Mapo shabu-shabu restaurant for pork neck: Shabu in Seoul

Getting to Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch from Hapjeong Station

Here’s one tip. I wandered around because I didn’t realize it was connected to Hapjeong Station. Please go through the underground passage from Hapjeong Station! It’s right in front of the Kyobo Book Centre inside Delight Square. Since it connects directly underground, it’s easy to get there even on rainy or hot days. We made a reservation before going.

Choosing the pork neck shabu set

I ordered pork neck rather than pork belly, telling myself I was on a diet, haha ^^

A calm atmosphere for a quiet meal

The restaurant is a sophisticated white-and-wood space. With soft lighting and natural wood tones, it’s great for a quiet meal. This atmosphere somehow made the food’s depth stand out even more.

It works equally well for a formal meal or a casual get-together, making it a popular Hapjeong date spot and a perfect meeting place too. There’s a terrace, couple seats, and private rooms, so you can choose what suits the occasion.

What comes with the black pork neck shabu set

We had the top-grade black pork neck shabu set. It’s ₩23,000 per person. The pork neck shabu comes with mushrooms, vegetables, and more.

You can choose clear mushroom, spicy mushroom, crab soybean-paste, or sukiyaki broth, but we ordered half beef tomato and half clear mushroom. Just so you know, the final course changes according to the broth; if you choose half-and-half, only kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) is available at the end.

Three sauces come out: chili, soy sauce, and mayo. There’s also minced garlic and Cheongyang chili peppers, so just mix them well into the sauces.

Trying the ingredients in half-and-half broth

We were hungry and lazy, so we just threw in all the ingredients that came out. While it bubbled away and we chatted, everything was cooked before we knew it. Ingredients like flat glass noodles, napa cabbage, and mushrooms felt healthy but tasted so good. Adding rice paper was delicious too.

The shabu meat was really tender too. As black pork neck, it was pleasantly chewy yet clean-tasting, and I think it stayed tender even when quickly cooked at high heat because it was sliced to the ideal thickness. It went so well with the sauces that I kept reaching for it.

There are flat glass noodles too, so it fills you up. Add the final course on top of that... and you’ll be really full.

If you’re looking for a healthy but delicious lunch or dinner, I don’t think there’s much better than this. And personally, I recommend ordering half-and-half broth like hot pot. You can keep eating without getting tired of it.

Finishing with kalguksu and omija tea

We finished the meal with kalguksu. Here’s a tip: I recommend eating everything else first and adding the noodles last, because adding them first reduces the broth. The kalguksu cooked in that rich broth was so good.

For dessert, omija tea came out. It was refreshing and perfect for cleansing the palate. I liked that it let us finish fresh after a rich meal.

My overall thoughts after the black pork shabu

If you’re looking for shabu-shabu in Hapjeong, I recommend Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch (샤브인서울 합정점). You can enjoy tender meat sliced to the ideal thickness, broths chosen to your taste, healthy vegetables, and rice paper. The finishing kalguksu and refreshing omija tea were satisfying too.

With its calm white-and-wood atmosphere, it’s perfect for a Hapjeong date or a quiet gathering, and the underground connection to Hapjeong Station makes access excellent. You get 3 hours of free parking at Delight Square 1, and a photo review gets you free gyoja dumplings, so give it a visit if you want shabu-shabu in Hapjeong.