Korean set meal lunch near Dongtan with braised pollack: Bomseol

Why I went to Bomseol near Dongtan twice

I've been to Bomseol, a Korean set meal restaurant near Dongtan, twice recently. I liked it so much the first time that I went back with my mom, and she loved it too, so this is officially my own go-to spot from now on!

Where is Bomseol and how is the parking?

Bomseol's address is in Osan (Oesammi-ro), but it's actually close to Dongtan, and the large private parking lot means no parking worries. (You can register 2 hours of parking yourself on the way out.)

Bomseol's atmosphere and group bookings

Bomseol is a 3-story building, and the 2nd and 3rd floors can be booked out entirely, so I'd say it's a great place for group meals. Maybe because it's run by a Korean master chef, the entrance was full of certificates and medals, and there's a space where you can wait.

We sat on the 1st floor. The restaurant is quite big, so I doubt you'd often have to wait. We came early on a weekday lunch, and even so it filled up with lunch customers as time went on.

Bomseol menu and prices (revamped June 1)

Bomseol's main items are the Dolbap Table 1.3, Bomseol Table 1.8 and Mountain of Green Onion Bulgogi 2.0 (prices as written on the menu), plus more premium meals like the Nature Table and Master Chef Table. The menu was different from my first visit and I wondered what was going on, then a staff member told me it had been revamped from June 1. Originally there were several types of full set tables; they simplified that a bit and added a few more dishes.

• Dolbap Table 1.3
• Bomseol Table 1.8
• Mountain of Green Onion Bulgogi 2.0
• Premium menu such as the Nature Table and Master Chef Table
• Kids menu: kids' pork cutlet, tteok-galbi (grilled short rib patty)

There's also a kids menu with kids' pork cutlet and tteok-galbi, so it's a fine place to bring children 👍 I enjoyed the braised pollack a lot last time, so I ordered two Bomseol Tables, which come with both braised pollack and spicy stir-fried pork!

Bomseol's self-serve barley bibimbap: pro tip, take just a little

Bomseol has a separate self-serve bar where you can make your own bibimbap (rice mixed with vegetables and sauce) with barley rice.

Spread a thin layer of barley rice on the bottom, pile on assorted vegetables, add the special gochujang (chili paste) sauce and mix it all up. It's already delicious 👍 But if you eat a lot of it you get so full you can't tackle the real main meal, so taking just a little is the pro tip.

The Bomseol Table spread: are the side dishes refillable?

The Bomseol Table comes with a wide variety of side dishes and a generous main, and all the banchan (side dishes) can be refilled. While I was eating the barley rice, the full Bomseol Table arrived, and I wondered if I could really finish it all. Someone like me who loves japchae (glass noodle stir-fry) will definitely go for seconds of that, haha.

Every side dish was delicious, honestly, you could have a full meal with just the sides and no main!

The Bomseol Table comes with dolsot rice (rice in a hot stone pot), so you move the rice into a separate bowl and pour water into the pot to make nurungji (scorched rice tea), which you set aside and eat at the end.

How do the braised pollack and spicy pork taste?

Bomseol's braised pollack (kodari-jorim) was chewy and the seasoning had soaked in really well. I'm not even a big fan of braised pollack, but after trying it here I thought I should make it at home sometime. The sauce is slightly spicy-sweet, a bit like tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) yet savory and rich, and just mixing rice into that sauce is amazing.

The spicy stir-fried pork (jeyuk-bokkeum) is wrapped in lettuce with white rice, and then you understand why guys love it so much.

My mom said Bomseol's cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) was so good, and wondered why hers at home doesn't taste like this. But then who would eat out?

Service at Bomseol

Every time I go to Bomseol I notice the staff are so kind, which really makes me happy. When a restaurant is unfriendly, I don't feel like going back no matter how good the food is, but Bomseol has tasty food and staff with a great service spirit, so it puts me in a good mood 😍

Dessert after the meal, plus side dishes and oils to buy

After your meal at Bomseol, there's a three-item dessert set of sujeonggwa (cinnamon punch), gangnaengi (puffed rice snack) and coffee, which is a nice light way to finish.

You can also buy the side dishes you enjoyed, and the barley gangjeong (sweet puffed snack), sesame oil and perilla oil caught my eye. Would cooking with these make food taste even better?

I only found out about Bomseol recently, but I want to keep coming whenever I'm craving a Korean set meal. I especially hope the japchae keeps showing up as a side dish 😍