Family cockle set with baby chair at Pyeongtaek restaurant: Kkomak

Since our baby was born, the way we pick restaurants has changed a lot. Before, it was just about whether the food was good, but now I check whether parking is easy, whether there's a baby chair, and whether it's an okay place to bring a baby into.

This time we went for a family meal with Jjangi to Kkomak Manse, located on Manse-ro in Pyeongtaek.

We ordered the family set for two, which lets you have cockle bibimbap, seasoned cockles, and cockle pancake all at once — a good option for a family meal since you get to try several dishes together. There's a wide parking area right in front of the restaurant.

A fresh cockle specialist on Manse-ro in Pyeongtaek: Kkomak Manse

Right at the entrance there's a Catch Table kiosk where you can make a reservation. That probably means there are enough customers to have a wait.

Kkomak Manse is a fresh cockle (kkomak) specialist restaurant on Manse-ro in Pyeongtaek. Rather than being one of several chain branches, it's said to be run locally in Pyeongtaek. According to the shop's own description, they clean and prepare the cockles themselves before serving.

Cockles are one of those foods that's more of a hassle to clean than to actually boil if you're cooking at home. So it was great to be able to eat several different cockle dishes at once at a specialty restaurant. The interior is clean, with seating ranging from tables for two up to family-sized groups.

Is it okay to bring a baby? Baby chairs and baby dishware

Since we visited with Jjangi this time, how easy it would be to eat with a baby mattered just as much as the food. Kkomak Manse has baby chairs and baby dishware ready, so it's set up well for families visiting with kids. Now that we have a baby, just seeing a baby chair at a restaurant makes me so happy haha.

When family members have different tastes, picking a restaurant can be tricky, but since there's a variety of menu items beyond just cockles, it seemed like a good fit for family visits.

What's in the family set for two (₩52,000)

What we ordered that day was the family set for two (₩52,000). It included cockle bibimbap, seasoned cockles, and cockle pancake — all the dishes I wanted to try. I liked that instead of ordering just one item, we could sample cockle dishes made in different ways.

Before the main dishes arrived, the side dishes were set out: cool cucumber and seaweed salad, tofu kimchi, dried radish strips, and white kimchi — all fitting for summer.

Then perilla leaves and laver (gim) came out for wrapping the cockles. They gave us a generous amount — I wondered if we could really finish it all, but we did, haha.

There's a burner in the middle of the table, and I wondered what would go on it — turned out to be fish cake soup. It was nice and refreshing too.

Right by the entrance there's a self-service corner. The basic side dishes are there, along with white rice you can help yourself to. Perilla leaves are also at the self-service bar, but for laver you have to ask staff — probably to keep it from going soggy.

This is how the family set is laid out on the table. It looked so appetizing.

Cockle bibimbap

The first thing we tried was, of course, the cockle bibimbap.

Mixing the rice and cockles together, the first bite had that distinctive plump, springy texture of cockles. It has a different charm from eating cockles on their own, so my spoon kept going back for more.

Getting the seasoning, rice, and cockles all in one bite made this personally the dish I reached for most out of the whole set.

Seasoned cockles

Next up was the seasoned cockles.

The seasoned cockles were easy to pick up one at a time, and you could really feel the texture of the cockle itself. Can you see how much flying fish roe there was?

It had a completely different feel from the bibimbap, so it was nice to alternate between the two. At home, cleaning and boiling cockles and then making the seasoning is quite a hassle, so having it ready to eat like this was really convenient.

Following the staff's suggestion, I put laver on a perilla leaf, added a cockle, and took a bite — pure bliss.

Piling seasoned cockles and flying fish roe onto white rice made it a total rice thief.

Cockle pancake

And the dish I was actually looking forward to more than expected was the cockle pancake.

Cockle bibimbap and seasoned cockles are familiar dishes, but cockle pancake isn't something I eat often, so I was more curious about it.

Eating the pancake in between bites of bibimbap and seasoned cockles, the combination worked really well together.

Ordering the family set definitely had the advantage of letting us have bibimbap, seasoned cockles, and cockle pancake all in one meal.

What made this a good family meal with a baby

When eating out with a baby, you end up paying attention to the restaurant environment as much as the taste of the food. Kkomak Manse had baby chairs and baby dishware ready, and the set-up made it easy for the family to share several dishes together, which made this family meal comfortable. The restroom was really clean too.

If you love cockles like we do and find it a shame to only try one dish, going with the family set to have several kinds together seems like a good idea. If you're looking for a restaurant in Pyeongtaek to visit with a baby, or a family meal spot to enjoy with parents, this one is worth considering.

It had been a while since we properly ate cockle bibimbap, seasoned cockles, and cockle pancake all together at this Pyeongtaek favorite, Kkomak Manse. Our family, Jjangi included, had a really good meal.