Ganghwa Noodle Shop's Chive Noodle Soup Draws Crowds

Despite the low price of 5,000 won, the huge portion of chive salad has made it popular with nearby students and local residents.

The owner explains that noodles are cheap but leave diners hungry soon after eating, so the shop serves a generous amount of chives to make up for it.

Her philosophy is to make the noodles a staple meal balanced with vegetables, rather than a simple snack.

Diners can choose small, medium, or large portions at the same price, and seniors aged 65 and over receive a 500-won discount.

When hungry diners want more, the shop refills both noodles and toppings in the same amounts, operating as a service that continues until they feel full.

This continued service reflects the owner's generosity.

Although this takes extra effort, it ensures customers always get crisp, fresh chives.

The demanding routine of boiling broth and preparing toppings continues every day.

The current owner got the menu idea from her years running a pork belly restaurant, where diners particularly liked the seasoned chives served alongside the meat.

While preparing to close that restaurant, she came up with the idea of using the leftover chive seasoning on noodles, which led to today's chive noodle soup.

The shop is only about seven pyeong (roughly 23 square meters), and its roughly three-pyeong kitchen is the core of the operation.

The staff have grown used to moving in ways that don't get in each other's way, and skilled coordination and movement management are essential.

The owner emphasizes a service mindset that attends to even customers' small requests, keeping operations efficient.

The owner strives to provide what her staff want and shows careful consideration for them.

Having worked and struggled together for years, the staff help one another and keep the shop running.

The broth the owner makes herself is based on her mother's recipe from volunteer work at a restaurant, completed with the owner's own research. It is made with generous amounts of more than 10 ingredients, including onion, smoked anchovy, radish, kelp, and chili, for a deep flavor. The broth is the result of adding her own research to her mother's recipe.

Built on her mother's volunteer restaurant recipe with the owner's research added, the key to the broth's taste is the generous amount of ingredients.

The owner is very particular about ingredients, working with market vendors to secure the quality of chives she wants first.

Staff find her meticulous selection process somewhat demanding, but the owner explains why she insists on good ingredients for the enjoyment of her customers.

Selling about 300 servings a day has built up physical fatigue, and the owner underwent knee surgery, showing the reality of this demanding work.

Self-employed people often live with pain patches and braces as constant companions, and the owner says her children are the reason she keeps going and the motivation to work hard.

For her son, the shop is a source of pride and motivation, and for regular customers it is a place remembered for its nostalgic flavor.

The shop keeps letters written by customers, and many visitors leave notes to share special news or say how delicious the food was.

The noodle shop has become more than a place for a simple meal, a special space where warm memories and emotional connections are built.

The owner says she looks forward to each day through these connections with customers, and puts even more passion into making the broth.