Gwacheon Korean restaurant: stone-pot octopus roe rice at Bibisam

After work, I was looking for somewhere to have dinner together and went to Bibisam Gwacheon Main Branch (비비삼 과천본점) near Gwacheon Citizens’ Hall. We had two types of bibimbap as sets with tteokgalbi, and the stone-pot octopus roe rice suited my taste especially well.

Where is it, and how does parking work?

The restaurant is in Suite 101 on the first floor at 10-13 Saesulmak-gil, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. The original post lists its hours as 11:00–22:00, and parking is available at a paid public parking lot.

Is it comfortable for dining alone?

The restaurant had only recently opened when I visited, so the interior was neat. It felt bright and comfortable overall, and there were quite a few diners even at dinner. I also saw plenty of people eating alone, so I felt it would not be awkward to come by yourself.

How do the self-service bar and food pickup work?

Everything from collecting the food to returning the dishes was self-service. I also picked up side dishes, soup, and tableware myself at the self-service bar. The staff were kind, and I saw them keeping an eye on the restaurant throughout.

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

The menu focused on Korean dishes such as namul bibimbap (rice mixed with seasoned vegetables) and stone-pot rice. Since a set lets you add tteokgalbi, I chose sets for both dishes. Alcohol was not sold at the time of my visit.

• Hwangdeung toryeom namul bibimbap set: ₩12,500.
• Stone-pot octopus roe rice set: ₩15,500.
• I chose Korean pork tteokgalbi for both. Korean beef tteokgalbi cost extra.

What was good about the stone-pot octopus roe rice?

The stone-pot octopus roe rice arrived in a hot stone pot. The roe had its characteristic popping texture, while the tender, chewy octopus added another layer, and both my companion and I enjoyed it.

The rice came already mixed, so I only needed to combine the toppings well. It was served as a lower-sodium dish, and I could press the staff call button to ask for more gochujang if needed. The octopus gave it varied textures, and scraping up the crisp rice stuck to the stone pot was part of the pleasure. It is a dish I would like to have again.

Each table also had gim garu (seasoned seaweed flakes). Sprinkling some in and mixing it midway through the meal added the savory flavor of seasoned seaweed and gave the dish a different taste.

How was the Korean pork tteokgalbi in the set?

The Korean pork tteokgalbi had a straightforward flavor that paired well with either the bibimbap or roe rice. It was a good addition when rice alone felt a little lacking, and we chose the sets to make the meal more filling.

What did the Hwangdeung toruyeom namul bibimbap taste like?

I also wanted to try the namul bibimbap, so I ordered the Hwangdeung toruyeom namul bibimbap set. It included several kinds of namul, and the gochujang was already mixed in, which made it easy to eat.

We were told to place the yukhoe (Korean-style beef tartare) on one piece at a time, but we added it all at once. Because it was toruyeom bibimbap, it felt different from the bibimbap I usually eat, and the yukhoe had a nice texture too. It was not strongly seasoned for my taste, making it a dish I could think of when I wanted a light lunch.