Lunch with two kids in Sangam, Seoul: abalone pot rice at Solsot

There's a place I go to whenever I'm craving pot rice. It's been our family's go-to spot in the neighborhood since it opened, and my husband loves it too because parking is easy. With two kids, even on hot days when I suggest taking public transit, they absolutely refuse to listen, and if I try to leave them behind I have to prepare a separate meal anyway — so there's no better option than bringing everyone along.

Where is Solsot Sangam Branch, and when is it least crowded?

Solsot Sangam Branch is in Sangam-dong and close to Digital Media City Station, so it's totally doable by subway too! Walk into the DDMC building and head straight in, and you'll spot Solsot right there — today's post's star.

On weekdays it's packed with office workers from about 11:30am to 12:20pm, so if you're going with kids, showing up a bit after 12:30pm is perfect.

Why Solsot Sangam Branch is easy with young kids

Solsot Sangam Branch has a baby chair and is genuinely welcoming and well set up for bringing little ones, so there's no stress. My second is older now and eats a full adult portion, so we came a bit after noon and had a great meal.

There's also cube steak that kids love, and if you're not sure what to feed them, abalone or sea bream scallop are mild and savory — they eat it up.

Sea bream scallop / abalone pot rice, 3 pieces of shrimp tempura

Sea bream and scallop pot rice, abalone pot rice, and handmade shrimp tempura

That day too we ordered sea bream scallop and abalone, plus the handmade shrimp tempura that's a must-order side — the piggies of our house need to see it on the table before they settle down, haha. It comes out piping hot in a stone pot, and even my mom, who might be lying down when I say let's go eat, jumps right up.

My mom, who loves sea bream, ate hers happily, while I picked abalone. It's so chewy that once you try it you'll be amazed at how hard it is to stop — a taste my Instagram friends who haven't tried it are missing out on, haha. My husband grumbled at first about paying that much and going all that way for pot rice, but after being dragged along once because of the kids, he now comes back without complaint from time to time to Solsot Sangam Branch.

A different seasoning sauce for each pot rice

You'd think they'd all taste the same, but the seasoning sauces are all different, and with each spoonful you can definitely notice distinct flavors — it's an unusual kind of Korean set meal.

It's already tasty just mixed roughly with butter, but wrap it in the seaweed that comes alongside and dip it lightly in the sauce, and a whole different flavor makes you happy.

It has a gondre-bap (mountain vegetable rice) kind of vibe, and as the seasoning hits your mouth just right, biting into the abalone at the same moment — honestly, it's such a well-made recipe.

Letting the nurungji harden at the bottom of the pot

Normally you scoop the rice out separately, pour lightly seasoned water into the pot with the scorched rice left in it, and finish it off like an oolong-tea style ending, Japanese-o-cha style. But our family has odd tastes — we want the dry, crunchy scorched rice to chew on, so we deliberately let it harden at the bottom.

Eating it donburi-style with shrimp tempura on top

And while eating the rice, if you cut up the big shrimp tempura we also ordered and pile it on top, it turns into a donburi-style meal — personally I loved eating it this way too.

This tartar-style sauce is really something else — the little bits of egg you feel mid-bite make me go 'wow' every single time.

Honestly, because of this shrimp tempura, there are times in the evening when I leave my husband and kids at home and go out just for a beer. And apparently plenty of people think the same, because later I noticed they'd added a draft beer and tempura combo to the menu, haha. If you ever get the chance, you really should go have a proper meal there. It's a life-changing pot rice.

Yakult dessert and the rock-paper-scissors croquette

Solsot Sangam Branch serves yakult as dessert and runs ongoing events too, making it fun for both kids and adults. Tell the staff you want to play rock-paper-scissors, and they'll take turns competing with each person one at a time — winners get a croquette, which is such a cute little event. Definitely join in if you get the chance.

That said, if you're going with kids, it could get awkward if one gets a croquette and the other doesn't, right? But the staff are kind and thoughtful enough to handle it well, so as a local, I recommend this place for family outings.