Gaya Son Kalguksu 가야 손 칼국수 — Restaurant in Stanton

So excited this place has opened!! I’m a huge fan of Hangari in LA, but the drive was a bummer AND because it was so popular, there was usually a wait. Well hooray for us in OC because we finally have a great hand-cut noodle place! The owner used to own Hangari in LA and you will recognize the lineage when you dine here.

I’m kind of a kalguksu nut and try it in different places to find places I like and have been searching for something comparable to Hangari in OC without the drive. *I’ve been to Myeongdong Kalguksu in Korea and the US, the other Hangari in GG, and a place featured on Netflix at Gwangjang Market in Seoul.

Anyway, I had noticed the coming soon sign a few weeks ago as I was driving and have been periodically looking online awaiting their opening. I was excited to see the reviews start to roll in and even more excited to see they were overwhelmingly positive.

We stopped by today for lunch and it was busy, but not packed. We were welcomed and quickly seated at a table toward the back. We ordered the anchovy kalguksu and barley bibimbap.

The banchan was fresh and delicious and included the barley, soybean sauce, and yul-mu (열무) starter that I love. (They didn’t serve yul-mu kimchi and I don’t know if they offer it, but it was a favorite from the other restaurant. hint hint 😉.)

They brought two steamed dumplings as a welcome appetizer that were pretty standard for classic meat and veggie mandu. (not sure if this will be a standard or if it’s promotional during these opening weeks).

On to the main entrees. The Kalguksu was really good! I really liked the chewy texture of the hand-cut noodles. They are thinner and flatter than udon. (Like Marugame they have a prep station at the front of the restaurant where you can see the cooks cutting the folded dough sheets). The broth was savory and well-seasoned and they offered a spicy seasoned sauce to add if you wanted.

The yulmu bibimbap was also really good. Fresh veggies and barley, mixed together for a light but satisfying meal.

The decor is simple and clean and the service was friendly and attentive. I can’t wait to go back and try some of the other dishes! My problem though is that when I find a dish I like, I rarely order anything else! 🙃

Thankful they’re here and wishing them lots of success. My fear is that this place will become so popular there will be long waits, but the joy of sharing a great spot outweighs that fear. Enjoy!

*Parking availability might become an issue, but for now, the strip mall had a decent...

I actually saw Gaya Son Kalguksu featured on an IG reel and I had to try it out! There's a kalguksu place my mom and I used to frequent in Anaheim over the years but that has gone downhill fast with prices going up and quality control dropping several tiers.

Here's what we ordered:

**Bibim Milmyeon: The lady serving us offered to give us a free side portion because she thought I could use it (I'm 6'7") which is rare these days but of course we said yes! That free portion was massive and definitely enough food for one extra person. Anyways, the dish itself was super refreshing and insanely delicious! Everything was fresh and prepared perfectly! (5/5)

**Manila Clam Hand-Cut Noodles: Delicious, refreshing kalguksu broth! There was a ton of clams along with a variety of vegetables. The noodles were perfect. Everything was perfect and not too salty at all. (5/5)

BOMBDOTCOM Korean food. Prices are fair, service is excellent, and food tastes spectacular! Oh, they also serve a little appetizer dish which was delicious. All the banchan (side dishes) are excellent as well! The lady working the front all by herself was really great. She checked up on every single table during the lunch rush and even had time to make small talk with every single table without falling behind. It's really rare to see Korean restaurants deliver excellent customer service without falling behind these days.

I 100% recommend Gaya Son Kalguksu and we definitely be back again in the near future! I would give this spot 10 stars if I could for an overall...

savory soy milk in a pot; the kongguksu had thin, chewy-springy noodles in a light-refreshing creamy, silk broth with a rather subtle nutty flavour than expected, while leaning more salty than sweet too. though these portion sizes are unholy, essentially 3-4 servings in one bowl 😭 definitely worth sharing; i'm a sucker for bean dishes so i pray this kongguksu is never taken...