Grilled atka mackerel set at a Milyang loach soup restaurant: Ilpum

A lunch review from Milyang: trying the loach soup, grilled atka mackerel and boiled pork sanghwang chueo set at Irojeong

Why stop at Ilpum Irojeong on a Milyang drive?

Ilpum Irojeong is a Korean restaurant on Baekmin-ro in Milyang that's been known for its loach soup (chueotang) for a long time. It was a rare clear day, so I made an excuse to head to Milyang, driving past Milyang Dam while running some errands.

Since I'd already come all the way down to Milyang for the drive, I was looking for somewhere to eat and dropped by Irojeong. A menu that let me have boiled pork and grilled fish along with the loach soup, rather than just the soup alone, caught my eye — and for that kind of spread, the price seemed reasonable, so I decided to visit.

Menu and prices: the 18,000-won sanghwang loach soup set

I ordered two things that day: the boyang jeongchan (nourishing set meal) atka mackerel + boiled pork sanghwang chueo set for 18,000 won, and a beef seaweed soup for 11,000 won as well.

It's a set that lets you have grilled atka mackerel, boiled pork, and sanghwang loach soup all at once. The beef seaweed soup was noted as using grade 1++ Korean beef.

Personally, what impressed me most that day was the portion size. For a single serving, it was quite generous — enough that a typical adult man would feel plenty full from this one meal.

How it tastes: Namwon-style loach soup and grilled atka mackerel

I started with the loach soup first. Namwon-style, the broth is thick yet savory, and eating it little by little alongside the boiled pork, fried food and japchae that came with it made for an enjoyable full spread.

The atka mackerel in particular won me over more than I expected. The staff suggested I try the skin, so I ate it separately, and it had a nicely savory flavor. There was almost no fishy taste, and the flesh wasn't dry, which I found satisfying.

The fried food was crispy and savory, filling in between bites nicely, and the japchae was well-seasoned and tasty too. With the boiled pork added, the meal felt much heartier than if I'd only had the loach soup.

The beef seaweed soup had an especially rich broth. If you like seaweed soup, it pairs well with rice, and personally, the broth was the flavor I remembered most out of everything I ordered that day.

Turmeric rice instead of plain white rice

Irojeong's rice wasn't ordinary white rice but a yellow-tinged turmeric rice. Curcumin, turmeric's key compound, is linked to antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and is said to help with joint and digestive health.

Atmosphere and wait times at lunch peak

Ilpum Irojeong gets quite crowded during lunch, enough that there's a wait. I visited a little past peak time, so there were still seats available and I could eat fairly comfortably.

The place had a good atmosphere for family meals or gatherings, and it's confirmed to have private rooms and group seating available.

Parking, facilities and the receipt review event

Parking needs a bit of attention during peak hours. Up until 2pm, I saw a lot of cars parked along the surrounding streets, and there's also the option of using a public parking lot. Parking in front of the restaurant is possible, but during peak times it's better to use the public lot or side streets.

There's a self-serve side dish corner where you can grab extra sides as needed, and sweet pumpkin and sujeonggwa (cinnamon-persimmon punch) were provided for dessert, which was nice for cleaning the palate after the meal.

They were also running a receipt review event, and I received a bag of purple sweet potato heart-shaped ppeongtwigi (puffed rice snack) worth about 4,000 won that day. The sweet potato flavor wasn't super strong, more of a mild presence. Nutty and moreish — I kept reaching for more.

Final verdict: a Milyang set meal to share with parents

Having loach soup together with boiled pork, grilled mackerel, fried food and japchae felt more satisfying than eating just one dish, and the composition felt reasonable for the price. In particular, if you're looking for somewhere to eat with your parents, this seemed like a place worth considering.

Personally, if I come back to Milyang again, I think I'd stop by once more. If you visit, keep in mind there may be a wait at lunch peak, and it's worth knowing where the public parking lot is beforehand.

• Address: 75-1 Baekmin-ro, 1st floor, Milyang-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea
• Hours: 11:00–21:00
• Break time: 15:30–17:00
• Last order: 20:30
• Parking: Available

A drive plus a hearty, wholesome bowl of loach soup — that was the goal that day, and personally, it was a pretty satisfying meal.