Guwol-dong group dinner for 5: ribs and monkfish stew at Haemokjeong

It had been a while since I got together with friends for a group meal of five, so I went looking for good restaurants in Guwol-dong and ended up at Haemokjeong Guwol Branch. Since our group mixed meat lovers and seafood lovers, a place where we could have braised ribs and monkfish stew at the same table was perfect.

Where is Haemokjeong Guwol Branch, and where do you park?

Haemokjeong Guwol Branch is near Yesulhoegwan Station, at 15 Seongmal-ro 13beon-gil, 2nd floor, unit 206, Namdong-gu, Incheon. You can use the building's underground parking, and if you give them your license plate number after your meal, you get 2 hours free — good to know if you're driving haha.

Inside Haemokjeong Guwol Branch: a table that seats 5 comfortably

The moment I walked in, I thought it was a bit unusual — the floor has a video of waves flowing across it!!!! It felt like walking on the ocean haha. On top of that, the entrance is surrounded by mirrors on all sides, which makes the space feel much bigger and also makes it great for photos.

The interior overall is clean and fairly spacious, so even with five of us ordering multiple dishes, the table never felt too crowded.

The gap between tables was wide too, so we weren't bothered by the table next to us.

Sitting by the window, we had a full view of the scenery around Yesulhoegwan Station through the floor-to-ceiling glass, which added to the atmosphere. I recommend the window seats lol. We booked ahead through Naver and were seated at a table with a tablet that already had our name on it — there was also a notice saying they provide seaweed soup if someone in the party has a birthday. A small but thoughtful touch that I liked. We weren't there for a birthday though, so we passed on that~~~~~

It's a good spot for sitting around and chatting over a meal with several people, so it worked well as a meeting place near the Guwol-dong arts center.

What 5 of us ordered at Haemokjeong Guwol Branch, and what it cost

• Boneless monkfish stew (순살아귀찜), 2 servings – ₩35,000
• Spicy braised pork ribs (매콤돼지갈비찜), 2 servings – ₩35,000
• Snow cheese fried rice (눈꽃볶음밥), 1 serving – ₩5,000
• Mushroom kalguksu (버섯칼국수), 2 servings – ₩16,000 (₩8,000 per person)

We picked the two mains and then turned the leftover stew broth into a course by adding fried rice and kalguksu on top. The basic side dishes were salad, white kimchi, perilla leaves, and pickles — all things that pair well with the stews.

In particular, the seasoned chives, the sweet-and-sour cold salad with bellflower root, and the pickled cucumber peppers were such a solid lineup of banchan (side dishes) that our chopsticks kept going back for more.

Boneless monkfish stew: no bones, plus rice cakes

This was the dish I'd been most looking forward to! True to its name, it's boneless, so we could eat it comfortably without worrying about bones. The thick chunks of monkfish went really well with the spicy sauce and vegetables.

Rice cakes also came in the stew, so we got to enjoy the fun of eating chewy rice cakes together with the spicy monkfish.

How spicy are the spicy braised pork ribs?

A big hot plate arrived piled high with pork ribs coated in red sauce — it looked delicious just to see it.

The pick stuck into the spicy braised ribs had text on it saying "Grand Prize Winner — Seafood Braised Ribs Menu," so I tasted it with high expectations, and one bite in — it was spicy but somehow didn't feel overwhelming, kind of like magic?

We didn't even ask them to make it mild, but the level of spiciness was just right. The sauce had soaked well into the meat, and it made me crave rice right away lol.

It's spicy but the kind of flavor that keeps you reaching for more, so the meat lovers in our group ate it up too. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for good braised ribs in Guwol-dong.

Going back and forth between the braised ribs and the monkfish stew, it was noticeably less repetitive than eating just one dish. If your group has both seafood people and meat people, try ordering both.

Finishing with snow cheese fried rice and mushroom kalguksu

After we'd eaten most of the mains, we added a serving of snow cheese fried rice — the staff stir-fried rice and various vegetables in the leftover sauce ourselves, topped it with snow cheese, and once it was all mixed in, the five of us polished off the stretchy cheese rice in the blink of an eye haha.

I thought that was the end, but then we added mushroom kalguksu for two (₩16,000) as well! Noodles and mushrooms in a bubbling broth gave us a satisfying finish in a totally different mood from the stews.

Whole shiitake mushrooms were piled on top, and eating them together with the noodles made the broth taste even deeper!!!

Is Haemokjeong Guwol Branch worth it for a group of 5?

• You can enjoy braised ribs and monkfish stew at the same table
• Spacious interior good for dining with a group
• 2 hours free parking in the building's underground lot
• Fried rice and kalguksu make it feel like a full course

If you're looking for good braised ribs in Guwol-dong or a meeting spot in the area, keep this one in mind haha. Another tasty outing for Sosohan Balja-guk (소소한발자국).