Daewoo Budae Jjigae Army Stew

Post by Chiefeater Luke Soon

Most budae jjigae outside Korea is a salty, cheesy jumble of Spam, baked beans and instant noodles. Daewoo goes the other way. It opened in 1984 as Daewoo Sikdang, feeding the Teheran-ro office crowd, and it is still full of them at lunch: lanyards, rolled-up sleeves, everyone bent over a hissing pan. Its fame grew further when singer Sung Si-kyung named it his favourite budae jjigae in Seoul on his YouTube food show.

The pan arrives at the table piled high with minari (water dropwort), stalks and leaves together, with a ridge of gochugaru paste, shredded leek and a heap of fresh garlic on top. Under that sit a slab of tofu, coins of American-style sausage, ham, ground Hanwoo beef and, in the deungsim budae jjigae, slices of raw Hanwoo sirloin. Those cook through in a minute or two, so eat them first. As it boils, the paste dissolves and the broth changes from a pale beef stock to burnished orange.

This is the point of the place. The minari brings a clean, herbal, almost celery-like freshness that cuts through the processed meats, and there is no fermented-kimchi sourness to fight it. Korean reviewers call it 깔끔하다 (clean) and 시원하다 (refreshing in the way only Koreans use for a hot broth). The minced beef thickens the soup as it goes, and the move, which every Korean blog repeats, is to spoon it over rice from the brass bowl at the end.

The self-service bar has refills of broth and banchan. Take the pickled perilla leaves (kkaennip jangajji), which are excellent with the stew, and the crisp radish water kimchi to reset your palate.

Deungsim Budae Jjigae (Sirloin Army Stew): 8.5/10. The sirloin lifts the dish from comfort food to something better. Take it out while it is still pink.
Broth and Minari: 9/10. The best expression of the dish I have had. Clean, beefy and garlicky, never greasy.
Banchan and Self Bar: 7.5/10. Perilla leaves are the standout.
Ramyeon Sari (Instant Noodle Add-on): 7/10. Mandatory, but put them in early while they are still chewy.

What to know: There is a two-portion minimum. Solo diners can order two and take one away, which the staff will happily pack. Expect a queue between 12:00 and 13:00. The room is loud and tightly packed, and service is brisk rather than warm. It is closed every Saturday, which catches out many visitors.

Verdict: This is budae jjigae the way Koreans eat it, not the way it is exported. If your idea of army stew comes from Singapore food courts, this will change it. Forty years on, it remains short-term turbulence at the lunch queue for long-term abundance in the bowl. Worth crossing Gangnam for.

Final score : 7/10 def the most authentic boodae jiggae I’ve had thus far. The beefy boeufy infusion ( suspect it’s more than just meat, e.g. fats.,) really add depth and layers to this simplest of dishes with the humblest origins ( Korean War rations discarded by Americans – but that’s another story).

Price: $$ (₩16,000 per person for the classic, ₩25,000 for the sirloin; two-person minimum)

Nearby station: Yeoksam (Line 2), Exit 6, about four minutes on foot

Business Hours

Sunday to Friday
11:00 am to 03:00 pm
05:00 pm to 09:00 pm

Closed on Saturday