishes from outside. There were so many menu options that I spent a while deciding what to order. Inside, there were group tables and solo seats, so I thought it would work well whether dining alone or with several people.

What did I order, and how much did it cost?

• Hangjeong suyuk gukbap: ₩13,000; add ₩3,000 for an extra-large serving
• Mung bean pancake and seafood scallion pancake: ₩15,000
• Sliced sundae: ₩7,000

The kimchi served as a basic side dish suited my taste well. There was no self-service side-dish bar, but when I requested more through the table kiosk, they brought onion, garlic, chili peppers, and ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste). The chili peppers served as a side dish were not spicy.

What was the texture of the sliced sundae?

The sliced sundae was the first dish to arrive. When I visited, it came out within almost five minutes of ordering. It included several kinds of sundae, with full fillings and thin casings. It had no off smell and was tender, making it a good accompaniment to the gukbap.

It was good lightly dipped in salt, and I also liked eating it with onion and ssamjang. The person I went with kept having it with onion too, though the onion smell lingered quite a bit afterward.

How filling and spicy was the extra-large hangjeong suyuk gukbap?

I ordered the hangjeong suyuk gukbap in an extra-large serving because I wanted a hearty meal. It had plenty of meat, so I had some with every spoonful of soup. The pork jowl was tender and pleasantly chewy.

The broth was rich, and the meat had absorbed its flavor. I chose medium spice and ate it with dadaegi (spicy seasoning paste) added. The dadaegi could be added or left out.

Were the mung bean and seafood scallion pancakes worth ordering too?

Because it was raining, I ordered pancakes too. They did not look like a large portion in the photos, but four palm-sized pancakes arrived, which felt like enough.

The dipping sauce for the pancakes contained Cheongyang chili peppers, so it was spicy.

The mung bean pancake was crisp outside and moist inside. There were ingredients with a noticeable bite in it, though I was not sure whether they were onion. Of the two, I especially liked the seafood scallion pancake. It had plenty of squid and seafood, and the scallion aroma went well with the crisp batter.

What stayed with me from this meal was the generous meat in the gukbap, the tender sundae, and the crisp seafood scallion pancake. The staff were kind and the restaurant was comfortable, so I would like to return when I am craving a hot bowl of gukbap.