Haeundae Korean restaurant with bossam: Songjeongok

An abalone pot rice set near Songjeong Beach

We stayed near Songjeong Beach and came to eat the abalone pot rice at Songjeongok Songjeong Main Branch (송정옥 송정본점). Is abalone pot rice trendy these days? It kept showing up in my Instagram algorithm haha. At Songjeongok, you can have a generous, healthy, good-value meal of abalone pot rice and boiled pork!

It is about a three-minute walk from Songjeong Beach, famous as a surfing hotspot, so it is easy to stop by after playing around. There is dedicated parking in front of the restaurant. Since we arrived at lunchtime, we parked in the alley behind it on the way in.

A spacious second floor with a hanok feel

Between the abalone pot rice menu and the calm, hanok-like exterior, Songjeongok felt like a great place to bring parents or older family members, haha. There are lots of seats upstairs too, so it should be more than enough for a group gathering!

The cozy wood-toned interior is paired with traditional decor, while the full-width windows keep it airy and spacious. The second floor is roomy too, but feels even more open; unlike the first floor, it has lots of plant decor, which makes it even prettier. Recommended!

Ordering the abalone pot rice and seafood hinoki-steamed sets

We ordered the abalone pot rice set for ₩19,000 and the abalone seafood hinoki-steamed set for ₩23,000. Since I am a seafood lover, one had to be the hinoki-steamed set~

True to the menu name, which means a full set table, the gabri bossam (boiled pork cheek meat), abalone pot rice, and seafood hinoki-steamed set arrived beautifully arranged. My eyes were darting everywhere haha 🙈 The abalone pot rice comes with bossam and side dishes as standard, while the seafood hinoki steaming is added to the other set.

Bossam and side dishes

There were several kinds of kimchi to eat with the gabri bossam, seasoned raw crab, and seasoned cockle salad too... All included with the abalone pot rice, so the spread was such good value. Sometimes there are lots of dishes but you do not end up reaching for them, but every side dish here felt thoughtfully made—the cockles were nice and big, and the seasoned raw crab was so good too haha.

The gabri bossam especially had just the right amount of fat and such a tender texture—so delicious haha. It would not be out of place as a main dish. There was also salad, stir-fried squid, and doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew), haha. So good. The doenjang-jjigae had that old-fashioned soybean-paste flavor, exactly my taste, and the salad had shrimp with yuzu dressing, so it was fresh and really woke up my appetite haha.

The stir-fried squid had lots of squid, and its seasoning was like duruchigi (spicy stir-fry), so it went really well with rice, haha. That rice-stealing duruchigi plus seasoned raw crab combination is dangerous..

Pot rice loaded with creamy abalone innards

The main dish, abalone pot rice!! It was hot and fluffy, like it had just been cooked.

There was a generous amount of rich, creamy abalone innards in it haha. I am someone who eats abalone for the innards, so mixing it all together was insanely goodㅠ👏👏👏 It also had scrambled egg, with a sort of creamy mayo flavor? I think women would absolutely love this flavor, haha.

My husband was also exclaiming over how good the gabri bossam and pot rice were, haha. So proud that I found such a good restaurant..

Finishing with seafood hinoki steaming and broth scorched rice

The first bite seemed a little mild, but with the side dishes it was seasoned just right—so tasty..👍 We ordered one seafood hinoki-steamed set, and it came out freshly steamed and hot. There was so much food that the two of us would have had enough even without ordering it. Big eaters, though, should order it haha.

Recommended for anyone who likes seafood and root vegetables! The seafood was great, of course, but I really enjoyed the corn too, haha. So soft. To finish, add broth to the pot rice and eat nurungji (scorched rice). Please save some rice for the nurungji.. It is such a special treat haha. It is broth rather than water, so it tastes amazing!!

Every side dish was delicious, and from the gabri bossam and the main abalone pot rice right through to the finish, this Songjeong restaurant was perfect!! It is a healthy, generous meal without overpowering flavors, so I think it would be wonderful for bringing parents or older family members too, haha. I highly recommend Songjeongok's abalone pot rice—good for you and delicious⭐️ It is great value too, and I would definitely return!