Umyeondang

About

A second-floor noodle restaurant near Yangjae Citizen’s Forest, known for beef-bone kalguksu and hearty kalmandu; it also serves bossam and Korean pancakes.

At 우면당 in Seocho, the case for ordering 칼만두 is simple: one bowl brings together the restaurant’s two signatures, kalguksu and mandu. The broth arrives pale and savory, with a rounded beef-bone depth. Stir in the colorful topping of onion, carrot, and zucchini, and its tangy notes shift the soup toward a livelier, slightly sharper flavor. Pepper adds another aromatic edge. The noodles are worth lingering over. Their surface is soft and yielding, but the center keeps a firm bite, and they carry the broth well. The mandu is a quieter partner: filled with minced meat, vegetables, and glass noodles, it tastes mild and savory, with chive coming through distinctly. There is just one in the 칼만두, so this is a bowl led as much by its noodles and broth as by its dumpling. The sides shape the meal, too. Blog accounts describe cabbage geotjeori with a punchy, gradually building heat, alongside bean sprouts and fish cake. For a different order, mandu-guk puts the dumplings front and center; one regular visitor recommends 칼만두 when the choice is between tasting noodles and dumplings or committing to just one. 우면당 also suits a longer, shared meal. The dining room has enough room for groups, and the menu extends beyond noodles to bossam and Korean-style cod jeon. Bossam is described as tender and moist, served with kimchi and radish strips; a bowl of rich kalguksu broth has accompanied it as well. That makes this a place where a noodle lunch can turn into a table of dishes to share, with makgeolli in the picture. Set on the second floor, 우면당 has the practical feel of a busy neighborhood restaurant: diners come for a warming bowl, but there is room to gather around more than one. Come for the firm noodles and savory broth; choose 칼만두 to sample both signatures, or add bossam when the meal calls for a wider spread.