Hwaseong Korean restaurant for a bulgogi and egg roll lunch set

Why am I craving something spicy and fiery so much these days? I used to think kimchi jjigae wasn't really worth paying for at a restaurant, but lately my tastes have completely flipped and I just keep seeking it out. So it had been a while since I went out specifically for kimchi jjigae. The portions were generous and it was seriously tasty — plus they also sell samgyeopsal (pork belly), so it works as a hearty lunch or a good spot for a drink at dinner. This is Yangpuni Kimchi Jjigae & Samgyeopsal, a Korean restaurant in Bansong-dong, Dongtan. Here's how our meal with a full round of sides went.

Location and parking at Yangpuni Kimchi Jjigae & Samgyeopsal

Yangpuni Kimchi Jjigae & Samgyeopsal is located near the Gaenari Park food alley in Bansong-dong, Dongtan, and since Central Park is nearby, it's also a nice stop if you're out for a walk! Parking is available right in front of the restaurant, but you can also use the Central Park public lot, so there's really no need to worry about parking. This place specializes in kimchi jjigae but also sells samgyeopsal, so you get everyone from diners just there for a meal to people having pork and drinks. Guess that makes sense since both food and drinks are covered here.

The atmosphere just before lunchtime

When we arrived, it was slightly before lunchtime but there were already 3-4 tables having what looked like brunch-lunch. The dining room was bigger and cleaner than I expected, which was great! We came for lunch, but grilling samgyeopsal at dinner alongside kimchi jjigae would be amazing too — if a place makes good kimchi, the pork can't be bad either!

The menu and prices

The menu ranges from kimchi jjigae to duruchigi, pork kimchi braise, and samgyeopsal, and based on the posted prices it comes to about ₩10,000-11,000 per person — best value ever! Especially since they say they use domestic napa cabbage kimchi and domestic grade-1 fresh meat, it feels like they care about ingredients too. Since we came for lunch, we went with the value set. But my husband wanted bulgogi and I wanted egg roll, so in the end we just ordered both, haha^.^

• Value kimchi jjigae set for two (with bulgogi option)
• Egg roll

What we ordered, and the basic side dishes

The basic side dishes weren't a flashy spread. Instead they were exactly the kind of banchan you need for kimchi jjigae, and the one I loved most was that they included seasoned seaweed flakes (gimgaru). Mixing rice into kimchi jjigae broth and sprinkling gimgaru on top is genuinely delicious, so I'm definitely a gimgaru-must-have kind of woman, lol.

At this Korean restaurant in Bansong-dong, Dongtan, the set menus seem like a better deal than ordering à la carte! There are combos that come with kimchi jjigae, rice, and sides all together, so if you're visiting with someone, I'd recommend the set menu. Our combination turned out to be really good in the end! Eating just the stew might have felt lacking, but spicy kimchi jjigae plus sweet bulgogi plus soft egg roll? If you love a spread this generous, this is a solid pick when you're looking for a Korean restaurant in Bansong-dong, Dongtan!

The yangpuni kimchi jjigae: how much meat and tofu?

Finally, the main dish — yangpuni kimchi jjigae — arrived. True to its name, it came piled high in a large metal bowl (yangpuni)! I wondered if the two of us could finish it all, and sure enough, we couldn't — mostly because we'd also ordered two side dishes, haha. What really surprised me was the size of the meat: instead of small scattered bits, there were two big chunks of meat in there! Once we cut them up with scissors for easier eating, it looked like even more food^.^ My meat-loving husband was thrilled.

Another must-have in kimchi jjigae is tofu, and here the tofu was really generous too! A piece of kimchi with meat and tofu on top is absolute perfection. I loved that they didn't skimp on ingredients and packed everything in generously. In fact, with the two of us eating the sides as well, we ended up leaving a bit of the stew — that's how much there was. There was enough left over that you could ask to pack it to go, so this is a great fit especially for people who love restaurants with big portions!

What's the broth like?

Personally, the kimchi jjigae wasn't the heavy, deeply simmered style — it was more of a spicy, refreshing style. This might be a matter of personal taste, but since I was craving something fiery that day, I really enjoyed it. The broth wasn't thick or overly heavy, so it went great with rice — I cleared a whole bowl.

The set sides: bulgogi and egg roll

I also tried the bulgogi my husband wanted! Since the kimchi jjigae was on the spicy side, pairing it with something sweet like bulgogi worked better than I expected. A bite of spicy broth followed by a spoonful of rice with sweet bulgogi is a total rice thief combo — definitely worth trying~~

And this is the egg roll I just couldn't skip! Isn't an egg roll basically an unwritten rule at a kimchi jjigae restaurant? When it arrived, it really was thick and generously sized. One bite and the egg was fluffy and soft — pairing it in between bites of the spicy kimchi jjigae was a great combo. I was glad I ordered the egg roll after all. Funny thing is my husband devoured it too, so we cleared both sides completely^.^ The combination of spicy kimchi jjigae, sweet bulgogi, and soft egg roll was so good that I want to come back again! With samgyeopsal and duruchigi also on the menu, it's a good drinking spot too — Yangpuni Kimchi Jjigae & Samgyeopsal, a Korean restaurant in Bansong-dong, Dongtan. I'll have to come back next time I'm craving something spicy.