The art of hand-made noodles attracts locals and passer by alike

▲ CEO Im Young-sil

If you happen to visit Guri and fee like to have Chinese for your lunch or dinner, pop into Chilbokjung located in Inchang-dong. You are highly recommended to try ‘whole small octopus jjamppong’ or ‘assorted jjamppong (spicy noodle soup)’. It is known as one of the best in the region among the residents especially for chewy noodles and spicy broth. 

The taste and unsparing toppings
All ingredients at Chilbokjung are prepared daily to realize the freshest taste possible. 30 years of expertise in Chinese cuisine at this single place has built a mastery taste not to mention the excellent customer services. The famous ‘whole small octopus jjamppong’ especially can be hard to find in any other places in Korea in terms of its unique taste and the wow-look. 

The ingredients are supplied daily from Guri Wholesale Market located nearby and CEO Im Young-sil’s generous heart tops each dish with abundance of toppings. The chefs at Chilbokjung have worked average 10 years which is remarkable when considering the normal 2 to 3 year life of chefs in one place. In other words, the taste at Chilbokjung is consistent. 

“Changing the chefs affects the consistency of taste negatively as each chef has different hand touch and style. I can say that the taste 30 years ago at Chilbokjung is the same as today and it will be so after 10 years from now” says Im. 

If you are not a fan of noodle, try mixed rice. Here is the testimony of a regular: “The visual wows you first. And then when a spoonful of rice landed into your mouth, you will feel like your whole body is melting with the taste with the sound ‘mmmm~’.”

Sharing with neighbors
Many regulars voice together that Im is not only good in her profession but also has a warm heart to share things with neighbors. She regularly invites elderly people for free meals and has been sending part of her profits to children without parents for many years without anyone knowing. 

A story goes that she encountered with an elderly couple seemingly having a break from collecting wastepaper one day. Feeling overwhelmed, she took them to her house and bathed them and made meals for them. What surprised her was that she found the couple hanging a net with vegetable in it in front of her restaurant every now and then. She felt rewarded. 
Another story goes that she bought brand shoes one day for students who couldn’t afford. Knowing what she did, her daughter showed her respect by holding up her ‘thumb’ saying “You really are incredible!” Currently, Im is serving as the president of the Supporters Association of Disabled in Guri from January this year.