Jangwon Makguksu in Buyeo, a Must-Eat When You Visit

This is Jangwon Makguksu, which I visited during a trip to Buyeo.

When I arrived at lunchtime, customers were lined up under the shade of green parasols. True to its reputation as a famous makguksu restaurant in Buyeo, the wait took almost an hour. Along the path up, there was a food truck selling tanghulu and watermelon juice, which looked like a good cool snack to stop by while waiting. Instead of water, the table is served muu-cha (radish tea), and the sign even noted that it's good for skin health and digestion. The muu-cha came filled to the brim in the bowl, but with bits of solid ingredients visible, I wasn't quick to reach for it.

The makguksu arrived topped with julienned cucumber and gochujang sauce over a sweet and tangy broth — a broth like nothing I'd seen anywhere else, reminiscent of oi naengguk (cold cucumber soup). The broth tasted exactly like oi naengguk with makguksu noodles added in. I was surprised at how well it worked, more than I expected.

The pyeonyuk (boiled sliced pork) was also cut thin along the grain and stacked in layers, tender with no gamy smell. It was served with well-fermented, tangy kimchi and kkakdugi, and a whole set for the pyeonyuk was laid out separately — garlic, sliced garlic, pickled peppers, saeujeot (salted shrimp), and ssamjang.

You had to pass through a courtyard decorated with wooden cart wheels to get to your seat, and the rustic charm of taking off your shoes and sitting up on the wooden floor remained just as it was.

That said, maybe because it overlapped with the Buyeo Seodong Lotus Festival, the wait ended up being just over an hour. Whenever I crave that cool oi-naengguk-style makguksu, I think I'll stop by again.