Seaweed soup stop after an E-mart Traders run in Ilsan: Haenon Miyeok

I went to E-mart Traders Ilsan to stock up for the holidays, and ended up craving something good — so I swung by Haenon Miyeok Ilsan Direct Branch, an Ilsan Korean restaurant known for its seaweed soup.

What kind of restaurant is Haenon Miyeok Ilsan Direct Branch?

Haenon Miyeok is the original seaweed soup (miyeokguk) set-meal specialist that started in Busan back in 2015. I was already excited before the meal even started, knowing I'd get a deep, properly made broth alongside a fancy hanjeongsik-style spread.

Parking and the dining room at Haenon Miyeok

Haenon Miyeok Ilsan Direct Branch has a big, comfortable dedicated parking lot right in front of the building, so parking was really easy. If you're driving, you can pull in without any parking stress at all.

Walking up and looking around the exterior and interior, I couldn't help but be impressed. From the entrance to the inside decor, it felt like walking into a high-end spa or a large luxury hanjeongsik restaurant.

From the lighting to the table layout to the sleek wood-tone interior, the space is so upscale and spacious that I kept reaching for my camera. The menu matches that luxurious mood too, with everything laid out so neatly — this place is really perfect for taking your parents, a family gathering, or hosting a family meal.

Seaweed soup options and how ordering works

The basic ordering system at Haenon Miyeok is simple: pick one main seaweed soup you like, and it comes with a full, generous set meal. Looking at the menu, there was a genuinely wide variety of seaweed soups available.

• Sea urchin seaweed soup
• Seasonal oyster seaweed soup
• Abalone seaweed soup for recovery
• Special flounder seaweed soup
• Classic beef seaweed soup
• Refreshing dried pollock seaweed soup

We ordered the flounder seaweed soup and the sea urchin seaweed soup — two we'd been curious about and wanted to try.

Set-meal side dishes and the self-serve bar

The lineup of basic set-meal sides that appeared right after ordering was seriously impressive.

There was golden, sweet-and-sour braised flounder,

and a fresh salad with dressing set as one of the main sides.

On top of that came japchae (glass noodle stir-fry), sautéed zucchini, crispy sweet-and-sour eggplant, crunchy fresh kimchi (geotjeori), and salty cockle salad — a proper hanjeongsik spread.

The best part is that you can refill all these great sides as much as you want at the self-serve bar in the middle of the restaurant.

How the sea urchin seaweed soup tastes

First up was the sea urchin seaweed soup, generously loaded with sea urchin roe. I genuinely thought, "Is it okay to give this much sea urchin?" — the bowl was practically covered in it.

There was no fishy taste at all; it melted the moment it hit my mouth, and that bittersweet, savory sea urchin flavor blended smoothly into the milky, slow-simmered seaweed broth. Every spoonful of the broth exploded with deep oceanic umami and clean flavor — a premium recovery soup that warmed me from deep inside.

How the flounder seaweed soup tastes

Next was the flounder seaweed soup, and it was completely my taste. The combination of soft, clean flounder flesh and the slow-simmered seaweed soup was fantastic.

At home I usually only make beef seaweed soup, but even with fish in it, this had zero fishy taste, and the fish flesh just fell apart softly in my mouth. The tender seaweed texture and the clean, savory flounder came together perfectly with the rich, milky broth — I honestly wanted to try recreating the recipe at home.

Free kimchi pancake and the verdict on Haenon Miyeok

We also joined the Naver receipt review event and got a freshly pan-fried, crispy, hot kimchi pancake (kimchijeon) as a service item, which we happily devoured.

Easy parking, an interior more luxurious than a fancy hanjeongsik restaurant, deep and nourishing seaweed soup, and unlimited refills of neat side dishes — everything was perfect at this Ilsan Korean restaurant, Haenon Miyeok Ilsan Direct Branch. I'd strongly recommend it if you're taking your parents out or looking for an upscale spot for a family meal.