Suwon date lunch at a noodle restaurant: bossam at Daseon Kalguksu

A weekend we'd planned to spend on a date at Hwaseong Fortress. I heard there was a Suwon Jazz Fringe Festival happening in Haenggung-dong, so before heading over to watch, we went looking for somewhere good to eat near Suwon Station to curb our hunger.

Looking it up beforehand, I found Daseon Kalguksu Main Branch — a place that's had strong word of mouth for a long time — and figured it'd make a great lunch spot.

Where is Daseon Kalguksu Main Branch, and what about parking and hours?

Daseon Kalguksu sits at the end of the Rodeo Street strip near Exit 8 of Suwon Station. It wasn't hard to get to by public transit.

It's open every day from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., but there's a break time, so it's worth checking the hours before you go.

The restaurant doesn't have its own dedicated parking lot, so if you're driving, it's easier to use the nearby Suwon Tax Office or a public parking lot in the area.

• Location: 48 Hyanggyo-ro, 1st floor, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea / near Suwon Station Exit 8
• Hours: 10:30–22:00 (closures announced separately)
• Parking: nearby public parking recommended (no parking support)

Ordering the clam-broth kalguksu and meat dumplings

Daseon Kalguksu Main Branch has been a long-running favorite near Suwon Station, so the space itself isn't huge, but because kalguksu turns over fast, seats opened up quickly.

We sat at the seats we were shown to, looked over the menu, and ordered the signature Daseon Kalguksu, meat dumplings, and a medium bossam.

What two people ordered at Daseon Kalguksu

• Daseon Kalguksu ₩10,000
• Meat dumplings ₩8,000
• Bossam (medium) ₩29,000

The first thing to arrive while we waited was the pre-meal barley rice. Back in the day, kalguksu restaurants used to always serve barley rice, but these days it's honestly hard to find a place that still does. Because Daseon Kalguksu is such an old, established spot, though, we got to enjoy that nostalgic barley rice.

A generous helping of spicy radish salad, mixed in with a drizzle of sesame oil, was more than enough to get the appetite going.

Then came the Daseon Kalguksu itself! A clear clam broth — clean, but with a deep savory richness I loved.

I think the noodles were another reason the kalguksu was so good. The noodles had just the right amount of broth soaked in, and the chewiness was on another level. Personally, I love a good texture, so Daseon's noodles were a total hit for me.

The meat dumplings we ordered as a side were a different size from what you usually get at restaurants — about the size of a small child's fist.

The dumpling wrapper wasn't thick, and the filling was packed in tight. Even though there was a lot of meat inside, it wasn't greasy — the flavor was clean and light, so I could eat plenty of them.

Is the bossam boiled pork tender and free of gamy smell?

We also ordered bossam (boiled pork wraps), one of the other popular menu items alongside the kalguksu. The bossam is brought out on a portable gas burner, which stood out — it kept the pork warm right down to the last piece.

After one bite, my husband's eyes went wide and he told me to try it. Once I did, I understood exactly why.

The pork was moist rather than dry, practically melting in the mouth, and the usual gamy smell of pork had been cleanly removed, so even eating the meat on its own tasted light and satisfying. It was delicious with the kimchi that came alongside it, and also great wrapped up with chives.

A filling Korean meal before a Hwaseong Haenggung date

After finishing a filling but not-too-heavy meal at Daseon Kalguksu — kalguksu, dumplings, and bossam — we headed over to Haenggung-dong and walked the Hwaseong Fortress wall. It helped with digestion and made for a perfect date course.

When I'm craving chewy kalguksu, or want something simple and not too heavy for a Korean meal on a date in Suwon, I think I'll come back here.